Gold bars

Buying Gold Bars

A gold bar or gold ingot is broadly defined as a cast or minted gold item, regardless of shape, which is made by a recognized bar manufacturer (Credit Suisse gold bars, PAMP Suisse gold bars, Johnson Matthey gold bars etc). Gold bullion bars are normally issued at a low premium above the prevailing value of their fine gold content.

The markings on gold bullion bars are mainly functional, recording where required the name of the manufacturer or issuer, the bar’s weight and gold purity, and a serial number (most cast bars record a serial number but most small minted bullion bars do not).

The minimum or specified gold purity of gold bullion bars, accepted as “good delivery” by leading associations and exchanges, can range from 99% to 99.99%.

Most minted gold bullion bars manufactured worldwide include a design or motif on the reverse side as a standard feature.

Although most gold bullion bars are rectangular, they are also manufactured in a variety of other shapes (round, square, oval etc).

Cast Gold Bars

Cast gold bullion bars are normally produced directly from gold that has been melted. The traditional method is to cast (i.e. pour) gold, which has been melted in a crucible, into a mould with appropriate dimensions. A modern method, now widely used to manufacture a smaller cast gold bar, is to melt, in a furnace, a measured weight of gold granules or cut pieces of gold that have been placed in a mould with appropriate dimensions. Another modern method, used to create a cast gold bar that is long and flat, notably for the manufacture of minted gold bars, is to pass melted gold through a die, which has a specified width and thickness and has been clamped between cooling blocks, in a continuous casting process.

Minted Gold Bars or Gold Ingots

Minted gold bullion bars are normally cut from a cast bar that has been rolled to a uniform thickness. The cutting is usually done with a die to create blanks that have the required dimensions and weight. Minted bars are also referred to as gold ingots, and in some countries as gold wafers.

Investment Gold Bullion Bars

The Industry Collection classifies a cast or minted gold bullion bar as an investment bar, when known to have been issued by a recognized bar manufacturer or issuer at a low premium above the prevailing value of its fine gold content.

Gold Bullion Bars Weights

Gold Bars

Gold bullion bars are normally classified into two broad categories of weight. A large gold bar weighs more than 1000 g, a small bar weighs 1000 g or less.

Gold bullion bars can be denominated in different units of weight to accommodate the preferences of regions or countries (gram, troy ounce, tola, tael, baht, chi (or cay or luong), don and mesghal).

Although large bars are denominated in troy ounces and the international gold price is quoted in US dollars per troy ounce, there is a worldwide trend for small cast and minted gold bars to be denominated in grams.

Large gold bullion bars are available in 400-oz, 100-oz, 50-oz, 2 kg, 3 kg, 5kg and 10 kg.

Small bullion bars are available in ranges from 0.3 to 1000 g, 1/10 to 20 ounces, 1 to 10 tola, 1 to 10 tael, 1 to 50 Baht, ½ to 10 Chi and up to 50 mesghal.

Gold Bullion Bars Purities

Gold Bullion Bars are manufactured in different millesimal gold purities (or fineness), most ranging between 965 and 999.9. Small bars are usually manufactured in gold purities ranging between 999.9 and 995.

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