Can someone help describe the different board sort categories such as the telecom compared to peripheral. And then high to low grade.
I hate to be THAT GUY but for a newbie I'm sure it would be helpful to myself and many others.
Thank you in advance to all who take the time to answer

Board value is based on the totality of the materials on/in the board vs the labour and complexity of realising that value.

Looking at the bottom,

automotive box.
These are heavily sealant coated temperature resistant boards. Taking quite a lot of processing to recover. If materials are recovered at all. In reality such material is often milled into a powder additive for speciality steels.

Low and midgrade boards
These are priced out based on electrical components. This would be things like power supplies, relay boards, transformer boards. Etc.
Low grade is (almost) completely a price based on electronics. With no “tech” value. That is no ICs, no precious metals (pm). No rare earths or exotics. Contrast that with midgrade which will often have some level of those materials missing from low grade boards. Though price has always been close, if not the same, like at the moment, they are processed differently.
Low grade winds up at a metals recovery location where midgrade will go to a refiner that will also recover the standard materials.

Peripheral
This comes from the term computer peripheral. These are the low end of PM and exotics recovery.
They have ICs, ceramic capacitors, etc.
Low grade peripheral is boards that have a value beyond electrical components but are not as valuable as peripheral boards. This is a stop gap class meant to offer better value over midgrade for qualifying boards.
With peripheral, the value of technology components exceeds the value of electrical metals.

Motherboards.
This class covers the namesake boards. In most computers this is the main board. Where the processors and cards are inserted or attached to.
Pin socket boards like large and small socket boards get their value variation from the gold pin sockets.
Metal socket boards get that value from gold lands or very small gold pins.

Colour vs green.
This is a place where reality and ability contradict each other.
The vast majority of coloured boards of simply of a lower value.
Silver replaces gold. Oil capacitors replace ceramic ones. Brass rather than copper. There are exceptions but even if Boardsort attempted to sort quality boards from the majority of lesser ones, refiners don’t. And colour is colour.

Gold finger cards
This is any card with a gold tooth edge connector.
Variations are based on how much less valuable material is included on the board. Fans/heatsinks add less valuable weight. Etc.

Telco
The term comes from telecommunications boards. Those used in switching equipment for the phone companies.
Telco boards have a large number of ICs, and/or lots of gold connectors. Gold, platinum, or palladium traces. Etc.

Gold cap chip boards
These have IC chips with a gold heat spreader.

Backplane, pin board
These serve the same functions differently.
A backplane is a board with mostly or only long sockets for receiving gold finger cards.
Pin boards are gold pin connectors without any plastic housing that act as male connectors for female pin-socket cards and components.

Wire wrap pin board.
This is a type of prototype or breadboard that have large, thick, thickly plated gold pins meant for wrapping exposed wire ends around.
Once very common in the late analogue/early digital age today they’re almost exclusively found in large scale communications systems such as cellular, microwave, aerospace etc.
You need to remove all the wire ends for this rate to apply.

Cd rom boards
This is optical disc boards. CD, DVD, HD-DVD, BluRay.
This class will also cover most Orb and Jazz drive boards. LTO drive boards.
Though most other tape boards go as high peripheral.

Hard drive boards
Low grade is modern SATA boards and narrow SAS
High grade covers IDE, ATA, SCSI, wide SAS, SG, IBM, and XTA/SC3

Cell phone boards come from, cell phones. This will always be the main board. The primary board. Other smaller boards should be posted to the what is it thread to verify if you are in doubt. Smaller non-main boards from cell phones can range: high peripheral, low telco, high telco, and cell phone.

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Since this post is a sticky (always on top on the list) I thought it would be nice to have a list of links here to some posted pictures and recommendations for classification. There are other great posts that discuss the different classifications here as well.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=20773&hilit=+layers

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=22572&p=46621#p46621

The list I have started is the current payout guide at original time of posting. If you see anything incorrect, let me know and I'll update. I'll keep adding as time permits.

