Gold’s Malleability: Did You Know?

How can 36 pounds of gold be enough to cover an entire football field? The answer lies in the precious metal’s malleability. If you’re interested in learning more, watch this episode of U.S. Money Reserve’s “Did You Know?”

Gold's Malleability: Did You Know? – Video Transcription

Narrator           (00:05):

Did you know that gold is the most malleable of all known metals? Malleability is a physical property that can be measured by how much pressure and compression the metal can withstand without breaking. It is estimated that a single ounce of gold can be flattened into a 100 square foot sheet. According to the American museum of natural history, it would only take 36 pounds of gold to completely cover a football field. For thousands of years, humans have utilized the extreme malleability of gold through the use of gold leaf. Back in the day, gold leaf was made by artisans through gold beating, the process of beating gold into thin sheets with a hammer. Fast forward to today, this process is modernized by the use of machines that can flatten golden into ultra thin sheets with precision. These thin sheets of gold leaf are then applied to surfaces through a technique known as gold gilding.

Narrator          (00:59):

The practice of gilding has its applications in many different fields, such as art, science, technology, and architecture. On the other hand, pure gold's extreme malleability makes it nearly impossible to use for jewelry applications. 24 karat pure gold is easily deformed and likes the firmness required to tightly grasp on the diamonds over long periods of time, which is why jewelers use alloys with lower levels of purity, such as 22 karat gold, to make jewelry. Call the number on your screen if you'd like to learn more about gold's place in history and gold's place in your portfolio. Make sure to subscribe to see more of our videos on various topics.