Dealer Rankings
Best Place to Buy Silver Bars Online
Silver bars offer the lowest premium path to silver ownership, especially at 10 oz and 100 oz sizes. Dealer choice and bar size together determine your cost per ounce. We ranked five dealers on bar premiums, shipping, and buyback spreads across the most popular weights.
10oz Bar Rankings
| Rank | Dealer | 10 oz Bar (Wire) | 100 oz Bar (Wire) | Free Shipping | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | SD Bullion | $1.00-2.00/oz over spot | $0.50-1.50/oz over spot | $199+ | 4.0 / 5 |
| #2 | Monument Metals | $1.00-2.25/oz over spot | $0.75-1.50/oz over spot | $199+ | 3.5 / 5 |
| #3 | Hero Bullion | $1.00-2.50/oz over spot | $0.75-1.75/oz over spot | $149+ | 3.7 / 5 |
| #4 | JM Bullion | $1.50-2.75/oz over spot | $0.75-2.00/oz over spot | $499+ | 3.9 / 5 |
| #5 | APMEX | $2.00-3.50/oz over spot | $1.00-2.50/oz over spot | $199+ | 3.7 / 5 |
Size and Premium
How Bar Size Affects Your Premium
Silver bar premiums drop sharply as size increases. The math is straightforward: manufacturing a single 100 oz bar costs less per ounce than producing one hundred 1 oz bars. Dealers pass those production savings through to retail pricing.
At a discount dealer like SD Bullion, the premium curve looks roughly like this: 1 oz bars at $1.50-3.00 per ounce over spot, 10 oz bars at $1.00-2.00, and 100 oz bars at $0.50-1.50. On 100 ounces of silver, choosing 100 oz bars over 1 oz bars saves $100-150 in premiums. That savings buys 3-4 additional ounces of silver at current prices.
The trade-off is flexibility. A stack of 100 individual 1 oz bars lets you sell any quantity incrementally. A single 100 oz bar is all or nothing. For investors who might need partial liquidity, 10 oz bars offer a middle ground: meaningful premium savings with reasonable divisibility.
Weight also affects practical considerations. A 100 oz silver bar weighs approximately 6.86 pounds. Storage, shipping insurance, and physical handling differ significantly from a stack of 1 oz bars. Home storage solutions need to account for the concentrated weight.
SD Bullion
#1: SD Bullion
SD Bullion consistently offers the lowest silver bar premiums from any major dealer. On 10 oz bars, expect $1.00-2.00 per ounce over spot for wire/check payment. On 100 oz bars, premiums drop to $0.50-1.50 per ounce, which is often the lowest available price from any reputable online dealer. The price match guarantee reinforces this position.
The silver bar selection covers Sunshine Minting, Asahi, SilverTowne, and other established refiners in 1 oz, 5 oz, 10 oz, and 100 oz sizes. Generic bars from reputable refiners are the sweet spot at SD Bullion, offering maximum silver per dollar. Branded bars (Engelhard, Johnson Matthey vintage bars) appear occasionally with collector premiums attached.
On a 100 oz silver bar purchase, SD Bullion's premium advantage over APMEX can total $50-100. Over a year of quarterly 100 oz purchases, that is $200-400 in savings. Free shipping on orders over $199 applies, and any 10 oz or 100 oz silver bar purchase clears this threshold easily.
Monument Metals
#2: Monument Metals
Monument Metals is a silver specialist, and that focus shows in bar pricing. On 10 oz bars, premiums run $1.00-2.25 per ounce (wire/check), competitive with SD Bullion and often matching it. The 100 oz bar pricing of $0.75-1.50 per ounce over spot is similarly competitive.
Monument Metals regularly ranks among the lowest-premium silver dealers in the US market. The combination of competitive pricing with responsive personal service makes it an appealing option for buyers who want low premiums without SD Bullion's rougher edges. Phone support is accessible during business hours without extended hold times.
The focused silver bar catalog covers the products that matter: generic 10 oz and 100 oz bars from recognized refiners. Volume discounts apply on larger purchases. For silver bar buyers who want competitive pricing and actual human support, Monument Metals fills a genuine gap in the market.
Hero Bullion
#3: Hero Bullion
Hero Bullion offers silver bar premiums in the $1.00-2.50 range on 10 oz bars and $0.75-1.75 on 100 oz bars (wire/check). The pricing is within $0.25-0.50 per ounce of SD Bullion on most products, and the buying experience is meaningfully better. Product photography shows bars clearly, and the educational content helps newer buyers understand the differences between refiners and finishes.
For a buyer purchasing their first 10 oz or 100 oz silver bar, Hero Bullion provides context that discount dealers do not. Explanations of cast versus minted bars, refiner reputation, and storage considerations are woven into the product pages. This educational approach builds confidence for significant purchases.
