.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Precious Metals
Gold-Plated Electronic Scrap
Grade: VariousHigh Tier
Circuit boards, connectors with gold plating
Market Price EstimateUpdated Daily
$28,500/ MT
+1650 (6.1%)vs yesterday
Verified specifications & market data
Chemical Composition
Elemental breakdown by percentage weight.
Standard composition limits
Values represent maximum allowed percentage unless otherwise noted.
Physical Properties
Material form, density, and contamination specifications.
Post-consumer/post-industrial e-waste; recycled circuit boards with gold plating (very thin layer; 0.5-2 microns typical); connectors and contact pins gold-plated for conductivity; secondary precious metal recovery stream; established e-waste recycling infrastructure; low individual gold content but high-volume distributed source; environmental and circular economy critical
Acceptable Inclusions
- Gold plating 0.005-0.05% (specifications range)
- Copper base 50-98% (circuit board primary)
- Nickel underplating <10% (barrier layer)
- Tin <15% (solder component)
- Lead solder <3% (legacy electronics acceptable trace)
- Silver <3% (precious metal trace; valuable)
- Palladium <1% (precious trace; ultra-valuable)
- Epoxy substrate <20% (circuit board binder)
- Phosphorus/flame retardant <5% (standard PCB material)
Prohibited Materials
- Gold <0.005% (below plating specification)
- Lead >0.1% (RoHS exceeds; hazmat)
- Cadmium >0.01% (RoHS/hazmat exceeds)
- Mercury >0.001% (RoHS extreme hazmat limit)
- Bromine >2% (flame retardant; environmental concern)
- Unknown hazmat content (RoHS compliance uncertain)
- Leaking batteries or hazardous components (active hazmat)
Quality Assurance
Testing protocols, sampling methods, and acceptance criteria.
Sampling Protocol
frequencyStratified random sampling by board type; age/generation; hazmat assessment ; RoHS verification
maximumQuantity2000+ samples per shipment
minimumQuantity50-200 kg or 500-2000 circuit board samples
percentage15-25% of lot
stratificationSample across board types; computer generations; ages; precious metal content variable; hazmat element variation critical
Acceptance Limits
all Criteria Must PassMaterial have gold plating 0.005-0.05%; RoHS hazmat <limits; copper 50-98%; processing feasible
board TypeIdentifiable circuit board type; gold plating characteristic evident
copper ContentCu 50-98% range confirmed; base metal value established
gold PlatingGold plating 0.005-0.05% confirmed; visible on connector areas
hazmat CompliancePb <0.1%, Cd <0.01%, Hg <0.001%; compliant e-waste
material AuthenticityConfirmed as gold-plated electronics
precious Metal TraceSilver/palladium documented if present; trace components identified
processing FeasibilityMaterial processable within e-waste recycling facility capability; RoHS protocols viable
rohs Weee StatusRoHS/ compliance ; legacy hazmat documented if applicable
Weight Tolerance
measurementVerified by certified scale; weight accountability for e-waste commodity; precious metal weight accuracy for pricing
variance±5% from purchase order weight
Required Test Methods
Visual Inspection & Board Type Classification
CRITICAL
Purpose
- identify board type (computer, mobile, server)
- assess board age/generation
- identify gold plating visually
- assess hazmat risk profile
Acceptance Criteria
- Gold plating visible on contact areas/fingers
- board type identifiable
- generation/age estimated
- obvious hazmat absent
Procedure
- 100% visual inspection
- identify gold color on connector fingers/pins
- classify board type (desktop PCB, smartphone PCBA, server board)
- estimate manufacturing era
- assess for active hazmat (batteries, mercury components)
Board Generation & RoHS Era Assessment
CRITICAL
Purpose
- determine pre-2006 (lead solder risk) vs. modern RoHS-compliant
- assess legacy hazmat potential
Acceptance Criteria
- Board generation determined
- RoHS compliance likelihood assessed
- hazmat risk profile established
Procedure
- Visual assessment of board age
- identify manufacturing date indicators
- estimate era (pre-RoHS 2006 vs. modern)
- solder appearance evaluation
Gold Plating Verification
CRITICAL
Purpose
- verify gold plating present
- quantify plating thickness/coverage
- estimate gold recovery yield
Acceptance Criteria
- Gold plating confirmed 0.005-0.05% range
- plating thickness within specification
- coverage adequate
Procedure
- Visual gold color confirmation on fingers
- XRF surface gold spectrometry
- gold layer thickness estimation
- plating coverage assessment
Precious Metal Trace Detection
Purpose
- detect silver, palladium trace in components/solder
- assess total precious metal value
Acceptance Criteria
- Silver/palladium documented if present
- trace composition quantified
- secondary precious value assessed
Procedure
- XRF spectrometry precious metal detection
- identify silver in solder or specialty components
- palladium trace identification
RoHS Hazmat Screening
CRITICAL
Purpose
- detect lead <0.1%, cadmium <0.01%, mercury <0.001%
- verify RoHS/WEEE compliance
- assess processing hazard and regulatory status
Acceptance Criteria
- Pb <0.1% (RoHS), Cd <0.01% (RoHS), Hg <0.001% (RoHS)
- RoHS/WEEE
- hazmat within occupational tolerance
Copper Content Assessment
Purpose
- Estimate copper content (50-98% range)
- quantify base metal value
- validate commodity basis
Acceptance Criteria
- Copper 50-98% range confirmed
- base metal value established
- commodity specification met
Procedure
- Visual copper trace assessment
- XRF metal quantification
- copper percentage estimation
Solder Type Determination
Purpose
- Identify solder type
- lead-free (modern) vs. leaded (legacy)
- processing and occupational safety implications
Acceptance Criteria
- Solder type identified
- lead content confirmed <0.1% (RoHS or legacy vintage)
- processing protocol determined
Procedure
- Visual solder appearance
- XRF lead quantification
- determine lead-free vs. lead-based
- processing difficulty assessment
ICP-AES Elemental Analysis
Purpose
- Comprehensive elemental profile
- precious metals + hazmat + base metals
- regulatory compliance verification
Acceptance Criteria
- All elements verified
- precious metals documented
- hazmat elements within RoHS tolerance
- no regulatory violations detected