Heraeus
Also: Heraeus Metals, W.C. Heraeus
Heraeus is a German precious-metals company based in Hanau that ranks among the world's leading refineries and bar producers and is an accredited LBMA Good Delivery supplier.
Heraeus (full name Heraeus Holding GmbH, historically W.C. Heraeus) was founded in 1851 by Wilhelm Carl Heraeus in Hanau and today ranks among the most significant precious-metals companies in the world. The family firm is active in refining, separation, bar production and precious-metals trading, supplying institutional buyers, central banks and the retail market alike. You can call up the current gold price and silver price in real time whenever you wish.
History and structure
The foundation was laid with a small smelter for platinum. Within a few decades Heraeus extended its activities to gold, silver and the platinum-group metals. Today the company is organised into four divisions:
| Division | Focus |
|---|---|
| Heraeus Metals | Precious-metals trading, bars, refining |
| Heraeus Electronics | Solders, bonding wires, thick-film pastes |
| Heraeus Medical | Bone cement, implants |
| Heraeus Quartz Glass | High-purity fused-silica components |
For investors and collectors it is above all Heraeus Metals that is relevant — the division that produces bars, granules and semi-finished products.
LBMA Good Delivery — the key mark of quality
Heraeus has been on the LBMA Good Delivery List for gold and silver for decades. This certificate from the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) is the global quality standard in the wholesale trade: only accredited refineries may deliver bars accepted by the central banks and clearing banks of the London market.
Requirements for LBMA accreditation:
- Proven production capacity and technical equipment
- Fineness ≥ 995.0 ‰ (gold) or ≥ 999.0 ‰ (silver) for Good Delivery bars
- Regular sampling and assay testing by accredited laboratories
- Compliance with the LBMA Responsible Sourcing Guidelines
Heraeus bars in the retail market
At retail, Heraeus bars are available in numerous denominations — from 1 gram up to the 1-kilogram bar. Most bars are sold either as assay-card bars in blister packaging (with a sealed-in certificate of authenticity) or as a classic cast bar without a blister.
Typical finenesses:
- Gold: 999.9 ‰ (also called "four nines" or 24 karat)
- Silver: 999.0 ‰ (fine silver)
- Platinum: 999.5 ‰
The melt value calculator helps you work out the pure material value of a Heraeus bar from the current spot price. With the gold calculator you can compute the value of a given gram quantity exactly.
Argor-Heraeus — the Swiss subsidiary
An important subsidiary is Argor-Heraeus, based in Mendrisio (Switzerland), founded in 1951 and later taken over as a majority stake by Heraeus. Argor-Heraeus is likewise LBMA-accredited and known for producing CombiBar divisible bars as well as high-quality coin blanks for state mints. Both brands — Heraeus and Argor-Heraeus — are regarded in the trade as equivalent and are accepted by dealers and banks without discount.
Authenticity checking and serial numbers
Heraeus bars from 1 gram upwards usually carry a stamped or printed serial number that allows individual identification. Blister packs additionally contain an assay certificate. To verify a bar, the following methods are recommended:
- Weight and dimension check (target values from the product data sheet)
- Density determination by the Archimedes principle
- X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) at a specialist dealer
- Ultrasound testing for tungsten inclusions on large bars
The authenticity checker on this site helps with verifying coins; for bars the same physical principles apply.
In brief
Heraeus stands for more than 170 years of experience in precious-metals processing, and with its LBMA accreditation it is one of the most trustworthy names for gold and silver bars. Bars from Heraeus or its Swiss subsidiary Argor-Heraeus trade worldwide without a liquidity discount, making them particularly suitable as a core holding in a physical precious-metals portfolio.