The $149 free shipping threshold is the lowest among these dealers, though it is largely irrelevant for silver bar purchases (even a 10 oz bar exceeds this amount at current prices). Crypto payments receive wire-tier pricing.
JM Bullion
#4: JM Bullion
JM Bullion prices 10 oz silver bars at $1.50-2.75 per ounce over spot and 100 oz bars at $0.75-2.00 per ounce (wire/check). These premiums sit slightly above the discount dealers but come with the best website experience and broadest payment options in the industry, including PayPal.
The silver bar selection is strong: multiple refiner options at each weight, clear pricing tiers by payment method, and high-resolution product images. The website makes it easy to filter by weight, refiner, and price. Sorting by premium-over-spot surfaces the best value options within each category.
Promotional offers frequently add value. Free silver rounds with qualifying purchases can offset $20-50 of the premium gap on larger silver bar orders. The $499 free shipping threshold means a single 10 oz bar (roughly $300-350) may not qualify, but any 100 oz purchase does.
APMEX
#5: APMEX
APMEX carries the deepest silver bar inventory: 1 oz through kilo, cast and minted, every major refiner, plus vintage and collectible bars. Premiums on 10 oz bars run $2.00-3.50 per ounce and 100 oz bars at $1.00-2.50 per ounce (wire/check), the highest among ranked dealers.
On a 100 oz bar, the APMEX premium versus SD Bullion can total $50-100. For buyers purchasing commodity silver bars to accumulate weight, that gap matters. For buyers seeking specific refiner brands, vintage poured bars, or specialty items, APMEX's inventory justifies the premium.
The sort-by-premium feature is particularly useful for silver bar shopping, surfacing the lowest-cost options across APMEX's extensive catalog. Free shipping at $199 means any silver bar purchase over roughly 6 oz ships free.
Shipping Considerations
Weight, Shipping, and Insurance
Silver bars are heavy relative to their dollar value. A 100 oz bar weighs nearly 7 pounds. A 10 oz bar weighs about 11 ounces. These weights affect shipping costs and insurance requirements.
All five ranked dealers include full insurance in their shipping for orders above their free shipping threshold. This matters more for silver than gold because the value-to-weight ratio is lower. Losing a 100 oz silver bar in transit is a $3,000+ loss, and insurance protects against this risk.
For buyers in states with sales tax on precious metals, the total cost per ounce includes tax. Some states exempt bullion purchases above certain thresholds. Check your state's rules before ordering, as the tax impact on a 100 oz silver bar purchase can exceed $200 in high-tax jurisdictions.
Discrete packaging is standard at all five dealers. Plain boxes with no external markings indicating contents. Signature requirements apply to higher-value shipments. For 100 oz bar orders, plan to be available for signature or arrange carrier hold for pickup.
Verdict
The Bottom Line
For maximum silver weight per dollar, SD Bullion wins on 10 oz and 100 oz bar pricing. Monument Metals runs close behind with better service. Hero Bullion offers the best experience for first-time bar buyers. JM Bullion provides the cleanest shopping experience with promotional value. APMEX is the choice when you need a specific refiner or vintage bar.
For a complete guide to silver bar investing, read our silver bars guide and best silver bars ranking. Track live premiums across major online dealers with the premium tracker.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What size silver bar has the lowest premium per ounce?
Per-ounce premiums decrease as bar size increases. A 1 oz silver bar might carry a $2-4 premium. A 10 oz bar drops to $1-2.50 per ounce. A 100 oz bar runs $0.50-1.50 per ounce over spot. The 100 oz bar offers the lowest cost per ounce of silver in bar form, but it represents a $3,000+ commitment and is harder to sell in partial amounts.
Do I need to worry about shipping costs on 100 oz silver bars?
Yes. A 100 oz silver bar weighs roughly 6.86 pounds, which increases shipping cost and insurance requirements. Most dealers include full insurance in their shipping, but the weight means heavier packaging and higher carrier charges. All five ranked dealers offer free insured shipping on orders above their threshold, and a 100 oz bar exceeds every threshold listed.
Should I buy silver bars or silver rounds?
Silver bars and rounds carry similar premiums at the 1 oz level. At larger sizes (10 oz, 100 oz), bars offer lower per-ounce premiums than buying equivalent weight in 1 oz rounds. Rounds provide more divisibility since you can sell individual pieces. Bars are more space-efficient for storage. For maximum silver weight per dollar, 100 oz bars win.
Are generic silver bars safe to buy online?
Generic silver bars from reputable dealers are safe. All five dealers ranked here source from established refiners and guarantee the weight and purity of products sold. Bars typically come with an assay card or are stamped with weight and purity markings. For additional assurance, stick to bars from recognized refiners (Sunshine Minting, OPM, Asahi, SilverTowne) available through these dealers.
Track Silver Bar Premiums Across Dealers
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