Metallica’s The Black Album shipped 20 million copies in the United States for its 2025 RIAA 2× Diamond certification.
The Recording Industry Association of America awards a Diamond certification for ten million units, with album units counted according to its certification rules. A 2× Diamond certification therefore represents 20 million certified US units shipped.
The achievement reflects an unusually durable sales history. The album was released in 1991, yet it continued selling across physical formats and remained present on the Billboard 200 for hundreds of weeks. It became the best-selling album in the United States during the Nielsen SoundScan era, which began in 1991.
The figure is specifically a US certification total, not a worldwide sales estimate. International sales are tracked separately by national industry organizations, and the album also earned major certifications in countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
The 2025 certification is distinct from earlier claims that the album had sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. RIAA certification language concerns US shipments and certified units, so the geographic scope matters.