Bullion Dollar-Cost-Average Stack Calculator
Project precious metal stacking growth from monthly purchases.
Enter monthly budget, metal, and spot price to see ounces accumulated and total spend over years.
Bullion Dollar-Cost-Average (DCA) Stacking
DCA stacking means buying a fixed dollar amount of bullion every month, regardless of price. You buy more ounces when prices are low and fewer when they’re high — averaging out volatility over time.
The math: Ounces this month = (Monthly Budget − Premium) / Spot Price
Premium over spot (typical at retail):
- Generic silver rounds: 8-15% over spot
- American Silver Eagle: 25-40% over spot
- 1 oz gold bars: 3-6% over spot
- 1 oz American Gold Eagle: 4-8% over spot
- Junk silver (90% pre-1965 US coinage): 5-10% over melt
- 100 oz silver bars: 4-8% over spot
Why DCA works for bullion:
- Removes timing decisions — no need to predict bottoms
- Lower average cost basis than lump-sum during volatile periods
- Builds a meaningful position over years without large upfront capital
- Forces consistent acquisition through both bull and bear cycles
Stacker math examples (rough):
- $200/month silver at $30 spot + 12% premium = ~6 oz/month = 72 oz/year
- $500/month gold at $2,300 spot + 5% premium = ~0.21 oz/month = 2.5 oz/year
- $100/month silver at $25 spot + 10% premium = ~3.6 oz/month = 43 oz/year
Premium reduction strategies:
- Buy in larger quantities (10 oz, 100 oz bars have lower per-oz premium)
- Buy from secondary market (estate sales, online forums)
- Stack pre-1965 90% junk silver — usually lowest premium
- Wait for sales — major dealers run premium-cuts during slow markets
This calculator assumes constant spot price. Real-world stacking benefits more during price dips because you accumulate more ounces — the long-term average works in the stacker’s favor.