Copper Slabs Refined?

[mj74]

I have a small pile of copper slabs that I have retrieved from computers,and I was wondering if it would be possible to have them
refined into bars. I have never sent anything away to be refined,so advice about companies,and prices would be great. TIA!

[silversaddle1]

Copper slabs from computers? Please go into more detail.

[Dr. Cadmium]

Are we talking "small pile" as in a few semi-loads or "small pile" as in a few pounds?

It's not cost effective to refine copper unless you have many tons. That's why most scrap yards don't refine it themselves; they just resell it in larger quanitites.

The only sizeable "slabs" I can think of are either solid copper heatsinks or the lower copper portions of aluminum/copper sinks.

[mj74]

When I scrap out a Dell computer there is a heatsink that rest on top of the CPU chip. I looks similiar to this one,but the fins are aluminum instead of copper,and the base that they are attached to is solid copper. I have about 4 lbs in these and others similar. Should I just toss it in with my other copper?

[Dr. Cadmium]

If the heatsink is solid copper you'll get #2 copper price at most yards.

If the heatsink is a copper/aluminum mix some yards will buy it as clean aluminum/copper radiator assuming there are no steel bits attached. You'll have to shop around as many yards don't see these often and don't know how to classify them and/or will try to buy them as just aluminum or electric motor.

If you go to the trouble of separating the aluminum fins from the copper base and lines, then the lines and base will go as #2 and the fins will go as aluminum.

Be sure to check each heatsink carefully. There are several that look like solid aluminum but are acually aluminum fins on a coated solid copper base.