2007-10-02

Tonne of Gold


Gold is traditionally weighed in Troy Ounces (31.1035 grammes). It has a specific gravity of 19.3, meaning that it is 19.3 times heavier than water. So gold weighs 19.3 kilograms per litre. With the density of gold at 19.32 g/cm3, a troy ounce of gold would have a volume of 1.64 cm3. A tonne of gold would therefore have a volume of 51, 760 cm3, which would be equivalent to a cube of side 37.27cm (Approx. 1' 3''). At the end of 2003, Gold Field Mineral Services (GFMS) estimated that above-ground stocks represented a total volume of approximately 150,500 tonnes, of which 61% had been mined since 1950. All the gold ever mined would form a cube measuring only 19m on each side. This cube would, for example, easily fit under the Eiffel Tower in Paris.GOLD MARKET AND PRICE 1800-2007