Crystal oscillators & OCXO modules

Gold-coloured lid + white ceramic body = worth pulling. Plain silver steel can with just a frequency stamped on it = leave it.

Au 0.1–0.5 g/lb (modules)Ag 0.5–3 g/lb

eBay typical$15–40per lb

Refiner pays$10per lb

Metal in it$42.0per lb at 4 Aug 2026 spot

Confidencelowof the yield figures

How to spot it

Two very different things. Bare resonators (HC-49 oblong nickel-plated steel cans, or tiny SMD metal-lidded rectangles) stamped with a frequency — near worthless. Oscillator modules (XO/VCXO/TCXO/OCXO) in DIP-14-footprint or SMD packages, often white ceramic with a gold lid and a longer part number — these are the ones. OCXOs from telecom and test gear are best.

Metal content

Metal	Quantity	Notes
Gold	0.1–0.5 g/lb (modules)	gold lid + pads + internal IC
Silver	0.5–3 g/lb	electrode film, 1–10 mg per crystal

At 4 Aug 2026 spot prices that works out to $42.0 per pound of contained metal — Gold 0.3 g = $39.2, Silver 1.5 g = $2.85. A refiner paying $10 returns about 24% of that, which is normal: refining costs money and the buyer takes a margin.

Safe removal

Working temperature: Hot air 350 °C

Hot air 350 °C, or preheat and pull. Through-hole DIP oscillators: preheat the board and pull with pliers.

Hazards

☠ Lead — dust more than fume

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

Before you scrap it

Rubidium standards and high-stability OCXOs sell to hobbyists for real money.

The common trap

The 'silver from crystal oscillators' genre wildly overstates it — electrode films are a few hundred nanometres, and many are aluminium, not silver. The can is nickel-plated steel.

Questions

How much gold is in crystal oscillators & ocxo modules?

Gold: 0.1–0.5 g/lb (modules). Silver: 0.5–3 g/lb. At current spot that is about $42.0 of contained metal per pound.

How do you identify crystal oscillators & ocxo modules?

Gold-coloured lid + white ceramic body = worth pulling. Plain silver steel can with just a frequency stamped on it = leave it.

How do you remove crystal oscillators & ocxo modules safely?

Hot air 350 °C, or preheat and pull. Through-hole DIP oscillators: preheat the board and pull with pliers.

Is crystal oscillators & ocxo modules worth more working than as scrap?

Rubidium standards and high-stability OCXOs sell to hobbyists for real money.

Related in ICs & chips

Ceramic IC — gold lid + gold legs ICs & chips · $500–650/lb Au 3–8 g/lb wholeAg 0.5–3 g/lbBase Kovar S Gold flat packs (military / aerospace) ICs & chips · $400–900/lb Au 3–10 g/lbAg 1–4 g/lb S Thick-Film Hybrid Microcircuits ICs & chips · $15–90/lb Au 1.5–4 g/lb packaged; 5–10 g/lb stripped substratesAg 0–15 g/lb on Ag/Pd conductor variantsPd present in Ag/Pd pastes S BGA with gold tab / gold-corner BGA ICs & chips · $60–110/lb Au 1.0–2.0 g/lbAg 0.3–1 g/lb A Ceramic BGA / CCGA ICs & chips · $120–250/lb Au 1–3 g/lbAg 0.5–2 g/lbBase alumina A Ceramic CCD/CIS Image Sensors ICs & chips · $150–400/lb Au 0.02–0.15 g per ceramic package ≈ 1.8 g/lbAu under 0.001 g per mobile/webcam moduleBase Nd-Fe-B in VCM actuators A

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