EN ISO 11596:2026

Jewellery and precious metals - Sampling of precious metals and precious metal alloys (ISO 11596:2021)

This document specifies a method of sampling precious metals and precious metal alloys for the determination of their precious metal content and for the assessment of their homogeneity. The document is applicable to raw materials, semi-finished products and finished products and is intended to be used only for the sampling of entirely metallic materials.
NOTE 1   Standards for determination of precious metals contents for different metals are listed in the Bibliography.
NOTE 2   For assaying techniques different from the listed ones other sampling procedures can be required.
NOTE 3   For the purpose of production control or lot inspections the International Standards for the sampling indicated in the Bibliography or corresponding guidelines can be applied in addition.

Schmuck und Edelmetalle - Probenahme von Edelmetallen und Edelmetall-Legierungen (ISO 11596:2021)

Dieses Dokument legt ein Verfahren zur Probenahme von Edelmetallen und Edelmetall-Legierungen für die Bestimmung ihres Edelmetallgehaltes und für die Beurteilung ihrer Homogenität fest. Das Dokument ist anwendbar für Rohmaterialien, halbfertiges Erzeugnis und Fertigerzeugnisse und ist nur für die Probenahme von rein metallischen Werkstoffen vorgesehen.
ANMERKUNG 1   Normen für die Bestimmung von Edelmetallgehalten für verschiedene Metalle sind in den Literaturangaben aufgeführt.
ANMERKUNG 2   Für andere als die aufgeführten Analysetechniken können andere Probenahmeverfahren erforderlich sein.
ANMERKUNG 3   Für die Zwecke der Produktionskontrolle oder der Losprüfung können zusätzlich die in den Literaturhinweisen angegebenen Internationalen Normen für die Probenahme oder entsprechende Leitlinien angewendet werden.

Joaillerie, bijouterie et métaux précieux - Échantillonnage des métaux précieux et des alliages de métaux précieux (ISO 11596:2021)

Nakit in plemenite kovine - Vzorčenje plemenitih kovin in zlitin plemenitih kovin (ISO 11596:2021)

Ta dokument določa metodo vzorčenja plemenitih kovin in zlitin plemenitih kovin za določitev njihove vsebnosti plemenitih kovin in za oceno njihove homogenosti. Dokument se uporablja za surovine, polizdelke in končne izdelke ter je namenjen izključno za vzorčenje popolnoma kovinskih materialov.
OPOMBA 1 Standardi za določanje vsebnosti plemenitih kovin za različne kovine so navedeni v bibliografiji.
OPOMBA 2 Za tehnike analiziranja, ki se razlikujejo od navedenih, so lahko potrebni drugi postopki vzorčenja.
OPOMBA 3 Za namene proizvodnega nadzora ali inšpekcij serij se lahko dodatno uporabijo mednarodni standardi za vzorčenje, navedeni v bibliografiji, ali ustrezne smernice.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 17-Mar-2026
• ICS: 39.060 - Jewellery
• Technical Committee: CEN/TC 410 - Project Committee - Consumer confidence and nomenclature in the diamond industry
• Current Stage: 6060 - Definitive text made available (DAV) - Publishing
• Start Date: 18-Mar-2026
• Due Date: 09-Jan-2028
• Completion Date: 18-Mar-2026
• Ref Project: SIST EN ISO 11596:2026 - Jewellery and precious metals - Sampling of precious metals and precious metal alloys (ISO 11596:2021)

Relations

• Replaces: CEN/TR 14547:2005 - Sampling schemes for third party conformity assessment of fineness in precious metal articles
• Effective Date: 04-Mar-2026
• Refers: ISO 3954:2007 - Powders for powder metallurgical purposes — Sampling
• Effective Date: 15-Apr-2026

Overview

EN ISO 11596:2026 is the European standard specifying procedures for the sampling of precious metals and precious metal alloys, serving as a vital reference in the jewellery and precious metals industry. Developed by CEN and aligned with ISO 11596:2021, this standard provides internationally harmonized sampling methods for determining precious metal content and assessing material homogeneity. It applies to raw materials, semi-finished products, and finished products, focusing exclusively on metallic materials and not on objects with non-metallic components.

Following reliable sampling protocols is essential for accurate analysis and fair trading of gold, silver, platinum-group metals, and their alloys. By ensuring representative samples, EN ISO 11596:2026 supports quality control, regulatory compliance, and traceability throughout the precious metals supply chain.

