The gold ingot is a standardised form of gold that is created by the mould during melting. The liquid gold is poured into the bar-shaped moulds and can be removed as a solid gold bar after hardening. On the gold bar is the most important information about the gold it is made of. This information usually consists of: the fineness of the gold, the manufacturer's mark, the serial number and the year of production. For a gold bar to be a standard bar for international trade, it must have a fineness of at least 995/1000 and weigh 400 troy ounces. That is 12.44 kg rounded up, because it is allowed to vary within a range of 350 to 430 ounces. The reason for the form of gold as a bar is simply that it is easier to transport and store. Besides the international standard bars, there are also other gold bars in sizes of 1 gram, 2 grams, 2.5 grams, 5 grams and many other units for individual gold purchases. Today, both coins and bars of gold are collector's items for numismatists as well as store of value for investors.
