Which hard drives belong in the No Board category?

This category includes punched, bent, drilled, crushed, or otherwise physically damaged hard drives where the external controller PCB has already been removed. The remaining material should still be identifiable as a hard-drive body.

How can I tell that the controller board has been removed?

The underside of the drive will normally no longer have the green or blue controller PCB attached. You may see exposed mounting areas, empty screw positions, electrical contact points, or other signs of prior board removal.

Can I place the removed PCB beside the drive?

The controller board should preferably be sorted separately. Placing a loose PCB beside the drive does not make it a With Board unit, because the board is no longer installed as part of the original assembly.

Do the internal platters need to remain inside?

The material should generally remain identifiable as a hard-drive body. If the platters and other major assemblies have also been removed, the remaining housing may require evaluation under a different dismantled-component or metal category.

Does a completely empty HDD housing qualify?

Not automatically. An empty aluminum shell with the PCB, platters, magnets, motor, and other internal assemblies removed may no longer fit this purchasing category. Its classification depends on what remains.

Are drilled, punched, bent, and partially crushed drives accepted in the same category?

They may qualify when the controller board is absent and the remaining item is still recognizable as a damaged hard-drive body. Completely shredded, fragmented, or extensively dismantled material may require a different classification.

Should No Board drives be mixed with loose platters or magnets?

No. Loose platters, magnets, controller boards, covers, and other recovered HDD components should be sorted separately from damaged drive bodies whenever practical.

How does Ohata confirm this purchasing category?

Ohata generally checks that the controller PCB is absent, the remaining material is still an identifiable HDD body, and the drive has not been reduced to unrelated loose components. Physical damage, missing internal assemblies, contamination, and lot consistency may also be reviewed before the final category is confirmed.

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Hard Drive Punched or Bent no Board buying

Hard Drive Punched or Bent no Board buying scrap price

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Key Buying Introduction

1. This category applies to physically damaged hard disk drives with the controller board already removed. The drive may be punched, bent, drilled, crushed, or otherwise mechanically damaged.

2. The original HDD controller board should not be attached to the underside of the hard drive. The remaining item should still be identifiable as a hard-drive body rather than loose platters, magnets, covers, or aluminum housing pieces.

3. Customers generally do not need to remove any additional parts before bringing the damaged hard drive to Ohata. The hard-drive body should be presented in its current condition for purchasing evaluation.

4. Whenever practical, damaged hard drives without a controller board should be sorted separately from Hard Drive Punched or Bent With Board, loose HDD controller boards, complete hard drives, and other recovered HDD components.

5. The final purchasing evaluation is generally based on the absence of the original controller board, the condition of the remaining hard-drive body, overall completeness, quantity presented, and current electronic scrap market conditions. Purchasing prices and buying conditions may change without prior notice.

Updated: Aug 04,2026

Today's scrap price for this material

0.26 CAD / lb

The Price is buying by Yard of Richmond, BC, Canada.

Price history

Price history will appear here as updates are recorded.

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Key Buying Introduction

1. This category applies to physically damaged hard disk drives with the controller board already removed. The drive may be punched, bent, drilled, crushed, or otherwise mechanically damaged.

Buying Details of Conditions

The Controller Board Has Already Been Removed

The defining condition for this category is that the HDD controller board is no longer installed on the drive.

The underside of the drive may show:

An exposed board-mounting area
Empty screw positions
Motor or head-contact points
Signs that the PCB was previously removed

A drive with a controller board still attached should not be placed in this category.

The Remaining Hard Drive Should Stay Together

This category is intended for damaged drives that still retain a recognizable hard-drive housing or body.

The remaining material may include:

Metal drive housing
Top cover
Spindle area
Internal platter assembly
Actuator or magnet assemblies
Original structural fasteners

A loose aluminum shell, individual platter, magnet, or detached actuator assembly may belong to a different purchasing category.

Sort the Removed Controller Board Separately

The removed HDD controller board should be presented separately according to its own purchasing category.

Do not place the removed board on top of or beside the hard drive to make it appear complete.

Sorting the materials separately helps distinguish:

Hard Drive Punched or Bent – No Board
Hard Drive Punched or Bent – With Board

Loose HDD Controller Boards

Physical Damage Is Acceptable

This category commonly includes hard drives that have been damaged during secure data destruction or electronic recycling.

Examples include:

Punching through the cover
Bending the housing
Drilling
Crushing one side or corner
Mechanical deformation

The drive does not need to operate.

However, material that has been completely shredded, fragmented, burned, or dismantled into separate components may no longer qualify as a hard-drive body under this category.

⑤ Keep Different HDD Materials Separate

Whenever practical, sort these materials separately:

Hard Drive Punched or Bent With Board
Loose HDD controller boards
Recovered platters
Magnets
Actuator arms
Motors
Top covers
Mixed aluminum scrap

Separating different HDD materials helps simplify inspection and supports accurate purchasing category identification.

How Ohata Inspects This Category

During inspection, Ohata may review:

Whether the controller PCB is actually absent
Whether the material remains an identifiable HDD body
The degree and pattern of physical destruction
Whether major HDD components have also been removed
Contamination, fire damage, corrosion, or mixed attachments
Quantity and consistency of the presented lot

The final purchasing category is confirmed from the material’s actual condition at inspection. Purchasing values and conditions may change with market conditions.

FAQ

1. What is today’s price for Hard Drive Punched or Bent no Board buying?: As of Aug 04,2026, Ohata Resource Canada Inc., (Richmond, BC, Canada) is purchasing Hard Drive Punched or Bent no Board buying at 0.26 (CAD/lb). We provide competitive scrap prices in Delta, Surrey, Richmond, and across the Greater Vancouver area.
2. Which hard drives belong in the No Board category?: This category includes punched, bent, drilled, crushed, or otherwise physically damaged hard drives where the external controller PCB has already been removed. The remaining material should still be identifiable as a hard-drive body.
3. How can I tell that the controller board has been removed?: The underside of the drive will normally no longer have the green or blue controller PCB attached. You may see exposed mounting areas, empty screw positions, electrical contact points, or other signs of prior board removal.
4. Can I place the removed PCB beside the drive?: The controller board should preferably be sorted separately. Placing a loose PCB beside the drive does not make it a With Board unit, because the board is no longer installed as part of the original assembly.
5. Do the internal platters need to remain inside?: The material should generally remain identifiable as a hard-drive body. If the platters and other major assemblies have also been removed, the remaining housing may require evaluation under a different dismantled-component or metal category.
6. Does a completely empty HDD housing qualify?: Not automatically. An empty aluminum shell with the PCB, platters, magnets, motor, and other internal assemblies removed may no longer fit this purchasing category. Its classification depends on what remains.
7. Are drilled, punched, bent, and partially crushed drives accepted in the same category?: They may qualify when the controller board is absent and the remaining item is still recognizable as a damaged hard-drive body. Completely shredded, fragmented, or extensively dismantled material may require a different classification.
8. Should No Board drives be mixed with loose platters or magnets?: No. Loose platters, magnets, controller boards, covers, and other recovered HDD components should be sorted separately from damaged drive bodies whenever practical.
9. How does Ohata confirm this purchasing category?: Ohata generally checks that the controller PCB is absent, the remaining material is still an identifiable HDD body, and the drive has not been reduced to unrelated loose components. Physical damage, missing internal assemblies, contamination, and lot consistency may also be reviewed before the final category is confirmed.