Drawn to true relative scale — the variants above are directly size-comparable.
Silver-Oxide Button Cells
Read the number, not the letter: SR or an ANSI number in the 300s is silver; LR, AG or an 1100s number is alkaline and worthless. The AG13 marking that looks like a silver symbol is the alkaline code.
How to spot it
5–12 mm diameter, 1.5–5.4 mm tall stainless discs at 1.55 V nominal. Silver: SR44, SR43, SR41, SR927SW, SR626SW, SR920SW and ANSI 357, 364, 371, 377, 379, 386, 392, 395, usually with an SW or W suffix, from Energizer, Renata, Maxell, Sony, Seiko or Varta. Not silver: LR44/AG13/A76, 357A (alkaline despite the number), CR2032/CR1616 lithium at 3 V, PR44/PR48 zinc-air with a coloured tab over air holes, and MR9/PX625 mercury cells. Found in quartz watches, hearing aids, calipers, glucose meters and cameras.
Metal content
| Metal | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Silver | ~30–35% by weight ≈ 150 g/lb | Derived electrochemically: SR44 at 190 mAh / 2.3 g gives 0.77 g Ag = 33%; SR626SW gives 34%. The forum claim of 40% is ~20% high |
| Base metal | Zn anode ~25%, steel can, KOH | Pre-1996 cells contain up to 1% Hg as a gassing inhibitor |
| Base metal | LR/AG alkaline, PR zinc-air, CR lithium: zero silver | Mercuric-oxide MR cells are 30–50% Hg — pure liability |
At 4 Aug 2026 spot prices that works out to $285 per pound of contained metal — Silver 150 g = $285. A refiner paying $110 returns about 39% of that, which is normal: refining costs money and the buyer takes a margin.
Safe removal
Working temperature: No heat — never incinerate or crush
Sorting is the entire job. Work over a magnetic tray, sort by printed designation first, then verify with a 0.01 g jeweller's scale (SR44 ≈ 2.3 g vs LR44 ≈ 1.9–2.0 g) and open-circuit voltage — silver-oxide sits flat at 1.55–1.60 V, alkaline sags from 1.5 V, lithium reads 3.0 V. Do not open cells; sell them whole and store sorted lots in non-conductive containers.
Hazards
NEVER vacuum a mercury spill — it aerosolises it. Use a mercury spill kit or sulphur powder, or call your local hazmat line.
A standard ABC extinguisher will NOT stop a runaway lithium cell. Don't count on one.
The practical answer for nearly everyone: sort, concentrate, and sell to a licensed refiner. A good refiner recovers 85–98%, assays rather than guesses, pays on the assay, and takes the waste liability. Your edge as a scrapper is identification and sorting — not chemistry.
NEVER grind, burn, torch or braze cadmium-plated or AgCdO material, and don't inhale the black contact dust.
The common trap
Questions
How much gold is in silver-oxide button cells?
Silver: ~30–35% by weight ≈ 150 g/lb. At current spot that is about $285 of contained metal per pound.
How do you identify silver-oxide button cells?
Read the number, not the letter: SR or an ANSI number in the 300s is silver; LR, AG or an 1100s number is alkaline and worthless. The AG13 marking that looks like a silver symbol is the alkaline code.
How do you remove silver-oxide button cells safely?
Sorting is the entire job. Work over a magnetic tray, sort by printed designation first, then verify with a 0.01 g jeweller's scale (SR44 ≈ 2.3 g vs LR44 ≈ 1.9–2.0 g) and open-circuit voltage — silver-oxide sits flat at 1.55–1.60 V, alkaline sags from 1.5 V, lithium reads 3.0 V. Do not open cells; sell them whole and store sorted lots in non-conductive containers.
Related in Other
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