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What a gold bar or coin is worth

Value is fine weight in troy ounces times the spot price, plus the premium charged for that specific product. Weight alone does not settle it: a one-ounce American Eagle holds one troy ounce of gold but weighs more than an ounce, and a small coin costs more per ounce of gold than a large bar. Enter a current price below to value every standard size.

350–430fine troy ounces in a London Good Delivery bar (LBMA)
1.0909troy ounces a one-ounce American Gold Eagle puts on the scale
3–9%US Mint premium to Authorized Purchasers, one ounce down to a tenth
By Gold Unpacked Editorial

Gold Unpacked may be compensated by dealers we write about. How we make money.

Price every size from one quote

The box starts at the World Bank monthly average for August 2026, $4,411 per troy ounce. Replace it with a current spot quote and the table recomputes. Metal value only; no premium is added.

Enter a quoted price to see the premium over metal value.

Gold bar and coin weights with metal value at the entered spot price
Item Fine troy oz Grams Pounds Metal value
1 gram bar Retail bar 0.0322 1 0.00 $142
5 gram bar Retail bar 0.1608 5 0.01 $709
10 gram bar Retail bar 0.3215 10 0.02 $1,418
1 troy ounce bar Retail bar 1 31 0.07 $4,411
50 gram bar Retail bar 1.608 50 0.11 $7,091
100 gram bar Retail bar 3.215 100 0.22 $14,182
10 troy ounce bar Retail bar 10 311 0.69 $44,110
1 kilogram bar Retail bar 32.151 1,000 2.20 $141,817
100 troy ounce bar Wholesale bar 100 3,110 6.86 $441,100
London Good Delivery bar, 400 oz nominal Wholesale bar 400 12,441 27.43 $1,764,400
1/10 oz American Gold Eagle Coin 0.1000 3 0.01 $441
1/4 oz American Gold Eagle Coin 0.2500 8 0.02 $1,103
1/2 oz American Gold Eagle Coin 0.5000 16 0.03 $2,206
1 oz American Gold Eagle Coin 1 31 0.07 $4,411

The Good Delivery row uses the 400-ounce nominal weight. Under LBMA rules the bar can hold 350 to 430 fine troy ounces, so its metal value moves with the individual bar.

The formula

Value = fine weight in troy ounces × spot price per troy ounce + the premium for that product.

Fine weight is the pure gold in the item. Gross weight is what the item puts on the scale. The two differ whenever the item is not pure gold throughout. Premium is the amount above metal value that a seller charges, set per product, and it rises as the item gets smaller. The same logic runs in reverse on the way out: a dealer buying back pays below metal value. Spread and buyback and how to sell gold cover both sides.

One troy ounce is 31.1034768 grams. One kilogram is 32.1507 troy ounces. One troy ounce is heavier than the ounce on a kitchen scale, which is 28.35 grams.

What gold bars weigh

Retail bars run from 1 gram to 1 kilogram. A one-kilogram bar weighs 2.20 pounds. The wholesale bar is a different object: the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) Good Delivery rules require a gold bar to hold a minimum of 350 and a maximum of 430 fine troy ounces, at a minimum fineness of 995.0 parts per thousand, stamped with a serial number, the refiner's mark, and the fineness. Bars made from January 2019 also carry the year and month of manufacture. At the 400-ounce nominal weight, that bar holds about 12.4 kilograms, or 27.4 pounds.

LBMA rules also fix its shape: about 250 mm long (9.8 inches), 70 mm wide (2.8 inches), and 35 mm high (1.4 inches), each with a tolerance. Those bars sit in vaults and settle wholesale trades. Almost no retail buyer ever holds one. Silver Good Delivery bars are a separate specification: 1,000 troy ounces, with a 10% tolerance.

Karat and fineness describe the same thing two ways. A 24 karat bar is pure gold, normally stamped 999.9, meaning 99.99% gold, so its scale weight and its fine weight are effectively equal. That is why a "24k gold bar" needs no conversion: the stamped weight is the gold.

What coins weigh, and why gross weight differs

A one-ounce American Gold Eagle contains one troy ounce of gold but weighs 1.0909 troy ounces, or 33.931 grams. The coin is 91.67% gold, 3% silver, and the balance copper, per the US Mint, which is the 22 karat standard. The fractional sizes follow the same pattern: the half-ounce coin weighs 0.5455 troy ounces, the quarter-ounce 0.2727, and the tenth-ounce 0.1091.

For pricing, value follows the fine weight, not the scale weight. Weighing an Eagle and multiplying by spot overstates its gold by about 9%. Most other bullion coins are 999 fineness or higher, where the two weights are nearly the same. Whether a given coin or bar can sit in a retirement account is a separate test, set out in IRA-eligible gold.

