Trust Expenses - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2013
Sponsor's fee, annualized accrual rate based on daily net asset value	0.25%
Legal fees, per year, maximum	$ 100,000

Annualized sponsor's fee rate accrued daily based on the net asset value of the trust.

No definition available.

Name:	iau_SponsorsFeeAnnualizedAccrualRateBasedOnDailyNetAssetValue
Namespace Prefix:	iau_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration