Other · Tier D

Carbon and metal film resistors

The shiny end caps are tin-plated steel, not silver, and the film itself is carbon or nichrome measured in nanometres.

Cu ~15 g/lb

eBay typical$8–25per lb

Refiner pays$0.05per lb

Metal in it$0.16per lb at 4 Aug 2026 spot

Confidencemedof the yield figures

How to spot it

Small axial cylinders with colour bands — beige or light blue for metal film, tan or brown for carbon film, dull grey-green ceramic for wirewound. SMD chip resistors are the tiny black rectangles with a white three- or four-digit code. Every board has hundreds.

Metal content

Metal	Quantity	Notes
Copper	~15 g/lb	leads are often copper-clad steel rather than solid copper, so even this is optimistic

At 4 Aug 2026 spot prices that works out to $0.16 per pound of contained metal — Copper 15 g = $0.16. A refiner paying $0.05 returns about 31% of that, which is normal: refining costs money and the buyer takes a margin.

Safe removal

Working temperature: Snip leads; do not process

Snip flush and move on. There's no recovery process worth running. Don't burn them — ceramic cores and steel caps give nothing back.

Hazards

☠ Lead — dust more than fume

NEVER dry sweep or use compressed air on a scrapping bench. HEPA-vac or wet-wipe only.

🪚 Fibreglass and board dust

NEVER dry-cut boards indoors without extraction.

💨 Fumes, ventilation and open flame

NEVER burn boards, wire insulation or plastic. Ever.

Before you scrap it

Assorted kits sell $8–25 per pound to hobbyists purely on convenience. Vintage carbon composition resistors for tube-amp restoration are the exception at $0.50–2 each.

The common trap

The other honest zero. A pound is 1,500 parts holding perhaps 15 cents of marginal copper, and refiners won't take them at any price. The recurring claim that end caps are silver-plated is simply false.

Questions

How much gold is in carbon and metal film resistors?

Copper: ~15 g/lb. At current spot that is about $0.16 of contained metal per pound.

How do you identify carbon and metal film resistors?

The shiny end caps are tin-plated steel, not silver , and the film itself is carbon or nichrome measured in nanometres.

How do you remove carbon and metal film resistors safely?

Snip flush and move on. There's no recovery process worth running. Don't burn them — ceramic cores and steel caps give nothing back.

Is carbon and metal film resistors worth more working than as scrap?

Assorted kits sell $8–25 per pound to hobbyists purely on convenience. Vintage carbon composition resistors for tube-amp restoration are the exception at $0.50–2 each.

Related in Other

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