Gold leaf is real gold beaten into sheets about 0.1 microns thick, used to cover surfaces in art, architecture and food decoration. It’s so thin that a single gram of gold can cover almost half a square metre, and a whole 25-leaf booklet contains less than half a gram of gold.
Not everything sold as “gold leaf” contains gold, though. Imitation leaf looks similar but is made of copper and zinc. Below, we explain the difference, what the karats mean, how much leaf you need, and which type suits your project.
Is gold leaf real gold?
Genuine gold leaf is. It ranges from 12 karat (50% gold) to 24 karat (99.9% gold), with the rest made up of silver and copper. Those small additions change the colour: copper makes the leaf warmer and redder, silver makes it paler.
Imitation gold leaf, also called Dutch metal or composition leaf, contains no gold at all. It’s a copper-zinc alloy that looks like gold at a fraction of the price, but it tarnishes if left unsealed and is never edible.
→ Compare every karat and metal in our guide to the types of gold leaf.
How thin is gold leaf?
About 0.1 microns, or roughly 1/250,000 of an inch: hundreds of times thinner than a human hair. At that thickness, gold becomes slightly translucent, and a breath of air is enough to lift a loose sheet. That’s why it’s sold between sheets of tissue paper and handled with a special brush called a gilder’s tip.
How is gold leaf made?
Gold is melted with a small amount of silver or copper, cast into a bar, and rolled into a thin ribbon. The ribbon is cut into squares and beaten between layers of special paper or film, in several stages over many hours, until each square has spread into a sheet thinner than a soap bubble. The sheets are then cut to size and placed between tissue paper in booklets of 25.
The process has barely changed in centuries, and much of it still depends on skilled hands, which is a large part of why gold leaf costs what it does.
→ How Is Gold Leaf Made? · Gold Beating
Is gold leaf edible?
Yes, if it’s high-purity leaf made specifically for food. Edible gold is listed in the EU as food additive E175. It has no taste, no smell and no nutritional value, and it passes through the body without being absorbed. Our edible leaf is 23.75 karat.
Don’t use decorative gold leaf on food, even if it’s high karat, since it isn’t produced to food standards. Never use imitation leaf on food.
→ Is Gold Poisonous? · What Does Gold Taste Like? · Edible Gold Leaf
Gold leaf vs other gold finishes
These terms get mixed up constantly:
- Gold foil is sometimes another name for gold leaf, but in printing and crafts it usually means a heat-applied metallic film with no gold in it. → Gold leaf vs gold foil explained
- Gold flakes are gold leaf broken into small pieces, mostly used on food and drinks.
- Gold paint is metallic pigment in a binder. It’s easier to apply but lacks the mirror-like shine of leaf.
- Gold plating is a thin layer of gold bonded to metal by electroplating, used for jewellery and hardware.
What is gold leaf used for?
- Art and restoration: frames, icons, manuscripts, sculpture, antiques. → Gilding Picture Frames · Gilding Icons
- Architecture and interiors: domes, ceilings, mouldings, furniture, signage. → Interior and Architectural Gilding
- Food and drink: cakes, chocolates, cocktails, fine dining. → How to Use Gold Leaf on Cakes
- Crafts: resin, glass, candles, ceramics, where imitation leaf is often the practical choice.
People have used gold leaf this way for over 5,000 years, from Egyptian tombs to medieval altarpieces. → The History and Art of Gilding
What you need to apply gold leaf
Gold leaf doesn’t stick on its own. You need:
- An adhesive (size), either water-based or oil-based, applied to the surface first
- A soft brush or gilder’s tip to lay and press the leaf
- A sealer, for imitation, silver, copper and lower-karat leaf, to stop tarnishing
→ How to Apply Gold Leaf · Gilding Adhesive · Gold Leaf Sealer
Why is gold leaf expensive?
You’re paying for real gold, plus hours of skilled beating to reach 0.1 microns. But because it’s so thin, gold leaf is the cheapest way to get the look of solid gold. A booklet covering 0.16 m² contains less than half a gram of the metal.
FAQs
Gold leaf means gold beaten into extremely thin sheets, around 0.1 microns thick, for covering surfaces. “Leaf” refers to the thin, flat sheet, the same way we speak of a leaf of paper.
High-karat gold leaf doesn’t. Lower karats (18kt and below), silver leaf, copper leaf and imitation leaf can darken, so they should be sealed.
Keep the booklets flat, closed and dry, away from draughts. Genuine gold leaf doesn’t expire.
Gilding frames, furniture, icons and architecture, decorating cakes, chocolates and drinks, and crafts like resin and glass.
About 0.1 microns, roughly 1/250,000 of an inch: hundreds of times thinner than a human hair.
i have never used gold leaf but O would love to start using it
i make furniture and innthe past i had customers asking for antique restoration.
looking at a fabolus jobg making it it inspires me to start adding this work to my business. i love art and itbwill be fun for me also i will be offering a new service .
thanks for videos and explainig the fantastic job you do tonp4ocess Gold.
i will explain that to my customers.
blessings hopebto be you new customer buying gold leaf feom you directly