MICROSCRAPPINGE-waste field guide

Gold in electronic waste

90 components in this guide contain gold. Spot price as of 4 Aug 2026: $4,060 per troy ounce ($131 per gram).

Richest sources by weight

ComponentGold per lbValue per lbTier
Precious-Metal Sputtering Targets454 g$59,261S
Gold flat packs (military / aerospace)6 g$783S
Ceramic IC — gold lid + gold legs5 g$653S
Ceramic CPU — gold lid + gold pins2.7 g$352S
Pentium Pro2.6 g$339S
Gold fingers (trimmed)2.5 g$326S
Thick-Film Hybrid Microcircuits2.5 g$326S
SIM & smart chip cards2.5 g$326C
Pogo Pins & Spring-Loaded Test Probes2 g$261S
Ceramic BGA / CCGA2 g$261A
Ceramic CCD/CIS Image Sensors1.8 g$235A
Ceramic IC — gold legs OR gold lid (not both)1.7 g$222A

These are yields per pound of that material, not per pound of whatever it came out of. That distinction is the single most common source of inflated figures online.

Everything containing gold

486DX Ceramic CPU — gold lid + gold pins Processors · $500–650/lb Au 2.0–3.5 g/lbAg 0.5–2 g/lbBase Kovar S M38510 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 fingers (trimmed) Connectors & pins · $225–290/lb Au 2.0–3.0 g/lbBase Cu S Gold flat packs (military / aerospace) ICs & chips · $400–900/lb Au 3–10 g/lbAg 1–4 g/lb S Laboratory Platinum Ware Other · $20000–32000/lb Pt ~454 g/lb — it is solid metalAu 5% in Pt-5%Au XRF fusion cruciblesBase Rh 5–10% in Pt-Rh crucibles S PENTIUM PRO Pentium Pro Processors · $500–700/lb Au 0.25–0.45 g eachAg trace S Pogo Pins & Spring-Loaded Test Probes Contacts & relays · $200–500/lb Au 1.4–3.0 g/lbCu ~330 g/lbBase steel springs S Precious-Metal Sputtering Targets Other · $32000–50000/lb Au ~454 g/lb — the target is solid metalPt 138 g in a 2 in × 0.125 in discPd 77 g in a 2 in × 0.125 in disc 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 Aerospace Connectors & Backshells Contacts & relays · $25–70/lb Au 0.3–0.8 g/lb complete; ~3.6 g/lb de-populated contactsCu ~80 g/lbBase Backshells: ~0 g Au/lb A 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 Cell phone boards Boards · $25–40/lb Au 0.09–0.50 g/lbAg 0.23–1.26 g/lbPd 0.025–0.07 g/lbCu 12–56% 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 Ceramic CPU — no gold lid (black top) Processors · $130–250/lb Au 1.0–1.8 g/lbAg 0.3–1 g/lb A Ceramic IC — gold legs OR gold lid (not both) ICs & chips · $200–400/lb Au 1.0–2.5 g/lbAg 0.5–2 g/lb A Fiber transceivers (SFP/GBIC/QSFP) ⚠ Other · $10–25/lb Au 0.5–1.5 g/lb (whole modules)Ag trace A Gold-fingered RAM Connectors & pins · $55–76/lb Au 0.3–0.6 g/lbAg 0.5–2 g/lbPd 0.01–0.05 g/lb A Gold-plated connectors Connectors & pins · $113–136/lb Au 0.3–1.0 g/lb wholeBase brass A Gold-plated pins Connectors & pins · $180–280/lb Au 0.7–1.5 g/lb mixedBase brass A IC Test, Burn-In & ZIF Sockets Contacts & relays · $15–60/lb Au 0.5–2 g/lb