Selling or Returning Circuit Boards: How Does It Work?

Selling circuit boards often yields more than people expect. That’s because those green and gold-colored boards contain gold, silver, palladium, and copper. Still, most people run into the same three questions: What do I actually have? How much will I get for it? And how do I turn it in? In this blog, we’ll walk you through everything so you can turn in your circuit boards with confidence.

The Difference Between Selling and Returning

In practice, it amounts to the same thing. You bring in your circuit boards, we weigh and evaluate them, and you get paid.

The difference lies in the quantity. Do you have a few old motherboards or graphics cards? Stop by our locations in Rotterdam or Wateringen, Monday through Saturday (mornings), no appointment necessary. Is this a steady stream of equipment from an IT company, repair shop, or production environment? In that case, we’ll arrange for collection bins or pickups, complete with documentation for your records.

What makes printed circuit boards so valuable?

The value lies in the connections: gold in connectors and contact points, silver in solder joints, copper in the conductors, and palladium in the components.

You can usually tell how much of that is on your circuit board by looking at the device it comes from. The rule of thumb is: the more complex the device, the more valuable the circuit board.

A brief overview:

More valuable: green motherboards with many gold contacts, and densely populated circuit boards from servers, telecommunications equipment, and phones.
Less valuable: simple brown circuit boards with few components, such as those found in household appliances and power supplies.

Not sure which category your items fall into? That’s normal. Sorting is a skill, and our buyers are happy to help you figure it out.

How much are your printed circuit boards worth per kilogram?

The price depends on the type of metal plate, how clean it is when you bring it in, and the current market prices of the metals it contains. We use fixed categories, each with its own rate: Class A+, A, B+, B, and C, as well as the same classes for attached parts, plus separate rates for metal plates from hard drives, CD and DVD drives, and cell phones.

Delivering clean produce makes an immediate difference in yield:

Remove any metal or plastic attachments, such as brackets and aluminum cooling blocks. If they remain in place, their weight will be deducted.
Leave soldered parts in place. Removing them takes hours (time is money) and reduces the value of the board.
Remove any removable batteries.

Please note: The disassembly of old electronic equipment must be performed by a professional in accordance with the WEEELABEX guidelines. This ensures expert, professional, and safe recycling. Good to know: Krommenhoek Metals is WEEELABEX-certified.

Tinkering with things rarely pays off. The same goes for cables: the actual benefit of stripping cables is disappointing once you factor in the hours it takes.

How does Krommenhoek Metals recycle printed circuit boards?

From the moment your materials arrive, the process looks like this:

Drop-off. You can bring the records in, or we’ll pick them up. Pickup is free for orders of 250 kg or more* (*depending on quality)
Sorting and grading. Our buyers determine the type and grade and weigh the lot.
Removing hazardous substances. Batteries and PCB-containing capacitors are removed before the panels are sent to the smelter.
Processing. The sorted sheets are shipped in large quantities to smelters, which recover the precious metals.
Settlement. The value is based on the recovered metal and current market prices. You can choose to be paid by bank transfer, in cash, or via Tikkie Terug.

Why should you return printed circuit boards to a certified company?

Printed circuit boards also contain substances that do not belong in the environment, such as lead in solder joints and PCB-containing capacitors. Electronics should therefore not be disposed of with general waste.

Krommenhoek Metals holds the WEEELABEX certificate for Collection & Logistics, in addition to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, the MRF certification, and the End of Waste certificate. For companies, this provides verifiable evidence: you can demonstrate how your electronics waste stream was collected and processed, for example, for the CO2 Performance Ladder.

Is there another storage device connected, such as a hard drive or SSD? If so, please let us know in advance. Standalone circuit boards without a storage chip do not contain any data.

Frequently Asked Questions About Returning Printed Circuit Boards

As a private individual, can I also drop off printed circuit boards at Krommenhoek Metals?

Yes, even for small quantities. You can stop by our locations in Rotterdam or Wateringen without an appointment. We’ll weigh your shipment and pay you immediately—by bank transfer, in cash, or via Tikkie.

Do I need to remove the circuit boards from the device before returning them?

Individual panels are the most profitable, but we also accept complete units. Weigh whether disassembly is worth the time: for just a few items, it usually is; for a full pallet, it usually isn't.

What is the minimum quantity for returning printed circuit boards?

There is no minimum quantity. We buy anything from a few pieces to full truckloads. If you’re unable to sort the items, you can also offer your shipment as a mixed lot.

How do I know if I'm getting a fair price for my printed circuit boards?

The prices by grade are available online and in our app, along with the date of the last update. During the grading process, you can watch as our buyers explain why a sheet falls into a particular grade.

Are there any risks associated with throwing away printed circuit boards in the regular trash can?

Yes. In addition to its environmental impact, many motherboards contain a coin-cell battery. If it becomes damaged, it can spontaneously catch fire. Therefore, remove it beforehand and take it to a Stibat drop-off point.