999 fineness means gold that is 99.9% pure — the same as 24-karat gold, the highest standard used for investment gold and the grade that backs digital gold on PMEX.

Karat measures gold purity out of 24; fineness measures it out of 1,000. So 24 karat = 999 fineness = pure gold. Jewellery is usually 22 karat (916) or 21 karat because pure gold is too soft to hold a setting — but for investing, you want the pure 999 grade.

In Pakistan: PMEX gold is cast in 10-tola bars of 999.0 fineness by exchange-approved refineries.

Example (PKR): a "999" 10-tola bar is pure investment gold; a 22-karat bangle is 91.6% gold, the rest being other metals.

Don't confuse it with: 22K or 21K — common jewellery purities that contain less gold.

Related terms: Digital gold · Tola · PMEX
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