Jewelry, Watches & Precision Luxury Goods worked example

Scrap Recovery Value at 99% refiner recovery rate: a worked example in jewelry, watches & precision luxury goods

What does the result look like when refiner recovery rate reaches 99%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use when accumulating scrap (sprues, filings, sweeps, old molds, rejected castings) to estimate its refining value. Helps decide whether to refine now or wait for a larger batch to get better refining terms.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Total scrap weight collected: 150 grams (unchanged)
  • Metal value per gram (purity-adjusted): 38 $ / gram (unchanged)
  • Refiner recovery rate: 99 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 95)
  • Fixed refining and shipping fees: 75 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Gross recovery value = scrap weight × metal value per gram × refiner recovery rate / 100) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 5,718 $ for net scrap recovery value, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 38.12 $ / piece for recovery value per gram of scrap.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 5,643 $ for gross recovery value.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 75 $ for fixed refining and shipping fees.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where refiner recovery rate sits at 95% and the headline result is 5,490 $, this scenario comes in 4.15% above the baseline at 5,718 $.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when refiner recovery rate is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It assumes the metal value per gram is already purity-adjusted; mixed-karat or contaminated lots that the refiner assays differently can move the real settle, and spot price drifts between shipping and settlement.

Results at a glance

  • Net scrap recovery value: 5,718 $ (headline result)
  • Recovery value per gram of scrap: 38.12 $ / piece
  • Gross recovery value: 5,643 $
  • Fixed refining and shipping fees: 75 $

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Scrap Recovery Value calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.