what are olympic gold medals made of

Olympic gold medals are not solid gold. They’re mostly silver, with a thin layer of real gold on the outside—modern rules require at least 92.5% silver and about 6 grams of gold plating.

Quick Scoop

• The core is usually silver.
• The surface is coated with a small amount of gold.
• Silver medals are mostly silver, and bronze medals are made from copper-based alloys.

Why that is

The gold medal is designed to look like gold without being made entirely of it, which keeps production practical while still making the medal prestigious. In recent Games, medal specs can vary a bit by host city, but the gold medal still follows the same basic idea: silver underneath, gold on top.

Simple example

A modern Olympic gold medal is often described as “silver with gold plating,” not “pure gold”. So the value is mostly symbolic—the athlete’s achievement matters far more than the metal itself.

TL;DR

Olympic gold medals are basically silver medals with a thin layer of real gold.