Home Due diligence on Ugandan gold Fake gold bars
Due diligence
Fake gold bars: tungsten-filled and plated bars, and how buyers detect them
Fake gold bars are commonly either gold-plated base metal or real gold wrapped round a tungsten core. Tungsten is as dense as gold (both 19.3 g/cm³), so a tungsten-filled bar passes a rough weight-and-dimension check, and an XRF scan reads only its surface. Buyers catch fakes with a precise hydrostatic density measurement of the whole bar or with ultrasound, with drilled samples and fire assay, and by buying only through a documented chain from a known refiner.
The two kinds of fake gold bar
- Gold-plated base metal. Brass, copper or lead with a thin gold coating. It is lighter than gold for its size, so careful weighing and measuring usually exposes it.
- Tungsten-filled bars. A tungsten core inside a shell of real gold. Because tungsten and gold are almost identical in density, the bar weighs about what a gold bar of its size should, and a surface test finds real gold. A rough weight-and-dimension check therefore does not expose it, while a precise hydrostatic density measurement of the whole bar, or an ultrasound scan, does.
Which checks catch which fake
| Check | Plated base metal | Tungsten core | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marks and serial number against the refiner's records | Sometimes | Sometimes | Counterfeiters copy genuine marks; always verify the serial with the refiner or certificate |
| Rough weight and dimensions | Usually | No | Compare with the refiner's published size for that bar; a tungsten core is too close to gold in density to show up in a rough check |
| XRF surface scan | No, if the plating is thick | No | Reads only the outer 10 to 50 microns |
| Precise density (hydrostatic weighing) or ultrasound | Yes | Yes | Measures the whole bar rather than its surface; ultrasound also shows internal voids and inserts, without damaging the bar |
| Drilled sample and fire assay | Yes | Yes | The definitive test; it marks the bar |
| Documented chain of custody from a named refiner | Prevents | Prevents | Bars that never leave a secured chain cannot be swapped |
See gold assay for how fire assay and XRF work.
How fakes appear in African gold offers
Fake bars, "gold dust" and nuggets are a standard part of advance-fee gold scams. A common pattern is test-then-swap: a genuine sample is assayed in front of the buyer, and different material is delivered or the buyer is asked for fees before delivery. Offers far below the gold price, requests for payment before a signed contract, and assays arranged by the seller are the warning signs. See how Uganda gold scams work and what a genuine gold bar is worth.
How buyers protect themselves
- Buy bars from refiners whose marks can be verified, or with an assay by a laboratory you choose.
- Take delivery into a vault or refinery, not by hand, and assay before payment.
- Pay only against verified weight and assay, through a traceable arrangement such as bank transfer, escrow or a letter of credit. Never pay an agent, and never hand cash or crypto to a seller you have not verified.
Any lot we quote will require an assay on arrival, with an independent umpire if results differ beyond the agreed tolerance; payment terms are agreed in a signed contract. See how buying works or request a gold quote.
Quotes
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Send the gold form, fineness, quantity, delivery point and the documents you require. We reply by email with what can and cannot be quoted at this stage, and on what basis.
Sources for the figures and rules on this page
Evidence for this page
Each statement is labelled by the strength of its evidence and dated. How we label evidence.
| Statement | Evidence | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| The density of gold is 19.3 g/cm³; the density of tungsten is 19.3 g/cm³. | Official | Royal Society of Chemistry, periodic table: gold; tungsten | |
| XRF reads only the outer 10–50 microns of a bar and cannot reliably detect a tungsten core under thick gold; precise density measurement (hydrostatic weighing of the whole bar) and ultrasound are the reliable non-destructive methods for internal inserts, unlike a rough weight-and-dimension check. | Reported | XRF instrument makers' technical guides (VRAY XRF; Evident Scientific) | |
| In documented Ugandan cases, buyers were shown genuine material or test results and then asked for fees, or received different material (test-then-swap). | Reported | Uganda Police and press reports, as cited on /due-diligence/uganda-gold-scams |