How much gold is really in your laptop or smartphone?

Many people know that their laptops and smartphones contain gold and other precious metals, but how much exactly? While the amounts per device may seem small, large-scale recycling can have a significant impact. Let’s take a closer look at how much gold, silver, and other precious metals are hidden in your electronic devices.

Smartphones: An average smartphone contains approximately 0.03 grams of gold. This may not seem like much, but considering there are billions of smartphones worldwide, the total amount of gold in circulation is significant.

Laptops: The gold content in laptops varies, but a central processing unit (CPU) typically contains between 0.2 and 0.5 grams of gold. Additionally, motherboards and connectors contain small amounts of gold, contributing to the total value of recycled laptops.

In addition to gold, laptops and smartphones contain other precious metals, albeit in small amounts:

• Silver: A ton of mobile phones contains approximately 3.14 kilograms of silver, which equates to 0.357 grams of silver per device.
• Palladium: The same amount of mobile phones contains about 130 grams of palladium, or 0.0148 grams per device.
• Platinum: Although less common, a ton of mobile phones contains about 3 grams of platinum, or 0.00034 grams per device.

Although the amounts of precious metals per device are small, large-scale recycling can have a huge impact. For example, more than 20 times as much gold can be extracted from a ton of smartphones as from a ton of gold ore. This makes electronic waste a valuable source of raw materials, often referred to as urban mining.

By using certified recycling processes, Out of Use ensures that these metals are recovered in a sustainable way and reused in new electronic applications. This reduces dependence on traditional mining, lowers CO2 emissions, and contributes to a circular economy.

As a WEEELABEX-certified recycling company, we ensure transparency and maximum resource recovery. Our processes are designed to:

• Recover precious metals as efficiently as possible so they can be reintroduced into production.
• Minimize the impact of e-waste through responsible recycling and urban mining.
• Help businesses achieve their sustainability goals by securely and compliantly processing decommissioned IT equipment.