What does a gold bar look like and how much does it weigh?

Probably, every person at least once in his life heard of gold bullion, but few people know what they are and how much they weigh. In movies and TV shows, ingots show how shiny and weighty "bricks" are, but are they really like that? In this article we will understand this issue.

Standard yellow metal ingots are banking metal ingots that meet all quality standards and requirements. “Correct” products are distinguished by a truncated (cut) device, like a pyramid. The weight of the ingots is usually from 11000 to 13300 g. In different projections, the ingots have different sizes:

• the indicator of the length of a large base is 254 mm;
• the width of the large base is only 88 mm;
• the length of the small base is 259 mm;
• the width of the small base is 59 mm.

With the growth and development of cities, their economic system was tirelessly complicated. Formed a complete division of labor. Each person was engaged in a certain industry. Someone was engaged in the cultivation of grain crops, and from someone excellent builders and so on were obtained. A special barter system was actively developed, according to which people had the opportunity to exchange services and goods. Making such transactions, people often resorted to the use of silver and gold. The latter had to be weighed and checked carefully each time when the metals passed from hand to hand.

Around 600 BC e. Indians have developed a curious way to get rid of this common problem.They began to smelting electrum - an alloy composed of gold and silver. Ingots having a specific mass and degree of purity were made from such an expensive combination of materials. Necessarily state stamp was necessarily put on the manufactured elements. Soon this interesting idea was picked up. So, after about 50 years in most shopping centers around the world began to use the same system.

Modern products from yellow metal should not only be weighty and look high-quality and shiny. They must meet a number of important requirements. Check out their list.

1. Product weight standard type can be from 11000 to 13300 g. If the customer has agreed, the mass of the finished product can be sold in other frameworks.
2. Ingots smelted from gold must have an established truncated pyramid shapewhere each side has its own specific dimensions. The refinery has the right to make ingots having a different structure and other dimensional parameters, but this requires the consent of the customer.
3. Current requirements fixed gold mark. In addition, relevant standards set impurities and their specific content in an alloy of a precious metal.
4. Certain requirements are also set for the surface of gold ingots. It must be perfectly smooth, without smudges, sagging, protruding particles, spots of grease or plaque. In no case should the surface of high-quality specimens have slag and other unnecessary inclusions.
5. The walls of gold bars may have minor stripped zones, the depth of which is not more than 1 mm. Slight concavities that remain due to metal shrinkage can be seen on the products. The depth indicator of these elements should not exceed 5 mm.

An ingot of the type in question, made of gold and meeting all standards, must have the following marking components on it:

• direct part number;
• the brand to which the metal of which the ingot is directly related;
• mass fraction of metal of precious origin (gold sample is implied);
• total weight of the "brick";
• symbol of the state that is the producer of the ingot;
• refinery trademarks;
• year when the product was released.

Before you know the value of a 999 gold bullion, it makes sense determine the purity of such a product. First, it should be noted that pure gold just does not work. By industrial means, it is possible to obtain only such a metal in which there are various kinds of special impurities. Simply put, these are combinations of other metals mixed with gold in a certain percentage.

Ingots on which 999 samples are set, otherwise called “4 nines”. This name is due to the fact that in such products, the base metal accounts for 99.99% of the total mass. The resulting material can be considered standard, since it turns out to be the most pure of all possible products that is available to modern investors. Due to such features, these products are universally used by the relevant government agencies, for example, central banks of different countries, to form funds.

Ingots made from high quality precious metal alloy are divided into two main varieties. Each of them has its own distinctive characteristics and external qualities. Let's consider them in more detail.

Measured items are products whose weight is up to 1 kg. In this case, high-quality alloy 999 is used.This designation indicates that almost 100% of pure gold is present in such a metal (to be more precise - 99.99%). Measured ingots are marked exclusively by manufacturers. Ingots of this variety belong to the class of lightweight. They are sent not only to specialized banking organizations, but also to retail outlets where jewelry is sold.

In order to better understand the features of testing these types of ingots, it should be noted that the indication of a specific test indicates the quantitative content of pure gold per 1000 parts of the alloy. For example, a widespread 585 sample equals and corresponds to 585 parts out of 1000. The same applies to the above 999 samples. In Russia, the production of dimensional types of ingots occurs in accordance with GOST 51572-2000. Measured ingots must comply with all established requirements for such products.

Standard are called modern production varieties of manufactured ingots. Their mass can vary in different limits. For example, one ingot may differ in weight from 11 to 13 kg. Standard copies must also be made on the basis of established standards.

1. Standard products should have a characteristic low prism structure. This form can be changed by prior arrangement with the customer.
2. On the ingots under consideration there should not be hollows whose depth is more than 0.5 cm.
3. All necessary information data (sample, manufacturer, production date and others) on the indicated ingots are applied on the lower half of the base.

Different types of ingots differ not only in weight, size and structural features, but also in the method of direct manufacture. So, small items whose mass is less than 50 g, produced by stamping. As a result of this technological process, the surface of the ingots turns out to be very neat and aesthetic - it comes out perfectly smooth, and all the drawings and notations on them are perfectly read and executed just as carefully, accurately.

Larger sizes and weightsare made by another popular technology - casting. The external data of such products cannot be called as perfect and spectacular, however, this method of production has established itself as the most affordable and cheapest. And also exists powder method for the manufacture of ingots, which uses electrolysis. However, in Russia this technology is not used.

The weight of gold bars may vary. It is indicated in kilograms and can be both modest and more impressive. In Russia, ingots are produced, which can have a mass of 1 to 1000 g. If we are talking about products manufactured abroad, then among them you can find specimens weighing 2, 2.5 g. Quite often you can find the so-called triple ounce, which equals 31.1 g.

If we consider the mass of gold bars based on established GOSTs, then values ​​from 11 to 13.3 kg are permissible. Dimensional parameters of such products depend on their weight. For example, a kilogram measured product will have the following values: length - 105-116 mm, width - 48-52 mm. Height indicators are not regulated by regulations. The precious metal of the Russian gold and foreign exchange reserve is kept in a special storage. Typically, in such conditions, ingots are contained, the mass of which is from 1 to 14 kilograms. In the United States, they decide to keep their savings in the form of golden bars, whose weight is 12.44 kg.

Of course, not all ingots in the world correspond to the above dimensional and weight parameters. So, in Japan there is one of the largest and most massive ingots, the weight of which reaches 250 kg. There is a record of this even in the world-famous Guinness Book of Records.

After Japan comes Taiwan. Here lives the lucky owner of another large gold bar, the mass of which is only 220 kg.

The storage of gold (including gold coins) should be trusted to banks. At home, it is not too safe to hold the positions in question, and it is pointless. A specialized financial institution opens a special custody account for customers. This is a kind of analogue of a standard bank cell. There you can put all your savings in the form of jewelry. It will be possible to add more savings or withdraw something from there if necessary.

The cost of the described service for the storage of gold bars and other precious savings will directly depend on how many items you want to keep in the bank. And also affects the price mass of products and even metal, from which they are mainly made.

For how much a bar of gold weighs, see the next video.