Ceramic BGA / CCGA

Ceramic BGA is dense and rings when tapped; plastic BGA is lighter and thuds. Plastic lookalikes are 5–10× leaner. Server and mainframe CCGA (column grid array, with visible solder columns instead of balls) are the top of this.

Au 1–3 g/lbAg 0.5–2 g/lbBase alumina

eBay typical$120–250per lb

Refiner pays$90per lb

Metal in it$263per lb at 4 Aug 2026 spot

Confidencelowof the yield figures

How to spot it

White or tan ceramic substrate with a ball or column array underneath, often a metal lid on top.

Metal content

Metal	Quantity	Notes
Gold	1–3 g/lb	gold pads, seal ring, lid, bond wire
Silver	0.5–2 g/lb	braze
Base metal	alumina, Kovar, Cu-W slug

At 4 Aug 2026 spot prices that works out to $263 per pound of contained metal — Gold 2 g = $261, Silver 1.2 g = $2.28. A refiner paying $90 returns about 34% of that, which is normal: refining costs money and the buyer takes a margin.

Safe removal

Working temperature: Hot air 380–420 °C + preheat

Preheat and hot air as for BGA. Handle carefully — ceramic cracks.

Hazards

☠ Lead — dust more than fume

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

The common trap

Older cBGA solder balls are high-lead 90Pb/10Sn — that's a disposal issue, not a value.

Questions

How much gold is in ceramic bga / ccga?

Gold: 1–3 g/lb. Silver: 0.5–2 g/lb. At current spot that is about $263 of contained metal per pound.

How do you identify ceramic bga / ccga?

Ceramic BGA is dense and rings when tapped ; plastic BGA is lighter and thuds. Plastic lookalikes are 5–10× leaner. Server and mainframe CCGA (column grid array, with visible solder columns instead of balls) are the top of this.

How do you remove ceramic bga / ccga safely?

Preheat and hot air as for BGA. Handle carefully — ceramic cracks.

Related in ICs & chips

Ceramic IC — gold lid + gold legs ICs & chips · $500–650/lb Au 3–8 g/lb wholeAg 0.5–3 g/lbBase Kovar S Gold flat packs (military / aerospace) ICs & chips · $400–900/lb Au 3–10 g/lbAg 1–4 g/lb S Thick-Film Hybrid Microcircuits ICs & chips · $15–90/lb Au 1.5–4 g/lb packaged; 5–10 g/lb stripped substratesAg 0–15 g/lb on Ag/Pd conductor variantsPd present in Ag/Pd pastes S BGA with gold tab / gold-corner BGA ICs & chips · $60–110/lb Au 1.0–2.0 g/lbAg 0.3–1 g/lb A Ceramic CCD/CIS Image Sensors ICs & chips · $150–400/lb Au 0.02–0.15 g per ceramic package ≈ 1.8 g/lbAu under 0.001 g per mobile/webcam moduleBase Nd-Fe-B in VCM actuators A Ceramic IC — gold legs OR gold lid (not both) ICs & chips · $200–400/lb Au 1.0–2.5 g/lbAg 0.5–2 g/lb A

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