Other · Tier D

LEDs (through-hole and power SMD)

The gold in an LED is one hair-thin bond wire weighing about 20 micrograms. The silver-plated power-LED lead frame is the only metal here even arguably worth a look.

Au 0.02–0.08 g/lbAg 2–7 g/lbCu ~100 g/lb

eBay typical$20–90per lb

Refiner pays$4per lb

Metal in it$15.2per lb at 4 Aug 2026 spot

Confidencelowof the yield figures

How to spot it

Through-hole types are 3 or 5 mm coloured or water-clear epoxy domes with one flat side and a short cathode leg. Power SMD emitters are white ceramic or PPA packages with a yellow phosphor dome and a metal pad underneath, on aluminium-core boards in bulbs and backlights.

Metal content

Metal	Quantity	Notes
Gold	0.02–0.08 g/lb	calculated — a 25 µm × 2 mm gold bond wire is about 20 µg, and modern LEDs increasingly use copper or alloy wire
Silver	2–7 g/lb	Ag-plated Cu lead frames on power LEDs, used for optical reflectivity; thickness unpublished
Copper	~100 g/lb	lead frame and thermal slug

At 4 Aug 2026 spot prices that works out to $15.2 per pound of contained metal — Silver 4 g = $7.60, Gold 0.05 g = $6.53, Copper 100 g = $1.07. A refiner paying $4 returns about 26% of that, which is normal: refining costs money and the buyer takes a margin.

Safe removal

Working temperature: Hot air 250–300 °C; hotplate for MCPCB

Hot air at 250–300 °C releases SMD emitters, but aluminium-core boards need a hotplate underneath or the heat just sinks away. Through-hole LEDs get snipped. There's no mechanical route to the bond wire — only bulk incineration and leaching.

Hazards

☠ Lead — dust more than fume

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

💨 Fumes, ventilation and open flame

NEVER burn boards, wire insulation or plastic. Ever.

🪚 Fibreglass and board dust

NEVER dry-cut boards indoors without extraction.

Before you scrap it

Cree XLamp, Nichia, Lumileds and Osram emitters, plus vintage large-die and rare-colour LEDs, sell $0.20–2 each. Commodity indicator LEDs are worth nothing.

The common trap

There's a persistent myth that LEDs are gold-rich because they contain gold bond wire. A pound of 5 mm LEDs is roughly 1,800 parts holding perhaps 0.04 g of gold in total — well under $10, and the epoxy burn costs more than that in effort.

Questions

How much gold is in leds (through-hole and power smd)?

Gold: 0.02–0.08 g/lb. Silver: 2–7 g/lb. Copper: ~100 g/lb. At current spot that is about $15.2 of contained metal per pound.

How do you identify leds (through-hole and power smd)?

The gold in an LED is one hair-thin bond wire weighing about 20 micrograms. The silver-plated power-LED lead frame is the only metal here even arguably worth a look.

How do you remove leds (through-hole and power smd) safely?

Is leds (through-hole and power smd) worth more working than as scrap?

Cree XLamp, Nichia, Lumileds and Osram emitters, plus vintage large-die and rare-colour LEDs, sell $0.20–2 each. Commodity indicator LEDs are worth nothing.

Related in Other

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