Gold Bar Price Today

A gold bar's price has two components: the melt value of its gold content (weight x live spot price) and the dealer premium covering fabrication, distribution, and the dealer's margin. The premium is the key variable. Spot is the same everywhere, but premiums vary by bar size, brand, and market conditions.

Premiums fall as bar size rises. A 1 gram bar can carry a 15-25% premium, a 1 oz bar typically runs 2-5% over spot, a 10 oz bar 1.5-3%, and a kilo bar (32.15 oz) often under 1.5%. This makes larger bars the cheapest way to buy gold per ounce, at the cost of flexibility when selling. Many investors split purchases across sizes for that reason.

Brand matters at the margin. Bars from major LBMA-accredited refiners such as PAMP Suisse, Valcambi, Perth Mint, Royal Canadian Mint, Argor-Heraeus, and Heraeus are recognized worldwide and resell easily. Generic or secondary-market bars trade slightly cheaper but may require assay when sold. Cast bars (poured, rustic finish) usually carry lower premiums than minted bars (stamped, sealed in assay cards).

Common bar sizes include 1 gram, 5 gram, 10 gram, 1 oz, 100 gram, 10 oz, and 1 kilogram. The 400 oz London Good Delivery bar that central banks trade is rarely practical for individuals. The 1 oz and 100 gram sizes are the most liquid in the retail market.

When comparing offers, always compute the premium percentage: (bar price - melt value) / melt value. Two dealers quoting the same headline price can differ meaningfully once shipping, payment-method surcharges, and buyback spreads are included.