How Many Ounces in a Pound of Silver?
$933.04 per pound of pure silver (spot)
$63.98 per troy ounce · 1 lb = 14.583 troy oz
Silver spot $63.98/troy oz · $933.04/lb · updated
Quick answer. A pound of silver contains 14.583 troy ounces. Silver is priced in troy ounces (31.103 grams each), which are heavier than the everyday ounces on a kitchen scale (28.35 grams). So a normal 16-ounce pound works out to 14.583 troy ounces, worth $933.04 at today's spot price.
| Unit | Grams | Troy ounces | Everyday (avdp) ounces | Pounds (avdp) | Worth in pure silver today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 gram | 1 | 0.0322 | 0.0353 | 0.0022 | $2.06 |
| 1 everyday ounce | 28.35 | 0.9115 | 1 | 0.0625 | $58.32 |
| 1 troy ounce | 31.10 | 1 | 1.0971 | 0.0686 | $63.98 |
| 1 troy pound | 373.24 | 12 | 13.17 | 0.8229 | $767.76 |
| 1 pound (avdp) | 453.59 | 14.583 | 16 | 1 | $933.04 |
| 1 kilogram | 1,000 | 32.151 | 35.27 | 2.2046 | $2,057.00 |
Two Kinds of Ounce, Two Kinds of Pound
The confusion comes from the fact that English-speaking countries have used two separate systems of weight side by side for centuries.
The avoirdupois system is the everyday one. It's what your bathroom scale, your groceries and your postage use. Its ounce is 28.35 grams, and 16 of them make a pound of 453.59 grams. Since 1959 the pound has been defined exactly, by international agreement, as 0.45359237 kilograms.
The troy system is older and survives in only one place: precious metals. Its ounce is 31.1035 grams, about 10% heavier than the avoirdupois ounce, and it's the unit every silver and gold price in the world is quoted in. The system takes its name, most likely, from the French market town of Troyes, whose medieval fairs set trading standards across Europe.
The troy system also had its own troy pound, made of just 12 troy ounces, or 373.24 grams. It was the standard pound for coins and precious metals in England for centuries before it was abolished for general trade in the 1870s. Today almost nobody uses it, but it lingers in unit converters and old reference books.
Put the two systems together and you get the odd result at the heart of this page: the troy ounce is heavier than the everyday ounce, but the troy pound is lighter than the everyday pound. That's because the troy pound has only 12 ounces while the avoirdupois pound has 16.
So when someone says "a pound of silver," they nearly always mean the everyday avoirdupois pound, because that's the pound on the scale. It holds 453.59 ÷ 31.1035 = 14.583 troy ounces. The exact figure is 175/12, which the build computes directly rather than rounding.
Two More Units: the Grain and the Pennyweight
Two smaller units still turn up around silver, and both help explain the odd numbers above.
The grain is the one unit the troy and avoirdupois systems share. It weighs 64.799 milligrams, and both systems are built on it: a troy ounce is 480 grains and an avoirdupois ounce is 437.5 grains. That's why the two ounces differ by exactly 480 ÷ 437.5, and why a pound (7,000 grains) holds 7,000 ÷ 480 = 14.583 troy ounces. The fraction isn't an accident of rounding; it falls straight out of the grain count.
The pennyweight (dwt) is one-twentieth of a troy ounce, 1.555 grams. Jewelers and scrap buyers sometimes quote silver per pennyweight, especially for sterling. To turn a per-pennyweight price into a per-pound price, multiply by 291.67 (20 pennyweights × 14.583 troy ounces).
Reading Silver Listings Without Getting Caught
Most silver sold online is labeled in troy ounces, and most is labeled correctly. The mix-ups happen at the edges, especially with anything described in pounds.
"1 lb silver bar." Usually means an avoirdupois pound: 14.583 troy ounces. Some makers stamp the troy-ounce content on the bar as well. If they don't, ask.
"16 oz silver bar." Almost always means 16 troy ounces, which is 497.7 grams, or about 9.7% more than a pound. That's a different product from a 1 lb bar, and it should cost more.
"1 troy pound." 12 troy ounces. Rare, but a few specialty bars and older items use it. It's about 18% less silver than an avoirdupois pound.
Scrap and coin lots "by the pound." Weighed on an ordinary scale, so avoirdupois. The silver content then depends on purity; see what a pound is worth by form.
A price that's exactly 16 times the ounce price. A red flag. Either the listing has confused the two ounces, or it's charging 9.7% more than the silver is worth before any premium. Divide the price by 14.583 instead and compare that with spot.
Worked Examples
Converting a kitchen-scale reading. A bag of silver shot reads 2 lb 4 oz on a kitchen scale. That's 2.25 pounds × 14.583 = 32.81 troy ounces of material. At .999 fine that's 32.78 troy ounces of silver, worth 2.25 times $932.11.
Comparing a pound bar with a 16 oz bar. A 1 lb bar holds 14.583 troy ounces; a 16 oz bar holds 16. Even at identical premiums, the 16 oz bar costs about 9.7% more, because it contains 9.7% more silver.
Converting a kilo. One kilogram is 32.151 troy ounces, or 2.2046 pounds. A kilo bar is worth $2,057.00 in melt today, a little over two pounds' worth at $933.04.
Related Pages
- What a pound of silver is worth, by form
- 1 lb silver bars
- Silver price per pound calculator
- Silver price per pound history
FAQ
Is a pound of silver 16 ounces?
It's 16 everyday ounces, but only 14.583 troy ounces, and silver is priced in troy ounces.
How many troy ounces are in a troy pound?
Twelve. The troy pound is 373.24 grams, lighter than an ordinary pound.
Why is silver measured in troy ounces?
Tradition. Precious metals were weighed in troy units for centuries, and markets never switched. Every exchange and dealer still quotes in them.
How many grams are in a pound of silver?
453.59 grams, the same as any avoirdupois pound. That's 14.583 troy ounces.
How many pounds is 100 troy ounces of silver?
6.86 pounds. Divide troy ounces by 14.583 to get pounds.
Data sources: Spot price via api.gold-api.com · COMEX futures (SI=F) via Yahoo Finance. Prices are for informational purposes only and may be delayed. Figures on this page were generated . Silver is quoted in US dollars per troy ounce.