Contacts & relays · Tier C

DIP, Rotary & BCD Switches

Slide the switch open and look at the exposed track — real gold leaves a bright yellow wiped stripe, tin or silver leaves a grey-black smear, and a sealed black-body DIP with tin contacts is worth exactly its plastic.

Au 0.20–0.40 g/lb (DIP); 0.10–0.25 g/lb (rotary)Ag 1.0–2.5 g/lbBase 60–75% plastic/phenolic

eBay typical$10–30per lb

Refiner pays$18per lb

Metal in it$33.8per lb at 4 Aug 2026 spot

Confidencelowof the yield figures

How to spot it

DIP switches are 0.1 in pitch black/red/blue bodies, 1–12 positions, marked CTS 195, Grayhill 76SB or APEM, 0.8–2 g each. Rotary/BCD are round or square with a 0–9/0–F detented shaft or screwdriver slot, 4–12 g, from Grayhill 50D/56/71/94, Digitran or EECO. Found on industrial controllers, test gear, ISA cards, avionics panels, telecom and alarm panels.

Metal content

Metal	Quantity	Notes
Gold	0.20–0.40 g/lb (DIP); 0.10–0.25 g/lb (rotary)	Estimated — no manufacturer publishes DIP contact plating thickness; treat as ±50%
Silver	1.0–2.5 g/lb, rotary only	Grayhill Series 56: silver over nickel rotor, gold over silver on the common ring
Base metal	60–75% plastic/phenolic	Refiners surcharge or reject

At 4 Aug 2026 spot prices that works out to $33.8 per pound of contained metal — Gold 0.25 g = $32.6, Silver 0.6 g = $1.14. A refiner paying $18 returns about 53% of that, which is normal: refining costs money and the buyer takes a margin.

Safe removal

Working temperature: Hot air 300–330 °C or solder pot 250–260 °C

Desolder in bulk with hot air at 300–330 °C or a solder pot at 250–260 °C and a quick shake. For gold-only recovery crack the DIP body in a vice and pick the contact combs — the plastic carries no value. Rotary switches: unscrew the panel nut and unsolder the terminal lugs.

Hazards

☠ Lead — dust more than fume

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

🧱 Asbestos

NEVER cut, drill, sand, tear or blow out suspect material with compressed air.

💨 Fumes, ventilation and open flame

NEVER burn boards, wire insulation or plastic. Ever.

Before you scrap it

Yes, and it is the correct play for rotary. Grayhill/Digitran/EECO rotary and BCD switches are obsolete and in demand at $8–45/pc against ~$0.40 of metal — 20–100×. DIP switches are commodity at ~$0.30/pc and barely worth listing except in graded 100-packs.

The common trap

The gold contacts claim on a datasheet refers to a ~0.05 cm² wiped patch, not the pins. People desolder buckets of DIP switches assuming they behave like gold pins; they behave like plastic with a rumour of gold. Gold thickness here is inferred, not sourced — treat the yield as ±50%.

Questions

How much gold is in dip, rotary & bcd switches?

Gold: 0.20–0.40 g/lb (DIP); 0.10–0.25 g/lb (rotary). Silver: 1.0–2.5 g/lb, rotary only. At current spot that is about $33.8 of contained metal per pound.

How do you identify dip, rotary & bcd switches?

Slide the switch open and look at the exposed track — real gold leaves a bright yellow wiped stripe , tin or silver leaves a grey-black smear, and a sealed black-body DIP with tin contacts is worth exactly its plastic.

How do you remove dip, rotary & bcd switches safely?

Is dip, rotary & bcd switches worth more working than as scrap?

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