Clean Gold Fingers
Just what it says. Clean gold fingers trimmed close to the gold edge. Fingers come from gold finger cards or RAM, not the gold strips from LCD monitors.
https://boardsort.com/images/codes/1017.jpg

High Grade non-SATA Hard Drive Board
Older style hard drive boards. High grade covers IDE, ATA, SCSI, wide SAS, SG, IBM, and XTA/SC3. Here's a great post from Boardsort about hard drive boards.
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=21549&p=43051&hilit=non+sata+hard+drive+board#p43051


Cell Phone Boards
Cell phone boards can ONLY come from a cell phone. Not a cordless home phone, not a Palm pilot or PDA. And they must not have screens, metal or anything. This will always be the primary board. Other smaller boards should be posted to the what is it thread to verify if you are in doubt.

Wire Wrap Pin Board

Gold Cap & Gold Edge & CNC boards
This has been verified as a CNC board
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21779&p=43926&hilit=CNC+boards#p43926

Boards of this type have been verified as Gold Edge Boards.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=22773&p=47303#p47303


Low Grade SATA Hard Drive Board
Here's a great post from Boardsort about hard drive boards.
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=21549&p=43051&hilit=non+sata+hard+drive+board#p43051


Large Multi Socket Server Motherboard
This is a great explanation of all types of motherboard.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16
and a video as well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmJufH0ias8

High Grade Telecom
High Grade Telecom is for very high grade boards, usually having a lot of IC chips, gold pin connectors, etc. and little junk weight from large capacitors, steel, unpopulated areas or not populated with valuable materials.
https://boardsort.com/telecom.html

Here's a few great posts on the differences between hi/low grade telcom.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=20773&hilit=+layers
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=22786

CD-Rom Boards
CD-Rom boards come from CD-Rom drives. There are a few other types of boards that will fit in this category, but not many. Best just to stick with CD-Rom boards only.
https://boardsort.com/images/codes/1012.jpg
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=21619&p=43309&hilit=CD+Rom+boards#p43309

Laptop Motherboards
Here's an example of Apple motherboards that classify as Laptop motherboards
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=22086
and a video detailing motherboards as well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmJufH0ias8
Good post about laptop motherboards.
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=23230

Gold Finger Card Clean NO Fan NO Sink NO Bracket
Typically video, network, or modem gold finger cards with heatsinks and brackets removed.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21752&p=43804&hilit=clean+gold+fingers#p43804

In this case board #2 was upgraded for having a high population of ICs
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21700&p=43653&hilit=clean+gold+fingers#p43653

Just because it has gold fingers doesn't always mean it's a gold finger card.
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=21656&p=43483&hilit=Clean+gold+fingers#p43483

Backplane board with gold fingers graded as Gold Finger Board.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=22786

Pin Board

Gold Finger Card NO Fan NO Heatsink WITH Bracket
Typically video, network, or modem gold finger cards with heatsink removed, but not the bracket.

Large Socket Motherboard
This is a great explanation of all types of motherboard.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16
and a video detailing motherboards as well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmJufH0ias8

Low Grade Telecom
Here's another great post on the differences between hi/low grade telcom.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=20773&hilit=+layers

Small Multi Socket Server Motherboard
This is a great explanation of all types of motherboard.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16
and a video detailing motherboards as well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmJufH0ias8

Metal Multi Socket Server motherboard
This is a great explanation of all types of motherboard.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16
and a video detailing motherboards as well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmJufH0ias8

Backplane Expansion Boards
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=22570

Good discussion on Backplane vs Gold finger cards.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21861&p=44230&hilit=backplane#p44230

Trimmed Finger Cards NO Fan NO Sink Bracket OK
Typically video, network, or modem gold finger cards with heatsink removed bracket not removed and the fingers trimmed off. (Personally I think trimming the fingers is a waste of time, but to each his own.)

Peripheral High Grade
Here's a good example of some high grade peripheral boards.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21782&p=43982#p43982

Some additional discussion on high grade vs low grade peripheral
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21875

Low Grade Gold Finger Card WITH Fan or Heatsink
Typically video gold finger cards with the bracket and heatsink still attached.

