Gold statistics

Overview

These data show the weight of gold we have in our custody on the last business day of each month. We publish the data with a lag of five business days.

Values are given in thousands of fine troy ounces. Fine troy ounces are best understood through defining both a fine troy ounce and a troy ounce. A fine troy ounce denotes only the pure gold content of the bar. A troy ounce is a traditional unit of weight used for precious metals. It is different in weight to an ounce, with one troy ounce being equal to 1.0971428 ounces avoirdupois.

Gold holdings

Download the data

We only accept bars which comply with London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) London Good Delivery (LGD) standards. LGD bars must meet a certain minimum fineness and weight. A typical gold bar weighs around 400 troy ounces (12.4kg).

The LBMA invites the Bank to observe discussions at its Board which are relevant to the Bank’s custodial function. The Bank is not a member of the LBMA nor its board and has no regulatory responsibilities for the gold market. Its role is limited to matters affecting its gold custodial responsibilities. To support its role, the Bank also observes at the LBMA’s Physical Committee and attends its working group.

Historic data on our gold custody holdings can be found in our Annual Report.

• Technical information on the pallets we use to hold gold bars in the Bank of England (pdf)