Gold flat packs (military / aerospace)

Flat gold ribbon leads exiting sideways, in the plane of the body — not bent down like a normal chip. Ceramic body, gold lid. A plastic SOIC lookalike with tin gull-wing leads is worthless.

Au 3–10 g/lbAg 1–4 g/lb

eBay typical$400–900per lb

Refiner pays$300per lb

Metal in it$788per lb at 4 Aug 2026 spot

Confidencelowof the yield figures

How to spot it

Thin flat rectangular ceramic packages from avionics, radar, missile and satellite boards. Markings: 883, JAN, S-level, RH rad-hard.

Metal content

Metal	Quantity	Notes
Gold	3–10 g/lb	exceptional fully gold-clad hermetic packs 10–20 g/lb
Silver	1–4 g/lb	braze

At 4 Aug 2026 spot prices that works out to $788 per pound of contained metal — Gold 6 g = $783, Silver 2.5 g = $4.75. A refiner paying $300 returns about 38% of that, which is normal: refining costs money and the buyer takes a margin.

Safe removal

Working temperature: Preheat 250–280 °C

Preheat 250–280 °C and lift with tweezers. Handle gently — the leads are the value and they bend and break.

Hazards

☣ Beryllium oxide (BeO)

NEVER grind, sand, file, saw, drill, abrasive-cut, sandblast, hammer, crush, shred, torch, melt or incinerate anything that might contain BeO. Sell or dispose of suspect parts intact. Broken beryllium parts are worth nothing; your lungs are worth everything.

☠ Lead — dust more than fume

NEVER dry sweep or use compressed air on a scrapping bench. HEPA-vac or wet-wipe only.

Before you scrap it

Often worth far more to the surplus and repair market than to a refiner. Military boards can also carry ITAR export restrictions.

The common trap

The most overstated category in the trade. "Mil flat packs = an ounce per pound" holds only for heavy-plated 1960s–80s stock. Plenty of 'gold' flat packs are 20–50 µin flash and assay under 1 g/lb. Buy by assay, never by photo.

Questions

How much gold is in gold flat packs (military / aerospace)?

Gold: 3–10 g/lb. Silver: 1–4 g/lb. At current spot that is about $788 of contained metal per pound.

How do you identify gold flat packs (military / aerospace)?

Flat gold ribbon leads exiting sideways, in the plane of the body — not bent down like a normal chip. Ceramic body, gold lid. A plastic SOIC lookalike with tin gull-wing leads is worthless.

How do you remove gold flat packs (military / aerospace) safely?

Preheat 250–280 °C and lift with tweezers. Handle gently — the leads are the value and they bend and break.

Is gold flat packs (military / aerospace) worth more working than as scrap?

Often worth far more to the surplus and repair market than to a refiner. Military boards can also carry ITAR export restrictions.

Related in ICs & chips

Ceramic IC — gold lid + gold legs ICs & chips · $500–650/lb Au 3–8 g/lb wholeAg 0.5–3 g/lbBase Kovar S Thick-Film Hybrid Microcircuits ICs & chips · $15–90/lb Au 1.5–4 g/lb packaged; 5–10 g/lb stripped substratesAg 0–15 g/lb on Ag/Pd conductor variantsPd present in Ag/Pd pastes S BGA with gold tab / gold-corner BGA ICs & chips · $60–110/lb Au 1.0–2.0 g/lbAg 0.3–1 g/lb A Ceramic BGA / CCGA ICs & chips · $120–250/lb Au 1–3 g/lbAg 0.5–2 g/lbBase alumina A Ceramic CCD/CIS Image Sensors ICs & chips · $150–400/lb Au 0.02–0.15 g per ceramic package ≈ 1.8 g/lbAu under 0.001 g per mobile/webcam moduleBase Nd-Fe-B in VCM actuators A Ceramic IC — gold legs OR gold lid (not both) ICs & chips · $200–400/lb Au 1.0–2.5 g/lbAg 0.5–2 g/lb A

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