1 kg silver bars from €1,757.20

The troy ounce

The wholesale silver market counts in troy ounces, one troy ounce of metal at least 999 parts per thousand pure. A troy ounce is 31.1034768 grams; both the LBMA and the US measurement institute NIST use that figure, and a kilo is 32.1507465 troy ounces.

Good Delivery

A bar for the London wholesale market is on a different scale: the Good Delivery bar weighs 1,000 troy ounces, about 32 kilos, with a 10% tolerance either way, and has a fineness of at least 999.0 parts per thousand. Kilobars, 100-ounce bars and smaller ones are not accepted there, though they may be in other markets or on exchanges.

What makers offer

Heraeus makes the kilobar cast, in 999.9. Valcambi also makes it cast, in 999.0 and 53 by 117 mm, and the Royal Mint has a cast kilobar in 999.9.

The Perth Mint's cast kilobar contains 32.151 troy ounces of 99.99% silver, weighs at least 1,000.200 grams and measures at most 99 by 49 by 22 mm. The Royal Canadian Mint's refinery also makes 999 silver as a 1 kg bar for investors.

In Germany

Among retail investors in Germany, bars of 1 oz, 100 g and 1 kg are the most popular, according to Metals Focus.

In Australia

In Australia, cast 1 kg bars are by far the most popular, according to Metals Focus; 10 oz and 100 oz bars also sell in sizable volumes and have gained in popularity in recent years. Metals Focus explains the kilobar's popularity by its low premium, its liquidity and the low threshold to buy a kilo.

In India

In India, small investors mostly buy bars of 250 g to 1 kg, according to Metals Focus, which account for about 60 to 70% of the market. Investment bars, particularly those of 500 g to 1 kg, usually carry a lower premium there than smaller bars and coins.