Metallica, the album commonly called The Black Album, was the first album in the SoundScan era to surpass 20 million copies shipped in the United States.
The achievement reflects the album's extraordinary longevity rather than only its initial success. It was released in 1991, the same year Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales with more detailed point-of-sale data. The album became the best-selling release in the United States since that tracking system began and continued selling steadily for decades.
In 2025, the Recording Industry Association of America certified Metallica 2× Diamond for shipping 20 million copies in the United States. Worldwide physical-media sales were reported at 31 million copies, placing the album among the best-selling records in music history.
The title can create a wording trap: Metallica is both the band name and the album's official title. The nickname The Black Album comes from the dark packaging, not from the formal title printed on the release.