MICROSCRAPPINGE-waste field guide

Contacts & relays

20 components in this category. The highest-value item here is Pogo Pins & Spring-Loaded Test Probes at $200–500 per pound.

Pogo Pins & Spring-Loaded Test Probes Contacts & relays · $200–500/lb Au 1.4–3.0 g/lbCu ~330 g/lbBase steel springs S Silver contacts (switches, breakers, contactors) Contacts & relays · $400–550/lb Ag 180–400 g/lb of clean cut contacts S Silver-Graphite Brushes & Slip Rings Contacts & relays · $150–400/lb Ag 40–95% by weightCu pigtail + commutator segmentsBase electrographite 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 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 Card sockets — PCMCIA, CF, SD, SIM Contacts & relays · $60–250/lb Au 0.8–2.5 g/lbCu ~150 g/lb B Machined-pin DIP sockets (gold barrel) Contacts & relays · $120–300/lb Au 1.0–2.4 g/lbCu ~250 g/lb B Relays Contacts & relays · $3–10/lb Ag 2–20 g/lb of whole relayAu trace B Thermostats, Snap Discs & Limit Switches Contacts & relays · $25–120/lb Ag 0.4–1.6 g/lb as whole discs; 408–431 g/lb as harvested contactsBase bimetal steel discBase Hg ~3–4 g per bulb thermostat ampoule B 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 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 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 Reed Switches & Reed Relays Contacts & relays · $5–20/lb Base Ru ~50–80 µg per switchBase Rh ~0.2–0.5 mg per switchCu ~40 g/lb D RJ45 Jacks with Integrated Magnetics Contacts & relays · $8–20/lb Au 0.02–0.07 g/lbCu ~57 g/lbBase ferrite 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 Terminal blocks and screw terminals Contacts & relays · $15–50/lb Cu 110–200 g/lb 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

How this category is graded

Tier S is top material worth sorting out and keeping separate. Tier A is high value and worth the labour to harvest. Tier B is solid in volume. Tier C only pays at scale or as part of the board it sits on. Tier D is near zero — knowing what not to spend time on is half the skill.

All 128 components →