complete; 3–8 g/lb de-populated contactsCu ~60 g/lbPd Pd-Ni with gold flash on high-cycle sockets A Mil Circular Connectors (D38999/MS) Contacts & relays · $25–60/lb Au 0.20–0.50 g/lb whole; 2.5–4.0 g/lb de-pinned contactsCu ~80 g/lbBase 70–85% Al 6061-T6 shell A ☣ RF power transistors ☣ RF, power & vintage · $60–200/lb Au 0.5–2 g/lbBase Kovar A Telecom / military boards Boards · $11–35/lb Au 0.3–4 g/lbAg 1–8 g/lbPd 0.02–0.3 g/lbCu 15–25% A Telecom backplanes Boards · $10–18/lb Au 1–3 g/lb wholeAg 0.5–2 g/lbCu 20–30% A AMD ceramic with aluminium top (K6) Processors · $80–150/lb Au 0.7–1.2 g/lbBase Al plate B Card sockets — PCMCIA, CF, SD, SIM Contacts & relays · $60–250/lb Au 0.8–2.5 g/lbCu ~150 g/lb B Gold-plated hermetic transistors (TO-3/TO-5/TO-18) RF, power & vintage · $40–120/lb Au 0.5–2 g/lbBase Kovar B Gold-plated SMD (SAW filters, RF modules, shields) ICs & chips · $40–90/lb Au 0.5–1.5 g/lbAg 0.2–1 g/lb B Hard drive PCBs Drives & media · $15–45/lb Au 0.3–0.8 g/lbAg 0.5–2 g/lbCu 15–25% B IBM Multi-Chip / Thermal Conduction Modules Processors · $36–115/lb Au 1–5 g per module ≈ 0.3–0.7 g/lbCu ~48 g/lbBase Mo internal wiring B Laptop motherboards Boards · $10–18/lb Au 0.20–0.50 g/lbAg 1–3 g/lbPd 0.02–0.08 g/lbCu 15–25% B Machined-pin DIP sockets (gold barrel) Contacts & relays · $120–300/lb Au 1.0–2.4 g/lbCu ~250 g/lb B Plastic CPU with gold pins (P4, Athlon, S370/462/478) Processors · $30–90/lb Au 0.5–1.0 g/lbAg trace–0.3 g/lbCu IHS on P4 B Plastic ICs — pre-2010 (gold bond wire) ICs & chips · $25–45/lb Au 0.5–0.7 g/lbAg 0.2–1 g/lbPd trace–0.1 g/lb B Relays Contacts & relays · $3–10/lb Ag 2–20 g/lb of whole relayAu trace B RF Coaxial Connectors (SMA/N/BNC/TNC) Connectors & pins · $15–35/lb Au 0.10–0.40 g/lb (SMA); 0.01–0.05 g/lb (N/BNC)Cu ~190 g/lbAg trace B Server motherboards Boards · $9–16/lb Au 0.05–0.3 g/lbAg 1–3 g/lbPd 0.02–0.10 g/lbCu 15–25% B Slot 1 / Slot A cartridge CPU Processors · $60–120/lb Au 0.3–0.75 g/lb wholeAg trace–0.5 g/lb B Wire-wrap / pin boards Boards · $20–35/lb Au 0.6–1.5 g/lbAg 0.5–2 g/lbCu 20–30% B ECU ABS, transmission & body control modules Automotive · $3–8/lb Au 0.010–0.030 g per moduleAg 0.2–1.5 g in BCM relay contactsCu 40–120 g in the ABS pump motorBase 1.5–3 lb aluminium hydraulic block C ECU Airbag control module (ACM/SDM/RCM) Automotive · $2–6/lb Au 0.010–0.030 g per unitAg 0.05–0.2 g per unit C Arcade PCBs / JAMMA Boards Boards · $30–800/lb Au 0.05–0.20 g per board ≈ 0.09 g/lbCu ~45 g/lbAu ceramic gold-lid customs (FD1094 C Automotive wiring harness Automotive · $1.5–3/lb Cu 48–52% recovery stripped; ~35% as-pulledAu under 0.1 g per whole vehicle C Backup batteries & Dallas RTC modules ☠ ICs & chips · $50–800/lb Cu ~40 g/lbAu <0.1 g/lb C Beryllium copper contacts ☣ Contacts & relays · $6–15/lb Au 0.5–1.5 g/lb when platedCu ~98% C