Key Topics

• Scope: Sampling of entirely metallic raw materials, semi-finished, and finished products composed of precious metals or their alloys.
• Sampling Methods: Covers dip sampling, drilling, scraping, cutting, sawing, and filing - emphasizing non-contamination and representativity.
• Sample Selection: Guidelines for sampling positions, lot subdivision, and ensuring homogeneity are provided for diverse product forms (e.g., bars, rods, sheets, powders).
• Tools and Equipment: Lists specific tools (e.g., drills, cutters, splitters, and cleaning agents) and instructions to avoid sample contamination.
• Surface Preparation: Requirements to remove coatings, dust, or grease prior to sampling to ensure accurate results.
• Retention and Labelling: Details on storage and identification of samples for traceability and quality assurance.
• Product Classes: Definitions cover ingots, bars, rods, wires, sheets, tubes, powders, casting grains, electroforms, and component parts.

Applications

EN ISO 11596:2026 is an indispensable resource for:

• Jewellery Manufacturers: Ensures accurate determination of fineness and precious metal content in raw materials, semi-finished stock, and finished goods.
• Precious Metal Assayers and Refineries: Standardizes sampling techniques to enable reliable chemical analysis and quality control.
• Regulatory Compliance and Lot Inspections: Facilitates production control, market surveillance, and conformity assessment, supporting compliance with national and international law.
• Trade and Investment: Guarantees transparency and fairness in transactions involving bars, ingots, and other investment products made of gold, silver, platinum, and alloys.
• Testing Laboratories: Provides consistent methodologies for the preparation of representative samples regardless of product form.

The standard is also referenced for broader applications such as arbitration, customs control, and certification schemes, underlining its role in maintaining integrity and trust in the precious metals market.

Related Standards

EN ISO 11596:2026 cites and complements several key standards relevant to the sampling and analysis of precious metals:

• ISO 3954: Powders for powder metallurgical purposes - Sampling
• ISO 11426: Jewellery and precious metals - Determination of gold - Cupellation method (fire assay)
• ISO 11427: Jewellery - Determination of silver in silver jewellery alloys
• ISO 11210: Determination of platinum in platinum jewellery alloys
• ISO 22764: Fineness of solders used with precious metal jewellery alloys
• ISO 2859 / ISO 3951: Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes/variables
• CEN/TR 14547: Sampling schemes for third party conformity assessment of fineness in precious metal articles

These related standards offer detailed procedures for lot inspections, chemical determination, and specific material types, ensuring a comprehensive and harmonized approach to precious metal sampling and analysis.

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Keywords: precious metals sampling, jewellery alloys, EN ISO 11596:2026, homogeneity assessment, sampling methods, gold bar sampling, quality control in jewellery manufacturing, precious metal content determination, CEN standards, international standard for precious metals

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-maj-2026
Nakit in plemenite kovine - Vzorčenje plemenitih kovin in zlitin plemenitih kovin
(ISO 11596:2021)
Jewellery and precious metals - Sampling of precious metals and precious metal alloys
(ISO 11596:2021)
Schmuck und Edelmetalle - Probenahme von Edelmetallen und Edelmetall-Legierungen
(ISO 11596:2021)
Joaillerie, bijouterie et métaux précieux - Échantillonnage des métaux précieux et des
alliages de métaux précieux (ISO 11596:2021)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN ISO 11596:2026
ICS:
39.060 Nakit Jewellery
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EN ISO 11596
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
March 2026
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 39.060 Supersedes CEN/TR 14547:2005
English Version
Jewellery and precious metals - Sampling of precious
metals and precious metal alloys (ISO 11596:2021)
Joaillerie, bijouterie et métaux précieux - Schmuck und Edelmetalle - Probenahme von
Échantillonnage des métaux précieux et des alliages de Edelmetallen und Edelmetall-Legierungen (ISO
métaux précieux (ISO 11596:2021) 11596:2021)
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 13 March 2026.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2026 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN ISO 11596:2026 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 3

European foreword
The text of ISO 11596:2021 has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 174 "Jewellery and
precious metals” of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and has been taken over as
secretariat of which is held by DIN.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by September 2026, and conflicting national standards
shall be withdrawn at the latest by September 2026.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This document supersedes CEN/TR 14547:2005.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards body.
A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of
North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the
United Kingdom.
Endorsement notice
The text of ISO 11596:2021 has been approved by CEN as EN ISO 11596:2026 without any modification.

