999.9 fine (four nines)
99.99% pure gold
A commonly quoted high-purity grade. Market acceptance and Good Delivery status depend on the actual refiner, bar specification and documented chain of integrity; fineness alone is not sufficient.
Institutional Bullion Academy · Section A
Assay standards and bullion fineness classification
Realisable value is determined by certified fineness, not by gross stamped weight. Two bars of identical declared weight may differ materially in realisable value once millesimal fineness, assay tolerance and refining deductions are applied. This section is issued for information only and does not constitute investment advice.
24 karat (999.0+)
99.0%–99.9% pure gold
Commonly described as pure. Financially it sits marginally below four-nines material: refiners and dealers apply a small assay allowance, so realisable value per gram is slightly lower even when the stamped weight is identical.
22 karat (916)
91.6% pure gold
Jewellery and regional bar standard, alloyed for hardness. Only 91.6% of the gross weight is gold, so a 100 g piece holds 91.6 g of metal — and resale usually attracts a refining charge on top of the purity deduction.
Illustrative valuation comparison
At a spot price of $2,000 per troy ounce, 100 g of 999.9 fine gold contains 99.99 g of metal, worth roughly $6,430. The same 100 g in 22k contains 91.6 g — roughly $5,890 — before any refining deduction. That difference of over 8% is why we record purity on every security label and print it on your custody receipt.