Card-Edge Receptacles & Sockets Contacts & relays · $20–60/lb Au 0.15–0.50 g/lb for genuine gold-contact socketsCu ~130 g/lbBase 55–70% PBT/LCP/nylon C CPU socket (ZIF PGA / LGA) Connectors & pins · $15–35/lb Au 0.10–0.30 g/lb wholeBase phosphor bronze C 10.000 Crystal oscillators & OCXO modules ICs & chips · $15–40/lb Au 0.1–0.5 g/lb (modules)Ag 0.5–3 g/lb C DC-DC converter bricks & isolation modules Other · $40–400/lb Au 0.08–0.3 g/lbAg 1–4 g/lbCu ~90 g/lb C Desktop motherboards Boards · $5–12/lb Au 0.02–0.15 g/lbAg 0.6–2 g/lbPd 0.01–0.05 g/lbCu 15–20% C DIP, Rotary & BCD Switches Contacts & relays · $10–30/lb 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 C ECU ECU / engine control module Automotive · $3–8/lb Au 0.11 g/lb of bare boardAg 0.45 g/lbPd 0.05 g/lbCu ~20% of board mass C Enterprise Switches, Line Cards & Optics Boards · $3–200/lb Au 0.15–0.6 g per large line card ≈ 0.075 g/lbCu ~70 g/lbBase chassis backplane C EV / hybrid battery management boards Automotive · $5–15/lb Au 0.01–0.05 g per master boardAg ~0.1 g per master boardCu 10–50 g busbar traces per cell-tap board C Gold-fingered cards (untrimmed) Boards · $10–20/lb Au 0.2–0.5 g/lbAg 0.5–2 g/lbCu 15–25% C Graphics cards ⚠ Boards · $8–14/lb Au 0.20–0.50 g/lbAg 0.5–2 g/lbCu 15–25% C HDD head arms & actuator assemblies Drives & media · $15–40/lb Au 0.1–0.3 g/lbNd NdFeB magnetsCu voice coil C HV Hybrid / EV traction inverter ⚡ Automotive · $8–20/lb Cu 3–8 kg per inverterAg 0.5–3 g sinter per power stageAu 0.02–0.08 g on gate-driver boardsBase 5–15 kg aluminium housing C Industrial Control Boards (PLC/DCS/SCADA) Boards · $3–12/lb Au 0.05–0.20 g/lb typical I/O; 0.25–0.60 g/lb CPU and backplanes; 0.6–1.5 g/lb 1970s–80s ceramic-DIP DCSAg 1–8 g per relay moduleCu ~113 g/lb C NAV Instrument clusters & head units Automotive · $3–12/lb Au 0.008–0.100 g per unitAg 0.2–0.6 g in a premium head unitPd 0.02–0.06 g in a premium head unitCu 20–500 g C Klystrons & Travelling-Wave Tubes RF, power & vintage · $3–40/lb Cu ~250 g/lb (0.35–0.75 lb Cu per lb of tube)Au ~0.5–4 g per tubeAg 2–30 g per tube C i7 Modern lidded CPU (LGA775+, Core i, Ryzen) Processors · $11–24/lb Au 0.10–0.30 g/lbCu 15–25 g per chip C Peripheral & network cards Boards · $8–15/lb Au 0.20–0.50 g/lbAg 0.5–1.5 g/lbCu 15–25% C Semiconductor Wafers & Fab Tooling Other · $20–200/lb Au 0.0045 g/lb generic research-fab wafer scrapAu 7.4 g/lb for 1 µm gold-backed wafersBase quartz and SiC boats: zero metal C SIM & smart chip cards Other · $150–280/lb Au 1.4–3.6 g/lb of punched modules C Vacuum tubes RF, power & vintage · $5–20/lb Au 0.1–0.5 g/lb (gold-pin types)Ag traceBase nickel plates C D2S Xenon HID ballasts & LED drivers Automotive · $2–6/lb Au 0.003–0.015 g per ballastCu 30–90 g in the HV transformer and inductorsAg trace in thick-film and solder C Bridge