---
title: "Gold — density, melting point and properties"
description: "Gold has a density of 19,300 kg/m³. Melting point, strength, conductivity, what it is used for, and whether it floats, rusts or is magnetic."
url: https://atoneplace.net/material/gold/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Gold

**Density of gold: 19,300 kg/m³**

19.30 g/cm³ · 1204.9 lb/ft³

At 19,300 kg/m³ a one-litre carton of gold weighs 19 kg, which is why film props are always obviously fake — nobody carries a real gold bar one-handed. Pure gold is too soft to wear, so jewellery is alloyed: 18 carat is 75% gold, 9 carat is 37.5%, and the balance changes both the colour and the density. It is the only common metal that does not tarnish at all, which is the real reason it plates electrical contacts rather than cheaper, more conductive silver.

## Properties

- **Density:** 19,300 kg/m³ — 19.30 g/cm³
- **Melting point:** 1,064.2 °C
- **Tensile strength:** 120–220 MPa
- **Young's modulus:** 79 GPa
- **Thermal conductivity:** 318 W/(m·K)
- **Thermal expansion:** 14.2 µm/(m·K)
- **Floats in water:** No
- **Magnetic:** No

## What it is used for

- Jewellery and bullion
- Connector and contact plating
- Semiconductor bond wire
- Spacecraft thermal blankets and visor coatings

## How it compares

*Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything with a shorter bar than water floats in it.*

- air: 1.2 kg/m³
- expanded polystyrene foam: 20 kg/m³
- rigid polyurethane foam: 40 kg/m³
- Water — the float line: 1,000 kg/m³
- gold: 19,300 kg/m³
- platinum: 21,450 kg/m³

*Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything below that floats.*

| Material | Density | Relative to water |
| --- | --- | --- |
| rigid polyurethane foam | 40 kg/m³ | 0.04× |
| expanded polystyrene foam | 20 kg/m³ | 0.02× |
| air | 1.2 kg/m³ | 0.00× |
| gold ← | 19,300 kg/m³ | 19.30× |
| platinum | 21,450 kg/m³ | 21.45× |

## Does it rust?

Gold does not corrode in air or water. That chemical inertness is much of why it has been used for coinage and contacts for millennia.

## Is it magnetic?

Gold is not ferromagnetic. It is often assumed to be because it is a metal, but most metals are not — only iron, nickel, cobalt and a few alloys are attracted to an ordinary magnet.

## Common questions

### What is the density of gold?

19,300 kg/m³, or 19.30 g/cm³.

### Does gold float?

No. At 19,300 kg/m³ it is denser than water.

### Is gold magnetic?

Gold is not ferromagnetic. It is often assumed to be because it is a metal, but most metals are not — only iron, nickel, cobalt and a few alloys are attracted to an ordinary magnet.

## Related pages

- [Does gold float?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-float/gold/)
- [Aluminum](https://atoneplace.net/material/aluminum/)
- [Copper](https://atoneplace.net/material/copper/)
- [Titanium](https://atoneplace.net/material/titanium/)
- [Iron](https://atoneplace.net/material/iron/)
- [Lead](https://atoneplace.net/material/lead/)
- [Tungsten](https://atoneplace.net/material/tungsten/)
- [Silver](https://atoneplace.net/material/silver/)
- [Mercury](https://atoneplace.net/material/mercury/)

## Sources

- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (https://www.wikidata.org/) [CC0 1.0]