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

Probably everyone has heard of gold bars at least once in their life, but few people know what they are and how much they weigh. In movies and TV shows, ingots are shown as shiny and weighty "bricks", but are they really like that? In this article we will understand this issue.

The standard yellow metal bars are banking metal bars that meet all quality standards and requirements. "Correct" products are distinguished by a truncated (cut) device, like a pyramid. The weight of the bars is usually between 11000 and 13300 g. Ingots have different sizes in different projections:

• the indicator of the length of the large base - 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.

As cities expanded and developed, their economic systems became relentlessly complex. A full-fledged division of labor was formed. Each person was employed in a specific industry. Someone was engaged in the cultivation of grain crops, while others turned out to be excellent builders, and so on. A special barter system was actively developing, under the terms of which people had the opportunity to exchange services and goods. In making such transactions, people often resorted to the use of silver and gold. The latter had to be weighed and carefully checked each time when the metals passed from hand to hand.

Around 600 BC NS. Indians have developed a curious way to get rid of this common problem.They began to smelt electrum, an alloy containing gold and silver. From such an expensive combination of materials, ingots were made with a specific mass and degree of purity. The required state mark was necessarily displayed on the manufactured elements. Soon this interesting idea was picked up. So, after about 50 years, most shopping centers around the world began to use the same system.

Modern yellow metal products not only have to be weighty and look high-quality and shiny. They must necessarily meet a number of important requirements. Let's get acquainted with their list.

1. Product weight the standard type can be from 11000 to 13300 g. If the customer has agreed, the weight of the finished product can be realized in a different framework.
2. Ingots smelted from gold must have the specified truncated pyramid shapewhere each side has its own specific dimensions. The refinery has the right to make ingots with a different structure and other dimensional parameters, but this requires the consent of the customer.
3. Current requirements the mark of gold is fixed. In addition, the relevant standards establish impurities and their specific content in the precious metal alloy.
4. Certain requirements have been set for the surface of ingots smelted from gold. It must be perfectly smooth, free of smudges, sagging, protruding particles, grease or plaque stains. In no case should the surface of high-quality specimens have slag and other superfluous inclusions.
5. The walls of gold bars may have minor stripped zones, the depth of which is no more than 1 mm. Slight concavities may be visible on products, which remain due to metal shrinkage. The depth index 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:

• immediate part number;
• the grade to which the metal from which the ingot is made is directly related;
• the mass fraction of the metal of precious origin (the sample of gold is meant);
• the total weight of the "brick";
• the symbol of the state that is the manufacturer of the ingot;
• Refinery trade symbols;
• the year the product was released.

Before finding out the value of a 999-carat gold bar, it makes sense determine the purity of such a product. First, it should be noted that the purest gold cannot be found just like that. It is possible to obtain industrially 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.

Bars with a 999 standard are 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 may well be considered a reference, since it turns out to be the purest possible product that is available to modern investors. Due to these features, these products are widely used by relevant government agencies, for example, central banks of different countries, to form funds.

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

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

To better understand the features of testing these types of ingots, it should be noted that the indication of a specific sample indicates the quantitative content of the purest gold per 1000 parts of the alloy. For example, the widespread 585 sample is equal to and corresponds to 585 parts out of 1000. The same applies to the above 999 sample. On the territory of Russia, the production of measured types of ingots takes place in accordance with GOST 51572-2000. Measured ingots must meet all established requirements for similar products.

Modern production varieties of the produced ingots are called standard. Their mass can vary within different limits. For example, one ingot can vary in weight from 11 to 13 kg. Standard copies must also be made in accordance with the established norms.

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

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

Instances differing in size and weight, are made by another popular technology - casting. The external data of such products cannot be called as perfect and effective, but this method of production has established itself as the most affordable and cheapest. And also there powder method for making ingots, which uses electrolysis. However, this technology is not used in Russia.

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

If we consider the mass of gold bars based on the established GOSTs, then the acceptable values ​​are from 11 to 13.3 kg. The 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 facility. Typically, such conditions contain ingots weighing from 1 to 14 kilograms. In the United States, they decide to keep their savings in the form of gold bars, the weight of which is 12.44 kg.

Of course, not all ingots in the world meet the dimensions and weights listed above. 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. The happy owner of another large gold bar, weighing only 220 kg, lives here.

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

The cost of the described service for storing 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 gold bar weighs, see the next video.