Average recovery value of a computer

Gold Refining Forum

Help Support Gold Refining Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

kurt

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 15, 2011
Messages
537
Here is some interesting info I ran across a couple years ago when I first started scraping computers for the PMs. I don’t remember where I got it but I think it might have come from the finishers discussion forum as that was one of the first places I found info about recovering PMs from electronics.

One ton (2000 lbs) of "average" circuit board from modern computers and electronics generally yields (in a very good system) between 8 and 11 troy ounces of 24k gold. This gold is found in a number of places, including the plated gold leads referred to earlier, on plated pins inside the connectors and on the board in a number of places and on and within the ic (integrated circuits) on the board itself. In addition, there will generally be around 10 to 20 times this amount in silver from the solder and other components (although depending upon the method of recovery, this yield may not be reached). Some types of electronic board have greater yields of silver and almost no gold; this is generally the board without connector ends and major ics. There are also minute amounts of palladium, platinum and other pgms (mostly in certain capacitors, but also in some chips and connectors). Your highest yields of gold in computer scrap especially are rarely from clipped plated leads, but from the processor/cpu, memory and other ics (which can yield 2 gm/lb or more, depending upon the type and age). Many of the older electronics and early computer equipment will be much much higher in volume, while the newest (97 and newer) I would surmise would be lower, although I have not processed enough to tell you for sure. There are, of course, many other places (like automotive catalytic converters) where you can find precious metals that may be recycled, but the scope of this section seems to be on electronic board/PCB so I will stay on that subject.

So (if the above is true) the average recovery of 1 ton PCBs would be 9.5 OzT Au & 142.5 OzT Ag

At todays market price 9.5 oz Au X 1585.70 = 15,064.15 per ton PCBs & 142.5 oz Ag X 28.38 = 4,044.15 per ton PCBs.

A computer has “on average” 2 lb CB in it (this is ALL boards – mother boards, RAM, Cards & HD/CD/DVD boards) so that is about $15.06 Au & $4.04 Ag per computer

On “average” you also get about $4 in copper aluminum & tin out of a computer (this does not factor in the copper in the CBs – only the copper from the wire)

This makes the average scrape value of a computer about $23. --- that is without factoring in the PGMs &/or copper in the CBs. It would be cool if someone could come up with those numbers as well.

Kurt
 
silversaddle1 said:

So silversadle1 - are you thinking the "average" scrap value per computer is higher or lower.

keep in mind this is based on per ton mixed boards averages using market PM value & local scrap yard price for copper (wire) aluminum (Heat sinks) & tin (cases) & it does not factor in PGMs or CB copper (traces) nor does it factor in other values like nickel or tantalum (of which there is a fair amount)

So actual "value" would be higher - What I am talking about here is an end product gross market value - not an end process net value.

Kurt
 
kurt said:
(in a very good system)
kurt said:
this is ALL boards – mother boards, RAM, Cards & HD/CD/DVD boards

If Kurt is counting every board and component,inside of a vintage computer,then he's pretty close on his figures for gold.A ton of "average" mother boards yield about 6.5 ozt of gold.So he is pretty close.I do not know enough about silver yields to comment on that.
 
i think it depends on the vintage.it is never been disputed older models contain more gold so its reasonable to assume they contain more PM's in general.recently it has been brought up on the forum about cheap MB's from china and japan that have at least half the PM's.eventually these MB's will come to dominate the market because (1) they are cheaper to produce and (2) computers have entered the "use and discard" mentality of society.why try and make a product that is long lived when it will be obsolete before the paint dries.
 
Now that's a trip,I was just thinking about what Dr. Poe
Had said In another post
I'm surprised nobody caught it
3/4 of an oz of gold per computer (wow)
Dr please step by step procedure,
can the average home lab do this
Thanks steyr223
 
No way, not in todays boards. I would be amazed if it reached even half those numbers.
 
steyr223 said:
I'm surprised nobody caught it
3/4 of an oz of gold per computer
I do not have time to find the post,however I am sure he was talking about computers like old mainframes,or something of that nature.
 
mic said:
steyr223 said:
I'm surprised nobody caught it
3/4 of an oz of gold per computer
I do not have time to find the post,however I am sure he was talking about computers like old mainframes,or something of that nature.

I remember reading that post & it was about computer used by large companies & government back before "personal" computers existed

Kurt
 
Thanks Kurt,
Thats what I thought.I know he is a little "out there" but I didn't think he was that far out....lol.
 
That's right guys, those were not pc's, but very old computers like was used to send men to the moon. Actual weight per 3/4 ounce of gold was about 120 pounds of computer scrap which had about 20 pounds of components within stainless steel boxes
which operated with reel to reel memory tapes. They didn't skimp on the gold as most was government funded.
Dr. Poe
 
Dr. Poe said:
Actual weight per 3/4 ounce of gold was about 120 pounds of computer scrap
A friend of mine was telling me that,about an hour from here,there is a "mountain" of computer boards.He said that in the 60's and 70's,no one was interested in recycling pcb scrap,so a gentleman offered to dispose of the material from the space center,for a fee I'm sure. The mound ended up sitting in the same place in the back of the gentlemans property,until he covered it with dirt,thinking that it would decompose over time.My buddy said he doesn't remember exactly where this was,but he knew for a fact what road it was on,and the general area.Since then I have traveled the road countless times,looking for a big mound in the back of someones property.I am positive the material is similar to the material Poe was describing above.
 
Mic that reminds me of story I heard from a guy I used to deal with years ago who was into e scrap from the start, almost. He said that there was a huge amount of plated scrap, boards and components buried and there's now a housing estate built over it...it would be worth millions now as this was way back in the sixties / early seventies :evil:
 
nickvc said:
Mic that reminds me of story I heard from a guy I used to deal with years ago who was into e scrap from the start, almost. He said that there was a huge amount of plated scrap, boards and components buried and there's now a housing estate built over it...it would be worth millions now as this was way back in the sixties / early seventies :evil:

:shock: sounds like property value just went up :lol:
 
mic said:
Dr. Poe said:
Actual weight per 3/4 ounce of gold was about 120 pounds of computer scrap
A friend of mine was telling me that,about an hour from here,there is a "mountain" of computer boards.He said that in the 60's and 70's,no one was interested in recycling pcb scrap,so a gentleman offered to dispose of the material from the space center,for a fee I'm sure. The mound ended up sitting in the same place in the back of the gentlemans property,until he covered it with dirt,thinking that it would decompose over time.My buddy said he doesn't remember exactly where this was,but he knew for a fact what road it was on,and the general area.Since then I have traveled the road countless times,looking for a big mound in the back of someones property.I am positive the material is similar to the material Poe was describing above.

Sounds like an urban legend :lol:
 
Smack said:
Have bobcat and dump truck, will travel.
Lol.....thanks but I have access to all of that.
joem said:
Sounds like an urban legend
Certainly a possibility,however in the last 17-18 years we have owned a company,and most of our customers work for either NASA,or one of it's contractors/sub-contractors.I have heard very similar stories over the years.And this was long before goverment scrap auctions,and very long before the majority of the public,was aware of the value of computer scrap.A dear friend of mine suggested that I use an online mapping agency(google,bing,live..etc), to search for the "mountain".Excellent idea!
 
Back
Top