How Much Metal Can Be Recovered from One Ton of Waste PCB?

Discarded PCBs may look like mere electronic waste, but they actually contain valuable metals such as copper, tin, iron, and aluminum, along with small amounts of gold and silver. So, exactly how much metal can be recovered from a ton of waste PCBs?

There is no fixed answer, as the final recovery yield varies significantly depending on the source, model, and metal content of the PCBs.

How Much Copper Is Hiding in One Ton of PCBs?

Copper is typically the primary recyclable metal found in PCBs.

For instance, if a batch of PCBs contains an average of approximately 15% copper, then theoretically:

1,000 kg × 15% ≈ 150 kg of copper

However, the actual recovered amount is influenced by factors such as impurities in the raw material, the degree of fragmentation, separation efficiency, and equipment recovery rates.

Therefore, a single fixed figure cannot simply be used to represent all PCBs.

What’s Really Inside a PCB? 

In addition to copper, waste PCBs may also contain:

• Tin: Primarily from solder
• Iron and aluminum: Present in certain components and structural parts
• Gold and silver: Mainly found in contacts, connectors, and some electronic components

Although the content of precious metals like gold and silver is low, they are still worth recovering due to their high value.

Same Tonnage, Different Yield? Here’s Why PCB Recovery Varies

💡It primarily depends on the following factors:

• Type of raw material: Metal content varies among computer motherboards, mobile phone PCBs, and home appliance control boards.
• Raw material purity: Higher levels of impurities—such as plastics or wiring—can result in lower metal content per unit of weight.
• Processing techniques: Factors such as the adequacy of shredding, the effectiveness of screening, and the efficiency of separation all influence the final recovery results.

How are PCBs recycled for resource recovery?

♻️The typical mechanical recycling process can be summarized as follows:

• Waste PCBs → Crushing → Fine grinding → Screening → Metal/non-metal separation → Metal recovery

Through appropriate crushing and sorting, the metals in PCBs can be separated from non-metallic materials—such as resins and glass fibers—thereby improving resource utilization efficiency.

Recycling characteristics of different PCBs

PCB Type	Common Recyclable Resources	Recycling Characteristics
Computer Motherboards	Copper, tin, small amounts of precious metals	Relatively rich in metal resources
Mobile Phone PCBs	Copper, gold, silver, etc.	Small size, complex material composition
Home Appliance PCBs	Copper, tin, iron, etc.	Diverse sources of raw materials
Industrial Control Boards	Copper, tin, and other metals	Significant variation in material composition

The amount of metal recoverable from a ton of PCBs ultimately depends on the actual analysis of the raw material.

Through scientific processes involving crushing, screening, and sorting, waste PCBs can be transformed from electronic waste into economically valuable recycled resources.

Gomine is dedicated to providing efficient waste PCB boards recycling solutions, helping clients achieve the resource recovery and utilization of waste circuit boards.