Where does the Royal Canadian Mint get its gold?
The gold we use is about 60% Canadian. The rest comes from around the world.
The Royal Canadian Mint refines gold from a variety of sources including primary producers, industry, recyclers and financial institutions.
In operation since 1911, our refinery services are among the largest in the industry. We currently have a production capacity of 6 million troy ounces per year.
Purity The Royal Canadian Mint began refining gold to 9999 fine purity in the mid-1960's. In 1982, ours was the first refinery in the world to produce 9999 bullion coins, an achievement surpassed in 1998 when we reached "five nines" purity levels. That same year we minted the largest 99999 fine gold numismatic coin. Today, we have expanded to include granulation gold that is 99999 fine.
The Mint refines feed material to 995 fine through the Miller chlorination process. The gold is then cast into anodes which are purified to 9999 fine using the Wohlwill electrolytic process. Every gold bar and wafer is struck with the Royal Canadian Mint hallmark, an internationally recognized guarantee of weight and purity.
We also melt and cast 9999 and 995 gold into "good delivery bars" accepted by the New York (COMEX), London (LBMA), and Tokyo (TOCOM) exchanges. We are an associate member of the LBMA.
Security The rigour of our production standards is equalled by the stringency of our security protocols, which are implemented at every level of refinery operations. The refinery is a restricted environment controlled by security personnel who are further supported by state-of-the-art surveillance technology. The Mint ensures maximum reliability, confidentiality and security.
Service Why do business with the Royal Canadian Mint Refinery services? - Quality - Accredited ISO 9001 facility - Streamlined operations, from reporting of assay results to delivery of refined materials - A variety of sampling and settlement options - Complete access to international markets, trading gold through transfers within our secure customer pool account system - Comprehensive consulting services for clients who wish to develop or modernize existing refinery and assay operations - Vault storage services for precious metals
REFINERY SERVICES