rectifiers and power diodes Other · $20–80/lb Cu 140–240 g/lbAg 0.5–2 g/lbAu ~0.02 g/lb D Console Game Cartridges Boards · $10–150/lb Au 0.003–0.015 g per cartridge ≈ 0.04 g/lb wholeAu 0.6–0.9 g/lb of trimmed fingersCu negligible D Gold-Plated Flex Circuits (FFC/FPC/ZIF) Contacts & relays · $10–40/lb Au 0.05–0.15 g/lb of cableCu ~100 g/lbBase 60–80% polyimide/PET + acrylic D Laser Printer Boards, Fusers & Toner Chips Boards · $10–60/lb Au 0.01–0.04 g per formatter board ≈ 0.045 g/lbAu 0.0005–0.002 g per toner CRUM chip ≈ 0.3–0.8 g/lb of chipsBase Fuser: no precious metal whatsoever D LCD Panels (ITO / CCFL vs LED) Other · $0–8/lb Base Indium ~0.4–0.8 g/m² of ITO layerAu 0.01–0.08 g per panel in COF tape bumpsCu ~17 g/lb D LEDs (through-hole and power SMD) Other · $20–90/lb Au 0.02–0.08 g/lbAg 2–7 g/lbCu ~100 g/lb D Low-grade boards (PSU, TV, modem, appliance) Boards · $2–4/lb Au 0.005–0.05 g/lbAg 0.2–0.8 g/lbCu 8–15% D MAF, MAP, knock, crank & cam sensors Automotive · $1–4/lb Pt 0.5–2 mg per hot-wire MAFAu 0.003–0.010 g per MAF boardAg 10–40 mg thick-film paste on MAP hybridsNd magnets in Hall-type crank/cam sensors D Optical Drives & Laser Pickups Drives & media · $3–60/lb Au 0.01–0.03 g per drive ≈ 0.011 g/lbCu ~16 g/lbBase Al 200–400 g D Optocouplers / optoisolators ICs & chips · $40–200/lb Au 0.1–0.35 g/lbAg 2–5 g/lbCu ~120 g/lb D Photomultiplier Tubes (PMTs) Other · $150–900/lb Ag 0.1–2 g per tubeAu 0–20 mg per tubeBase BeCu dynodes with an activated BeO surface D Power supplies Other · $1–2/lb Au 0.005–0.03 g/lbCu 30–60 g per transformerAg in the relay D Ribbon cable & IDC connectors Connectors & pins · $2–6/lb Au 0.3–0.8 g/lb (heads only)Cu 15–25% in the cable D RJ45 Jacks with Integrated Magnetics Contacts & relays · $8–20/lb Au 0.02–0.07 g/lbCu ~57 g/lbBase ferrite D Set-top / cable boxes Boards · $1–3/lb Au 0.03–0.10 g/lbAg 0.3–1 g/lbCu 10–15% D Tactile switches and metal dome contacts Contacts & relays · $20–70/lb Au 0.05–0.4 g/lbAg 1–3 g/lbCu ~60 g/lb D Tape Drives & Libraries (LTO/DLT/DAT) Drives & media · $5–500/lb Au 0.05–0.20 g per LTO drive ≈ 0.03 g/lbCu ~10 g/lbBase 0.7–1.8 kg aluminium per full-height drive D Thermal Printheads Other · $200–900/lb Au 0.002–0.02 g per head ≈ 0.06 g/lbBase Ru as RuO2 glazeBase alumina substrate + Al heatsink bar D Trimmer Potentiometers (Cermet) Contacts & relays · $5–15/lb Au <0.15 g/lbBase Ru ~0.05–0.20 mg per unitPd <0.5 mg per unit D USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, RJ45 & audio jacks Contacts & relays · $15–60/lb Au 0.1–0.5 g/lbCu ~80 g/lb D Vintage Home Computers & Boards Boards · $80–350/lb Au 0.05–0.20 g per C64 board; 0.1–0.4 g per Apple II boardAu gold-lid ceramic DIPs at $150–400/lbCu ~40 g/lb D Whole hard drives Drives & media · $2–5/lb Au 0.05–0.15 g/lbNd magnetsBase aluminium casting D