Capacitors · Tier C

Silver mica capacitors

Silver mica means silver film on mica, not silver foil. The metal is microns thick and the mica and epoxy carry over 90% of the weight.

Ag 10–20 g/lbCu ~60 g/lb

eBay typical$80–500per lb

Refiner pays$12per lb

Metal in it$27.2per lb at 4 Aug 2026 spot

Confidencelowof the yield figures

How to spot it

Small rectangular dipped bodies — beige, tan, red or dark brown epoxy — flat and slab-like rather than round, with two stiff leads. Military CM/CMR types come in silver-grey rectangular metal cases. Look for Cornell-Dubilier, Sangamo, El-Menco and Arco marks. Found in RF stages, oscillators, filters, tube gear and old test equipment.

Metal content

Metal	Quantity	Notes
Silver	10–20 g/lb	calculated — the silver is a vapour-deposited film on stacked mica, not foil; no published assay
Copper	~60 g/lb	tinned copper leads

At 4 Aug 2026 spot prices that works out to $27.2 per pound of contained metal — Silver 14 g = $26.6, Copper 60 g = $0.64. A refiner paying $12 returns about 44% of that, which is normal: refining costs money and the buyer takes a margin.

Safe removal

Working temperature: Snip leads; burn 400–500 °C

Snip the leads flush and keep the bodies whole — desoldering wastes more time than the lead copper is worth. Processing means cracking or low-temperature burning off the epoxy and leaching the exposed silver in dilute nitric. Wet the ash before handling; mica flakes irritate the lungs.

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

This is the right answer for silver micas. NOS and pulled parts sell $0.50–3 each to tube-audio and vintage-radio restorers; a sorted pound routinely beats $200 — an order of magnitude over the silver.

The common trap

People hear "silver" and picture bullion. A pound is 500–800 tiny caps yielding maybe $25–35 of silver, minus burn, acid and time.

Questions

How much gold is in silver mica capacitors?

Silver: 10–20 g/lb. Copper: ~60 g/lb. At current spot that is about $27.2 of contained metal per pound.

How do you identify silver mica capacitors?

Silver mica means silver film on mica, not silver foil. The metal is microns thick and the mica and epoxy carry over 90% of the weight.

How do you remove silver mica capacitors safely?

Is silver mica capacitors worth more working than as scrap?

This is the right answer for silver micas. NOS and pulled parts sell $0.50–3 each to tube-audio and vintage-radio restorers; a sorted pound routinely beats $200 — an order of magnitude over the silver.

Related in Capacitors

MLCC — palladium-bearing (PME, pre-2000) Capacitors · $100–170/lb Pd 2.3–9 g/lbAg 4.5–23 g/lbBase Ni S Tantalum capacitors Capacitors · $18–85/lb Ta 30–40 wt% of the capAg 1–3% in some B Ceramic disc capacitors Capacitors · $20–70/lb Ag 4–10 g/lbPd 0.05–0.3 g/lb C MLCC — modern nickel (BME, post-2005) Capacitors · $20–55/lb Pd 0.2–0.7 g/lbAg 1.4–2.7 g/lbBase Ni 5–20% C Aluminium electrolytic capacitors Capacitors · $0.3–1/lb Base aluminium can D Film capacitors (polyester / polypropylene) Capacitors · $10–40/lb Cu ~20 g/lb D

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