Terminal blocks and screw terminals

Half the weight is plastic and steel screws, and brass with steel still in it gets bid as irony brass, not brass.

Cu 110–200 g/lb

eBay typical$15–50per lb

Refiner pays$1.2per lb

Metal in it$1.60per lb at 4 Aug 2026 spot

Confidencemedof the yield figures

How to spot it

Green, blue or black plastic blocks along a board edge with visible screw heads and wire entries — Euro-style rising clamp, barrier strips, or two-piece pluggable Phoenix and Wago styles. Ubiquitous on industrial control, PSU, alarm and lighting boards.

Metal content

Metal	Quantity	Notes
Copper	110–200 g/lb	brass cages and current bars are roughly 60–65% Cu, but plastic and steel screws are a large share of mass

At 4 Aug 2026 spot prices that works out to $1.60 per pound of contained metal — Copper 150 g = $1.60. A refiner paying $1.2 returns about 75% of that, which is normal: refining costs money and the buyer takes a margin.

Safe removal

Working temperature: Hot air 360–390 °C

Hot air at 360–390 °C; the pins are thick and go into heavy pours. Faster: crack the plastic in a vice, pull the brass cages, back the steel screws out separately. That step is the difference between $2.50 and $1.00 a pound.

Hazards

☠ Lead — dust more than fume

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

🧪 PVC and plastics

NEVER burn card plastic or cable jacket.

💨 Fumes, ventilation and open flame

NEVER burn boards, wire insulation or plastic. Ever.

Before you scrap it

Better than scrap. Pluggable Phoenix Contact, Wago and Weidmüller connectors sell $1–5 each; generic Euro blocks are worth cents.

The common trap

Some sellers price these as gold-plated or as brass scrap. There's no gold, and as-received blocks are mostly plastic.

Questions

How much gold is in terminal blocks and screw terminals?

Copper: 110–200 g/lb. At current spot that is about $1.60 of contained metal per pound.

How do you identify terminal blocks and screw terminals?

Half the weight is plastic and steel screws , and brass with steel still in it gets bid as irony brass, not brass.

How do you remove terminal blocks and screw terminals safely?

Hot air at 360–390 °C; the pins are thick and go into heavy pours. Faster: crack the plastic in a vice, pull the brass cages, back the steel screws out separately. That step is the difference between $2.50 and $1.00 a pound.

Is terminal blocks and screw terminals worth more working than as scrap?

Better than scrap. Pluggable Phoenix Contact, Wago and Weidmüller connectors sell $1–5 each; generic Euro blocks are worth cents.

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