Why small pieces cost more per ounce

Premium is a per-item cost, so it spreads over less metal in a small item. The first step of the supply chain shows the pattern plainly. The US Mint does not sell bullion coins to the public. It sells to Authorized Purchasers at the LBMA PM Gold Price plus a fixed percentage, with a minimum order of 1,000 ounces:

  • 1 oz American Eagle3% over the gold price
  • 1/2 oz American Eagle5% over the gold price
  • 1/4 oz American Eagle7% over the gold price
  • 1/10 oz American Eagle9% over the gold price

Those percentages exist before a distributor, a dealer, or a retail markup is added, so the premium a buyer pays at retail is higher and is set by the dealer. This site publishes no typical retail premium, because the dealers reviewed here do not publish one. Ask for the price per item against the spot price used, in writing.

Working out what a specific item is worth

  1. Identify the product and its stated fine weight. The specification is the source, not your scale.
  2. Take a current spot quote in dollars per troy ounce.
  3. Multiply fine weight by that quote. The result is the metal value.
  4. Compare the asking price to the metal value: premium % = (price − metal value) ÷ metal value.
  5. Compare the dealer's buy price to the same metal value. That gap is what the exit costs.

Worked example, hypothetical, with round numbers. Spot is $4,400. A one-ounce coin offered at $4,620 carries a $220 premium, 5% of metal value. The same coin bid at $4,310 is 2% below metal value. Buying at the ask and selling at the bid costs $310 round trip, about 6.7% of the purchase price, before any fee.

Proof, collector, and "semi-numismatic" coins

These are priced on rarity and condition claims, not on metal content, so the gap between the asking price and metal value can be very large, and the buyback usually returns toward metal value. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission states that "semi-numismatic" is an industry term with no special meaning, that such coins are typically not rare and are likely less liquid than bullion, and that a higher charge for collectible or "semi-numismatic" coins is likely a scam. Gold IRA scams covers the wider pattern.

Bars, coins, and which is easier to price

Neither form is worth more per ounce of gold, because both price off the same metal value. Bars carry a lower premium per ounce at larger sizes, tie their value to the refiner's mark and assay, and are harder to divide for a partial sale. Sovereign coins carry the issuing government's statement of weight and purity, sell in parts easily, carry a higher premium per ounce, and bring the gross-weight trap above. The difference is the premium going in and the ease of resale coming out.

Frequently asked

How much is a gold bar worth?
A gold bar is worth its fine weight in troy ounces multiplied by the spot price, plus or minus the dealer's premium or discount. At the World Bank monthly average for August 2026, $4,411 per troy ounce, a one-ounce bar holds $4,411 of gold, a 10-ounce bar $44,110, and a one-kilogram bar about $141,800. The calculator on this page recomputes every size from a current quote.
How much does a gold bullion bar weigh?
Retail bars run from 1 gram to 1 kilogram (2.20 pounds). The London Good Delivery bar, the one usually pictured, holds 350 to 430 fine troy ounces under LBMA rules, so a 400-ounce bar weighs about 12.4 kilograms, or 27.4 pounds. LBMA dimensions for that bar are roughly 9.8 inches long, 2.8 inches wide, and 1.4 inches high, with tolerances.
How much is a 24k gold bar worth?
24 karat means pure gold, and investment bars are normally stamped 999.9 or 9999, meaning 99.99% gold. For those bars, fine weight and scale weight are effectively the same, so the value is the stated weight times the spot price, plus the premium. A 22 karat coin is different: it weighs more than its gold content.
Why do small gold coins cost more per ounce?
Premium is a per-item cost, so it spreads over less metal in a smaller item. The US Mint charges its Authorized Purchasers the LBMA PM Gold Price plus 3% for the one-ounce American Eagle, rising to 9% for the tenth-ounce, before any distributor or dealer markup is added.
Are gold coins worth more than bars?
Not per ounce of gold. Both price off the same metal value. Coins carry a higher premium per ounce and a sovereign guarantee of weight and purity, and they are easier to sell in parts. Larger bars carry a lower premium per ounce and are harder to divide.
What would $1,000 of gold bought 10 years ago be worth now?
On World Bank monthly averages, gold averaged $1,340 per troy ounce in August 2016 and $4,411 in August 2026, a rise of about 229%. Ignoring premiums, storage, and tax, $1,000 of metal at the earlier price held about $3,292 of metal at the later one. Dealer premiums on both ends and storage costs in between reduce that figure.

Related research

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