Should I Melt My Gold Scrap?

scrap metal gold from circuit boards

We have talked about the value of scrap electronics, how to sort and separate them, and the different types of boards that are out there. But knowing whether or not to start to refine materials on your own or send them out to be refined is a different issue.

Should you melt your own gold…or just sell it as is?

Gold is and hopefully always will be one of the most common precious metals that are out there and because of that you have to watch out for the price and the recovery time. Most major refiners will need a 10,000 pound minimum on refining products and because of that we do not recommend really holding on to material like that because of many reasons.

  • It takes a long time to accumulate that much weight. Because of that, it is also very difficult to find the room to store that kind of material without risking theft.
  • You get no money while holding the material…and even if you are “losing” money by not refining it you will be able to get money the whole time that you are selling it and can use that money to make more money.

Electronics are a very funny business and you need to make sure that you know what you are doing so you don’t get caught holding too much material or losing money because you held onto things for too long.

E-Scrap is always tricky thing. Some scrap yards are still learning about it and trying to grasp the best understanding of how to recycle it and how much it is worth. When you are looking to scrap your gold and other e-scrap like computer towers, motherboards, and Hard Drives, be sure to separate everything. You can learn a bit more about e-scrap recycling through our YouTube Channel and Facebook Page.

Many scrappers like Moose Scrapper have videos on refine gold from various e-scrap materials and melt the gold down on their own. This process involves various chemicals, specific instructions, and steps, and a lot of material. You can see below that it is a tedious task. If you do decide to melt down your gold and refine it from your circuit boards, we encourage you to take precaution, have the proper safety equipment, and perform it in the proper setting.

Suggested Reading: 6 Safety Items Needed For Scrapping