Other · Tier D

CPU heat spreaders & heatsinks

Sell as plated or #2 copper. Clean copper heatsink $4.25/lb, aluminium-and-copper $1.20/lb, plain aluminium $0.35/lb — separate them, the spread is 12×.

Cu 85–99% on copper IHSBase Ni plating

eBay typical$3–5per lb

Refiner pays$4.25per lb

Metal in it$4.28per lb at 4 Aug 2026 spot

Confidencehighof the yield figures

How to spot it

Nickel-plated copper lid on a CPU, or a finned cooler.

Metal content

Metal	Quantity	Notes
Copper	85–99% on copper IHS	15–25 g per desktop lid
Base metal	Ni plating, or Cu-W / AlSiC variants

At 4 Aug 2026 spot prices that works out to $4.28 per pound of contained metal — Copper 400 g = $4.28. A refiner paying $4.25 returns about 99% of that, which is normal: refining costs money and the buyer takes a margin.

Safe removal

Working temperature: Cold

Razor blade in a vice, or a lid-removal jig, for IHS. Coolers just unclip.

The common trap

Listed as "gold plated" because of indium or solder TIM residue. There is no gold. Their real significance is that IHS mass is what destroys per-pound yields on lidded-CPU lots.

Questions

How much gold is in cpu heat spreaders & heatsinks?

Copper: 85–99% on copper IHS. At current spot that is about $4.28 of contained metal per pound.

How do you identify cpu heat spreaders & heatsinks?

Sell as plated or #2 copper. Clean copper heatsink $4.25/lb, aluminium-and-copper $1.20/lb, plain aluminium $0.35/lb — separate them, the spread is 12×.

How do you remove cpu heat spreaders & heatsinks safely?

Razor blade in a vice, or a lid-removal jig, for IHS. Coolers just unclip.

Related in Other

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 Noble Thermocouple Wire (Type R/S/B) Other · $18000–31000/lb Pt ~410 g per lb of bare noble wireBase Rh 6–30% of one legBase Type K/J/T/E/N: zero PGM 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 Silver-Oxide Button Cells Other · $40–120/lb Ag ~30–35% by weight ≈ 150 g/lbBase Zn anode ~25%Base LR/AG alkaline S Sterling & Silver-Plated Flatware Other · $700–2000/lb Ag 92.5% ≈ 420 g/lb sterlingAg hollow-handle knives: only 8–20 g per pieceAg silver plate: ~0.1–0.5 g per teaspoon S Fiber transceivers (SFP/GBIC/QSFP) ⚠ Other · $10–25/lb Au 0.5–1.5 g/lb (whole modules)Ag trace A

Get this offline → The full guide runs in your browser with no signal, and you can add your own photos.