Small Socket P4 GREEN Motherboard
This is a great explanation of all types of motherboard.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16
and a video detailing motherboards as well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmJufH0ias8

Metal Socket GREEN Motherboard
Relatively easy to classify. The green mother board for a modern PC with a small socket or metal socket. This is a great explanation of all types of motherboard.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16
and a video detailing motherboards as well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmJufH0ias8

One of those odd items that fall into small MB category
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21711

Small or Metal Socket COLOR Motherboard
The mother board for a modern PC with a small socket or metal socket that is any color except green. There are a few discussions on why colored mother boards are not as valuable as green. I'll try to find some and put up a link. This is a great explanation of all types of motherboard.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16

Gold Finger Card with Oversize Heatsink or Fan

Connector Ends
What counts as a connector end? Any ends with gold pins are connector end class. USB cable ends, Ends from old IDE harddrive/cdrom ribbon cables (trimmed with no wire remaining), RJ45 and RJ11 ends (trimmed with no wire remaining)


Peripheral Low Grade
Here's a good example of some Peripheral Low Grade boards. They do have gold contacts, but very few other components.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21274&hilit=keypad

Some additional discussion on high grade vs low grade peripheral
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21875


Mid Grade Board

Low Grade

Auto Board Without Box

Auto Board With Box

Here's a great thread on sorting CPUs. Scroll down to the last port
https://www.boardsort.com/escrapforum/v ... =4&t=22446

Thanks for posting the question jojothe junkman and for the response lostinlodos. I feel like there should be a single spot that contains descriptions and more than 1 picture of each type of board. I sent my first 50lb box to Boardsort last week and have another one ready to go once I get my first payment and everything proves to be legit and worthwhile sending in rather than taking to my local scrap yard. I think I probably undergraded some of my boards in the box I have ready to go. I would assume the single picture they post for each type is probably best case scenario and there are lesser quality boards that would also qualify. For now, I guess I error on the side of caution and downgrade a bit. I've read that Boardsort will, at least on occasion, upgrade things as they go through them.

Many of the board photos posted are the middle of the class.

Like Chris and I both say, grading is an art form, not a science.
And nobody is every 100% accurate.

Chris and I have had friendly debates over materials over the years. There are internal aspects that make certain things set in stone that are hard to explain to users/sellers not involved in the recovery chain.

And yes, there are still things out there Chris has never seen before.

That’s what this forum is here for.
The top 10 posters can probably equate to a few hundred years of experience.
There are things in these threads you’ll never come across in real life.

Time-share mincomps. Bit slice servers. CAM controllers. Robotics. Space and defence. Traffic and transit.

Look at some of the random boards posted:
A missile guidance board.
Train track switches
Jet aircraft relays
Analogue calculator
Old adding machines
Pinball and slot machines
Arcade systems
Casino table security
Prototypes

Multi chip carriers
IC-farm boards
Commercial Plotters
Parts from mainframes
Electric distribution

And a few of us take stuff apart because, well, because we can.
“Do not disassemble” is like, open me now, eh?

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I know it has to be very frustrating to the very knowledgably people that spend the time to respond and try and help. And I do thank them for taking the time and giving answers.
I think this website is packed full of good info for someone like myself that does want to learn.
It would be very helpful for a newbie if on the payout rate page if along with the pictures it also had a description and characteristics of the boards.
For an example this board is this category because of xxxx
Or this board is this low-grade category version because it don't have these doohickeys or because it has to much of these?
This board is this category but if you remove these doohickeys it can be upgraded to this category.
And once again I do appreciate the help from everyone here.

Not at all.
There’s always more to learn. More to discover.

The strange and fascinating stuff users here come across — unbelievable.

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Here is an example of a board that is very out of the ordinary, a low grade board with a high grade chip from a very old dryer. It was bought as a gold cap chip board (only the one board), but it would otherwise go as a low or midgrade board with or without the chip.

how much a pound for dell 13 and samsung chrome book motherboards thanks

Out of curiosity, what kind of dryer did it come out of? Like what brand and model?

I now wonder if home appliances from the 1980s with "high tech" features (such as humidity sensing, computerized controller, etc.) at the time could contain overlooked PM content that typically ends up in the shred pile.