Drawn to true relative scale — the variants above are directly size-comparable.
IC Test, Burn-In & ZIF Sockets
Bend a contact under a loupe — real functional gold stays buttery yellow on the flexed radius; 5–10 µin flash cracks and shows white nickel underneath, and is worth about a fifth as much.
How to spot it
Black, tan or green high-temp thermoplastic body (PPS, PEEK, PEI — burn-in sockets are always dark glass-filled resins because they cycle at 125–150 °C) with a spring lid or clamshell and a yellow contact array. ZIF DIP sockets are green or beige with a silver lever arm, often 3M/Textool marked. Markings give pitch and package: QFP64-0.8, BGA256-1.0, TSOP48, OTQ-64-0.8-01. Sizes 15–90 mm square; found in ATE handler tooling, burn-in ovens, ICT fixtures and programmer adapters.
Metal content
| Metal | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | 0.5–2 g/lb complete; 3–8 g/lb de-populated contacts | 30–50 µin over Ni; plastic body is 70–85% of mass. A 208-pin QFP burn-in socket holds ~90 mg |
| Copper | ~60 g/lb | BeCu and phosphor bronze contact springs |
| Palladium | Pd-Ni with gold flash on high-cycle sockets | Assays far lower on gold than expected; most small refiners will not pay for the Pd |
At 4 Aug 2026 spot prices that works out to $157 per pound of contained metal — Gold 1.2 g = $157, Copper 60 g = $0.64. A refiner paying $140 returns about 89% of that, which is normal: refining costs money and the buyer takes a margin.
Safe removal
Working temperature: Hot air 300 °C for solder tails
Do not incinerate whole — PPS and PEEK release sulphur and fluorine species. Disassemble mechanically: remove lid screws and lift the contact frame, or crush the body in a vice and sieve. For bulk, freeze in dry ice or LN2 and crush the polymer, then density-separate. Hot air at 300 °C softens solder tails on board-mounted parts.
Hazards
NEVER put BeCu in a grinder, a sandblaster, or a melt.
NEVER burn boards, wire insulation or plastic. Ever.
NEVER dry sweep or use compressed air on a scrapping bench. HEPA-vac or wet-wipe only.
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.
Before you scrap it
The common trap
Questions
How much gold is in ic test, burn-in & zif sockets?
Gold: 0.5–2 g/lb complete; 3–8 g/lb de-populated contacts. Copper: ~60 g/lb. Palladium: Pd-Ni with gold flash on high-cycle sockets. At current spot that is about $157 of contained metal per pound.
How do you identify ic test, burn-in & zif sockets?
Bend a contact under a loupe — real functional gold stays buttery yellow on the flexed radius ; 5–10 µin flash cracks and shows white nickel underneath, and is worth about a fifth as much.
How do you remove ic test, burn-in & zif sockets safely?
Do not incinerate whole — PPS and PEEK release sulphur and fluorine species. Disassemble mechanically: remove lid screws and lift the contact frame, or crush the body in a vice and sieve. For bulk, freeze in dry ice or LN2 and crush the polymer, then density-separate. Hot air at 300 °C softens solder tails on board-mounted parts.
Is ic test, burn-in & zif sockets worth more working than as scrap?
Enormous — 20–100×, the strongest sell-intact case after PLC modules. A current-generation BGA or QFN burn-in socket that scraps for $1–3 sells used for $25–200 and new for $150–800. Only scrap obsolete DIP/PLCC/PGA sockets with no live demand.
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