How Many Grams Are in One Ounce of Silver?

All over the world, savvy investors turn to precious metals to bring stability, diversification, and growth potential to their portfolios. Silver is a relatively low-risk investment vehicle, but there are critical factors to consider before moving forward.

To invest in silver or any other precious metal, it’s crucial that you gain a firm understanding of how precious metals are weighed and valued. Even the slightest discrepancies in your calculations can have lasting repercussions.

Precious metals are known as safe investments, but only if you precisely assess their value before proceeding with your acquisition. While the measurements may seem simple on the surface, there are actually quite a few factors to consider.

You might be surprised to learn the actual number of grams in an ounce of silver, as well as how the nuances of precious metal measuring can play a significant role in your investment. Here’s everything you need to know. 

Understanding Silver’s Unique Characteristics

Like its sister metal, gold, silver is a tangible, safe-haven investment that’s used as a hedge against stormy economic conditions. However, silver does have its own unique characteristics that are directly related to its weight, value, and ideal investing strategies.

1. Volatility

Silver is more volatile than gold, which is famously stable and reliable. While silver is still considered a relatively safe investment, its price tends to fluctuate more frequently and in larger increments. 

Knowing how many grams are in one ounce of silver allows you to navigate those ups and downs with the utmost precision. 

To a new investor, volatility can be a scary word. However, it’s important to note that volatility goes both ways—up and down. That volatility is actually a desirable trait among investors who believe in silver’s future, as it means that the asset has ample room to grow in value.

Furthermore, volatility allows you to buy and sell at opportune times. The old adage of “buy low, sell high” is much easier to follow when the asset’s chart moves regularly.

2. Affordability

Many investors need to know the amount of grams in an ounce of silver because they invest in small quantities. A major part of silver’s appeal is that there’s a much lower barrier of entry compared to other precious metals.

Incremental investing—buying in small quantities over time—is a much more practical approach for budget-minded investors. And, incremental investing can help to smooth volatility and reduce risk by dollar-cost averaging your spending.

Naturally, understanding how the value of silver is measured ensures that you’re making the most of every penny spent.

3. Industrial Demand

Just like gold, platinum, and palladium, silver is highly demanded because it possesses unique physical properties that make it suitable for a wide range of industrial applications, especially in the electronics sector.

It’s not just individuals who need to know how many grams are in one ounce of silver. Businesses and organizations that buy precious metals in large quantities must factor even the tiniest fractions of cents into their calculations to keep expenditures as low as possible. 

Standard Ounces vs. Troy Ounces

One of the most common mistakes new precious metals investors make is failing to recognize the difference between a standard (avoirdupois) ounce and a troy ounce. 

Precious metals use a specific measurement called a troy ounce, which is not the same as the standard ounce used to measure other items.

• A standard ounce equals 28.349523125 grams.
• A troy ounce equals 31.1034768 grams. 

In other words, the amount of grams in an ounce of silver varies by approximately 10% depending on which unit of measurement you use! 

Use Real-Time Data to Inform Your Decisions

When investing in precious metals, always make sure you’re purchasing by the troy ounce. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous dealers that prey on uninformed buyers, so be vigilant about converting the exact weight in troy ounces to the exact asking price. If there are any discrepancies, move along. 

In the investment world, timing is everything. The spot price of silver can change quickly. Before purchasing a silver product, make sure you’re crunching the latest numbers. The dealer’s advertised price may not always align with silver’s immediate value.

After verifying how many grams are in one ounce of silver—using troy ounces only—convert the weight to the latest spot price. For example, if the current spot price is $30 per troy ounce, and you’re purchasing two 1-ounce bars, you should expect to pay roughly $60.

It’s important to note that the actual end cost will be slightly higher than the spot price value of your silver. Precious metals have a slight markup called a premium, which covers overhead expenses related to minting, refining, distributing, storing, and selling the metal. 

Contact Us for a Free Consultation

As you can see, there’s actually quite a lot to consider about the number of grams in an ounce of silver. The precious metals measurement system is straightforward, but also easy to overlook if you’re not careful.

If you still have any questions, please feel free to get in touch for personalized guidance. We’ll be happy to provide a free consultation to ensure that you’re 100% informed and confident of your decision before taking the next step.

Diversify Into a Time-Tested Store of Value

Endeavor Metals is a Tier 1 US Mint precious metals dealer. We stock a large selection of highly desirable silver products, including silver bullion coins, silver bullion bars, and silver numismatics. 

Now that you know how to calculate how many grams are in one ounce of silver, browse our inventory. We offer competitive prices and a 7-day, 100% money-back guarantee, even if the silver market has a downturn.

We belong to the prestigious Silver Institute, as well as many other reputable third-party organizations. Our reviews are consistently excellent—we have an A+ accredited grade on the Better Business Bureau and a 4.9 Google star rating.

Shop around and discover first-hand why we're the industry's best precious metals dealer. Add silver to your financial portfolio today.