Silver is bulkier and heavier per dollar than gold. Here is the volume and weight of an ounce, a hundred ounces and a kilogram, worked out from density.
Short answer: one troy ounce of silver takes up about 3 cubic centimetres, so 100 troy ounces is about 300 cubic centimetres, a block of about 6 × 7 × 7 centimetres, and weighs about 3.1 kg. Gold is almost twice as dense, so the same weight of gold takes up about half the space.
Volume is weight divided by density. Silver is about 10.49 g/cm³ and gold about 19.32 g/cm³. One troy ounce is 31.1035 g, so one ounce of silver is about 2.97 cm³ and one ounce of gold about 1.61 cm³. See the glossary entry on density for more.
Coins take more room than this solid figure suggests, because of their shape, capsules and tubes. A tube commonly holds 20 one-ounce coins, and a monster box commonly holds 25 tubes.
A few hundred ounces of silver weighs tens of kilograms. Check that a shelf, drawer or safe floor can carry it, and think about how you will lift it. Larger bars are more compact per ounce than coins, but they are harder to sell in small amounts.
If you add steadily, leave room. Record where each piece is kept, so you can find it and so a family member can too. The bullion weight tables list common bar and coin sizes in grams and troy ounces.
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