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 11596
Second edition
2021-12
Jewellery and precious metals —
Sampling of precious metals and
precious metal alloys
Joaillerie, bijouterie et métaux précieux — Échantillonnage des
métaux précieux et des alliages de métaux précieux
Reference number
ISO 11596:2021(E)
ISO 11596:2021(E)
© ISO 2021
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii
ISO 11596:2021(E)
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
3.1 Sampling . 1
3.2 Precious metals and precious metal articles . 2
3.3 Product classes . 3
3.4 Products and manufacturing methods . 3
4 Tools . 4
4.1 General . 4
4.2 Use of tools . 5
5 Sample selection . . 5
6 Surface preparation before sampling . 5
7 Sampling methods .5
7.1 General . 5
7.2 Dip sampling of molten alloy . 6
7.2.1 General . 6
7.2.2 Method 1 – Pin sampling . 6
7.2.3 Method 2 - Bead sampling, button sampling . 6
7.3 Drilling . 6
7.4 Scraping . 7
7.5 Cutting . . 7
7.6 Sawing or filing . 7
8 Retention of samples .7
Annex A (informative) Guidelines for the sampling of typical products and items .8
Bibliography .13
iii
ISO 11596:2021(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to
the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see
www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 174, Jewellery and precious metals.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 11596:2008), which has been technically
revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— The content has been reviewed to allow a broader field of application of the standard;
— The scope has been aligned with the ISO standards related to the present document and delimited
more clearly;
— Terms and definitions have been reorganized.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
iv
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 11596:2021(E)
Jewellery and precious metals — Sampling of precious
metals and precious metal alloys
1 Scope
This document specifies a method of sampling precious metals and precious metal alloys for the
determination of their precious metal content and for the assessment of their homogeneity. The
document is applicable to raw materials, semi-finished products and finished products and is intended
to be used only for the sampling of entirely metallic materials.
NOTE 1 Standards for determination of precious metals contents for different metals are listed in the
Bibliography.
NOTE 2 For assaying techniques different from the listed ones other sampling procedures can be required.
NOTE 3 For the purpose of production control or lot inspections the International Standards for the sampling
indicated in the Bibliography or corresponding guidelines can be applied in addition.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 3954, Powders for powder metallurgical purposes — Sampling
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1 Sampling
3.1.1
sampling
defined procedure whereby a part of a substance, material or product is taken to provide a
representative sample (3.1.4), or samples, of the whole for analysis
3.1.2
dip sampling
sampling (3.1.1) method intended to produce primary samples representative for a melt
Note 1 to entry: A secondary sampling is then required in order to produce the samples for analysis.
Note 2 to entry: Depending on the specific sampling technique adopted, dip sampling is also referred to as pin
sampling, or as bead (or button) sampling, respectively.
ISO 11596:2021(E)
3.1.3
portion
fraction of a lot, item or sample (3.1.4) obtained by appropriate sample subdivision techniques in order
to represent correctly the properties of the whole to be tested
3.1.4
sample
quantity of representative material taken from a product, or part of a product
Note 1 to entry: In References [7] to [15] of the Bibliography, the term “sample” is used in some instances instead
of the term “test portion”.
3.1.5
sampling position
geometrically defined position specified by a sampling (3.1.1) scheme, from where the sampled material
is taken from an item
Note 1 to entry: Depending on the quantity of material to be drawn it may consist in several individual points
corresponding to the same geometrical definition.
3.1.6
test portion
part of the sample (3.1.4) used for a single determination of the precious metal content
3.1.7
lot
product, or collection of units of product, from which a sample (3.1.4) (or samples) is (or are) drawn
Note 1 to entry: Each lot consists of units of product manufactured under essentially the same conditions and
visibly presenting the same characteristics, i.e. same type, grade, class, size and composition.
3.1.8
homogeneous
presenting the same physical and chemical characteristics down to the scale of the sample (3.1.4) and
within the uncertainty of the relevant assaying method
3.2 Precious metals and precious metal articles
3.2.1
precious metal alloy
metal made by combining at least one precious metal as a major element with one or more metallic
elements, constituted either by a solid solution of the metal elements or by a mixture of metallic phases
at microscopic level
3.2.2
jewellery
jewels made of precious metal or precious metal alloys (3.2.1)
3.2.3
mixed precious metal articles
articles made from two or more separate precious metals, or precious metal alloys (3.2.1)
3.2.4
solder
alloy used to join metal parts
ISO 11596:2021(E)
3.3 Product classes
3.3.1
raw material
unprocessed material used to produce finished products, or intermediate materials which are feedstock
for future finished products
3.3.2
crystals
precious metal in form of metallic crystals constituting the typical product of electrochemical refining
and used as feedstock for further processing
3.3.3
powder
precious metal in finely dispersed form normally used as feedstock for further processing
3.3.4
casting grain
material in discrete droplet or granular form, only suitable for re-melting
3.3.5
cast product
product obtained by solidification of a molten metal or metal alloy usually poured into a mould
3.3.6
wrought product
product obtained by hot and/or cold plastic deformation processes, such as extruding, forging, hot
rolling, cold rolling or drawing, either exclusively or in combination
3.3.7
semi-finished product
product that can be easily used to produce a finished item and/or a component part
3.3.8
component parts
products in a form that constitutes components of a finished article
3.4 Products and manufacturing methods
3.4.1
ingot
cast unwrought product suitable for further manufacture
3.4.2
bar
cast or minted finished product, or cast material intended to be refined
Note 1 to entry: These finished products are generally intended for investment.
3.4.3
rod
solid wrought semi-finished product of uniform cross-section along its own length, supplied in straight
form in defined lengths
3.4.4
sheet
strip
flat wrought product of exact length and of rectangul
...