Buying Gold Bars in Saudi Arabia: Sizes, Brands, Premiums and Tips

By Editorial team · 2026-10-02

For saving, 24K gold bars beat jewellery on cost every time. Here is what to know before you buy in the Kingdom.

Bar sizes

• Small: 1 g, 2.5 g, 5 g, 10 g
• Medium: 20 g, 1 tola (11.66 g), 1 oz (31.1 g), 50 g, 100 g
• Large: 10 tola (116.64 g), 250 g, 500 g, 1 kg

Live prices for every size: gold bar prices in KSA. A raw kilo of 24K is currently about 497,296 SAR.

Why small bars cost more per gram

Minting, packaging and certification cost roughly the same per bar, so they weigh more heavily on small sizes. A 1 g bar can carry a premium of around 10%, a 1 kg bar under 1%. From 10 g upwards, premiums become reasonable.

Cast vs minted

• Cast bars: poured into moulds, rougher look, often lower premium.
• Minted bars: precisely struck, polished, sealed with a certificate.

Trusted refiners

Widely recognised names include PAMP, Valcambi, Argor-Heraeus and Metalor, alongside well-known regional refiners. LBMA-accredited refiners are the easiest to resell.

Checklist before paying

1. Purity marked 999.9 or 999.
2. Serial number matches the certificate.
3. Sealed packaging intact (keep it sealed).
4. Invoice with weight, purity, price and VAT treatment.
5. Ask what the shop would pay to buy it back.

VAT

Investment-grade bars of 99%+ purity are generally zero-rated. Details: gold VAT in Saudi Arabia.

Storage

• Keep bars in original packaging, away from moisture.
• Use a home safe or bank safe deposit box.
• Store invoices and certificates separately.