How many copies had Metallica's Black Album sold in the United States by 2016?

Metallica's Black Album had sold 16.4 million copies in the United States by 2016.

That figure made it the best-selling album in the United States since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. The album also became the first record to pass 16 million sales during the SoundScan era, a remarkable result for a heavy-metal release.

Its sales were unusually durable rather than concentrated only around its release. The album never sold fewer than 1,000 copies in a week, and it averaged about 5,000 weekly copies in 2016. Cassettes accounted for approximately 5.8 million of the US total, showing how strongly the album connected with listeners during the cassette era.

The 16.4-million figure is a US sales total through 2016, not a worldwide number. The album's worldwide physical-media sales were reported at about 31 million copies. Later certification updates may use different measures, so a question about the 2016 total should not be answered with the worldwide figure or a later shipment certification.