Frequently Asked Questions
Any Questions? we're happy to help
FAQs
What is Metals-API?
Metals-API started out as a simple, lightweight Open-Source API for current and historical precious metals rates published by the banks. The Metals-API API is capable of delivering real-time precious metals data via API at an accuracy of 2 decimal points and a frequency as high as every 60 seconds. Capabilities include delivering exchange rates for Precious Metals, converting single currencies, returning Time-Series data, fluctuation data and lowest and highest price of any day.
Is anyone available to give support by chat?
Yes, we are always online from Monday to Friday; 8am-5pm (EST). Send us a message via the contact form or email and our Customer Support team will be with you shortly. Urgent requests are usually handled within minutes.
Where is Metals-API located?
Metals-API is based in London, UK. Our address is 6 St. Pauls Way, Bow, London, E3 4YL.
Do you support non-profits?
We do — contact us, let us know more about your organization and we will be happy to work something out.
Which are the subscription plans and what do they offer?
Please check our pricing page
What is your refund policy?
You may request a refund for your current subscription if you request it within 2 hours of the transaction and only applies to the first payment we receive. We reserve the right to decline that request should you use our software within this time.
Are there discounts for any products?
Yes! When you choose an annual plan, you save the cost of 2 months, meaning you get 2 months free compared to paying monthly.
Do you offer personalized plans?
Yes! But it has to be for a bigger bundle than what’s available.
What if I’m having issues getting my email verified?
You can message us through our chat popup, or email us using our contact info
How can I upgrade or downgrade my plan?
You can manage all of this on your own from your dashboard!
How can I change my billing frequency from monthly to yearly or from yearly to monthly?
You will be required to downgrade your account back to the Free Plan.
Step 1: Navigate to the Subscription page, click "Downgrade" in the Free Plan section and confirm your downgrade. Downgrades are not effective immediately, your premium subscription will remain active until the end of the current billing period.
Step 2: Once your billing period ends and your account downgrade has become effective, navigate back to the Subscription Page and click "Upgrade" in your preferred subscription plan's section. You will now be asked to choose a new billing frequency.
How can I read the prices of metals in USD?
All the metals rates you get using USD as a base currency need to be calculated by dividing 1 by the returned number.
We return the values based on the base currency.
For example, for 1 USD the return is a number like 0.000634 for Gold (XAU).
To get the gold rate per troy ounce in USD: 1/0.000634= 1577.28 USD
Does this API work with LME - London Metal Exchange?
Yes, we use LME as one of our data sources.
When does the billing cycle start?
It starts on the day that you subscribe to one of our paid plans.
Can the unit of measure for 22 Ct Gold and 24 Ct Gold be provided in grams (presently provided in troy oz)?
Yes, you can, we offer a /carat endpoint, all the values on this endpoint are per Carat (ct) unit. Other endpoints are using Troy ounce unit.
How do I use it?
1 - Register
2 - Look for the symbols that match your search
3 - Make an API call with them, placing your selected metals in symbol, and your preferred currency in base currency.
How subscriptions are billed?
Subscription billing, by association with recurring payments, is the automatic, regular billing process that occurs after a customer signs up to use our service. Every time you upgrade or change your plan, you will continue paying for the new subscription plus the previous subscriptions you got before. All the subscriptions are automatically renewed every year unless you cancel your existing subscriptions. We don't offer any refund if you have one or more subscriptions, you may request a refund for your current month if you request it within 2 hours of the transaction and only applies to the first payment we receive. We reserve the right to decline that request should you use our software within this time.
Is my payment info deleted after I downgrade?
Yes! It’s deleted automatically. The information is handled by Stripe, we don’t store your credit or debit card data.
Are there rates for cities?
Metals-API can provide you with precious metals prices in many currencies, but we don't have rates for specific cities in the country.
Where can I see my invoices?
If you’re paying with a Credit/Debit card, you can find them by going onto Payments > Your Invoices (https://www.metals-api.com/payment-setting ). If you’re using PayPal you have to download the invoice from http://paypal.com/
Is there same-day fluctuation data?
We don’t offer fluctuation data for the same day. For the same day, you need to query us at 00:00 each day and save it on your site, then make one request each time the user visits the website. Fluctuation endpoint is available per date.
Time-series endpoint
If you’re doing a call with a time-series endpoint, you can’t use today’s date as the end date. The date is updated on the time zone 0 UTC
DATA & FEATURES
Where is our data coming from?
Exchange rate data delivered by the Metals-API API is collected from over 15 reliable data sources, every minute. Sources include banks and financial data providers.
Which type of currency data is supported?
All exchange rate data delivered by Metals-API is midpoint data. Midpoint rates are determined by calculating the average median rate of Bid and Ask at a certain time.
Can I convert currencies and metals?
Currency and Metals conversion are supported using the same API endpoints and can be used to convert any amount from one currency to another, or from one metal to any metal and any currency to any metal.
Which precious metals and currencies are supported?
The Metals-API API is capable of delivering accurate exchange rate data for Precious Metals, in 170 world currencies, including Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies.
Which type of historical rates does the API offer?
The Metals-API API delivers EOD / End of Day historical exchange rates, which become available at 00:05am GMT for the previous day and are time stamped at one second before midnight.
How can I read USD current prices of metals?
All the metals rates you get using USD as a base currency need to be divided by 1. We return the values based on the base currency. For example, for 1 USD the return is a number like 0.000634 for Gold (XAU). To get the gold rate per troy ounce in USD: 1/0.000634= 1577.28 USD
API ACCESS
What happens if my allowed volume is exceeded?
Your API request volume can be exceeded by 20% without your service being affected. Please note that after 120% of your volume has been used your API access will be disabled.
What is the Metals-API API's uptime?
The API has had an uptime of 99.99% throughout the last 12 months. You can review the current status anytime on the Status icon on the main menu.
How does our WordPress plugin work?
You can display the latest Metals (Gold, Silver, Platinum, etc) rates in the desired currencies (USD, GBP, CAD, etc) on your website using this WordPress plugin.
The plugin includes comprehensive controls to display desired date metal rates as well as the latest, with the help of short codes with custom WP Editor.
Install your WordPress plugin here
How does Drupal plugin work?
Metals API is a Drupal module that consumes, caches and produces blocks to display precious metal prices from our API.
In order to use the Metals API module, install the module following Standard Drupal module installation practices. More information is included in the README.txt file.
Once the module is installed, navigate to the Metals API Integration Settings page from the Configuration -> Web Services menu item and paste your Metals API Key in the provided field. The module is configured to refresh the feed at a rate of once every 24 hours. You can adjust that to whatever rate you feel is necessary, provided that your Metals API Account allows for it.
Install your Metals API Drupal module here.