SILVER REFINED & DORE
The specifications depend on whether you're dealing with refined silver bars or silver doré, because doré is an intermediate, unrefined product and its composition can vary substantially.
1. Refined Silver Bars
Typical commercial specifications are:
| Specification | Typical standard |
|---|---|
| Silver purity | 99.9% minimum (999) |
| Higher-grade silver | 99.99% (999.9) |
| Form | Cast or minted bars |
| Common wholesale sizes | 1 kg, 5 kg, 15 kg, 30 kg |
| Weight tolerance | According to refinery specification |
| Markings | Refiner name/logo, serial number, weight, fineness |
| Assay | Certificate or refinery assay |
| Packaging | Sealed/secure packaging where applicable |
| Origin | Must be documented |
| Condition | Clean, identifiable and free from unauthorized alteration |
For institutional/wholesale trading, LBMA Good Delivery specifications are particularly important. Large silver Good Delivery bars are generally around 1,000 troy ounces, with a permitted weight range and minimum fineness of 999.0 parts per thousand.
2. Silver Doré
Silver doré is much less standardized because it is essentially a semi-refined alloy produced from mining operations.
A commercial specification might look like:
| Specification | Typical requirement |
|---|---|
| Silver content | Often 70–95% Ag, but can be substantially lower/higher |
| Gold content | Variable; sometimes significant |
| Other metals | Copper, lead, zinc, etc. may be present |
| Form | Cast bars/ingots |
| Individual bar weight | Supplier/refinery dependent |
| Assay | Independent laboratory assay strongly recommended |
| Moisture | Normally none for solid bars |
| Serial/identification | Recommended |
| Origin/provenance | Required |
| Export documentation | Required |
| Final settlement | Based on independently confirmed fine metal content |
For doré, purity should not simply be stated as "silver 90%" without an assay showing the complete composition.
Example commercial specification
If you're preparing an offer for a buyer, you could specify:
Product: Silver Doré Bars
Silver: 90% minimum Ag
Gold: As per assay
Other metals: As per assay
Bar weight: 10–30 kg approximately
Quantity: [X] MT per month
Assay: Independent assay at destination/refinery
Price: Based on agreed silver benchmark price less agreed discount/refining charges
Origin: [Country]
Delivery: [Incoterm/location]
Settlement: Based on final independent assay and fine silver content.
Key distinction: If you are selling 999/999.9 silver bars, buyers generally focus on recognized refinery accreditation, bar markings, serial numbers and chain of custody. For silver doré, the buyer will focus much more heavily on independent assay, provenance, legal ownership, export documentation and refinery settlement terms.