Silver refinery services
StoneX Metals Ltd is a precious metal refining service specializing in silver refining. We are one of only two UK precious metals brokers accredited by LBMA to supply 'Good Delivery' silver bars guaranteed at 99.9+% purity to the London Bullion Market.
Sustainable & efficient silver refining solutions
We specialize in the refining of silver scrap recycled through
silver recovery services
and a variety of industrial waste streams, utilizing advanced technology to ensure a pure material with minimal environmental impact.
Silver refining process
StoneX’s electrolytic silver refining process combines modern technology with a traditional pyrometallurgical operation. Recovering and refining silver begins in a blast furnace, where suitable silver scrap materials are incinerated to ash. The ash is mixed with other silver-bearing materials and heated in a blast furnace. The material reacts to producing a lead-silver alloy with a silver purity of up to 50%. The alloy undergoes preferential oxidation to remove the lead, producing 98%+ high-grade silver and lead oxide (litharge). The litharge is recycled, and the silver is cast as doré beads and sent to the refinery.
The refinery receives the 98%+ silver from the cupel and uses moebius cells to further purify the silver. The cells contain titanium mesh baskets, which act as the anode, into which the bars are placed. The baskets are submerged in an acidified silver nitrate electrolyte. When an electric current is applied to the bath, the silver ions in the alloy migrate and deposit as silver crystals on the cathodes. The crystals are scraped from the cathode, collected, melted, and cast into 1000 troy ounce 99.99% silver ‘Good Delivery’ bars conforming to international standards and stamped as 999.
Materials received
Silver scrap materials are received and secured, weighed, and given a unique individual identity number, which enables them to be tracked through the preparation and sampling stages.
Secure facility
Securing our customer’s materials and precious metals is paramount and StoneX has the following measures in place:
- Continuous (24/7) manned security presence
- CCTV, card access and alarms where metals are stored and handled
- Security search and metal scanning of all persons leaving the production site
- High security vault, fitted with alarms, cameras, and smoke-cloak for storage
Refinery Schematic
StoneX's silver refinery services provide the purification of silver by electrolysis.
The environment
The Environment Agency issues an Environmental Permit to which we must adhere in order to manage any associated environmental impacts. To ensure compliance, we monitor our environmental performance internally via our Environmental Management System, and through Environment Agency audits. We are also accredited with ISO 14001:2015, which is internationally recognized standard for measuring EMS.
View our environmental permit, 14001 Certificate and other safety and regulation documents here.
Site environmental controls
- Documented Environmental Policy, Operating Procedures & Emergency Response and Business Continuity Plans
- Secure site bounded by perimeter walls and drainage channels
- Surface water collection and recirculation system
- Abatement plant for process emissions with continuous monitoring of particulates and periodic monitoring of stack emissions
- Energy monitoring
- Full traceability of all incoming and outgoing waste transfers
Press release
'StoneX completes acquisition of JBR Recovery’s recycling and refining business, to deepen the company’s end-to-end metals offering'
StoneX Metals Limited Refinery location
For detailed instructions to our location, please click below.
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FAQs
How does StoneX’s silver refinery process work, and what technologies or proprietary methods are used?
Our electrolytic refinery uses moebius cells to purify silver to 99.9+%
Which types of silver scrap or ore materials are eligible for refining under your program?
The materials received directly into the refinery contain 98%+silver and frequently contain gold and other precious metals, and include silver dore, flake, bullion, grain, wire or other forms of silver scrap requiring chemical treatment as a primary operation.
How does StoneX determine the silver content of customer materials?
Silver contents are determined for each consignment of material received. Sampling is a key quality assurance element of our precious metal recovery process. Our fully equipped and versatile sampling department prepares a test sample of all incoming customer materials. The sampling can be witnessed. Assaying is performed on the sample to determine its silver contents. The results are then scaled up to full consignment size to determine how much silver it contains.
What regulatory and environmental standards does StoneX adhere to during precious metals recovery?
As an incinerator and non-ferrous works, handling lead as well as silver, gold and other precious metals, we have a responsibility to monitor and manage our environmental performance to a high standard, for the benefit of our customers, employees and the wider community. We take this responsibility very seriously and seek to ensure satisfactory performance by our own internal monitoring program, and by welcoming Environment Agency and customer audits.
How is compliance with international and local environmental regulations maintained throughout the recovery process?
The Environment Agency issues JBR with an Environmental Permit that documents the processes we are authorized to run and the operating conditions we must adhere to in order to control the associated environmental impacts. The Environment Agency periodically visit our site to ensure these operating conditions are in place.
What are the accepted forms of silver for refining?
StoneX silver refining service receives 98%+ high grade silver in various forms and converts them to 99.99% pure ‘Good Delivery’ silver bars including:
- Silver Dore
- Silver Flake
- Silver Bullion, grain or wire
- Other metallic silver – bars, manufactures scrap, jewelry industry sweeps, electronics waste
Which types of silver scrap or ore materials are eligible for recovery under your program?
Manufacturing processes and materials arising from partial refiners are our key sources of input material for treatment and refining. The materials received contain 80% silver and could contain trace amounts of gold and other precious metals.
Is StoneX's silver refinery LBMA-approved?
We are one of only two UK precious metals refineries accredited by LBMA to supply 'Good Delivery' silver bars guaranteed at 99.9+% purity to the London Bullion Market.
How does StoneX ensure secure handling and traceability of silver through the refining process?
Materials are received into a secure compound, weighed, logged into our computer system and given an individual identity number. This number enables the material to be tracked through the various stages of preparation and sampling. Security of customer’s materials and precious metals is paramount and JBR has the following measures in place:
- Continuous (24/7) manned security presence.
- CCTV, card access and intruder alarms where precious metals are stored and handled.
- Security search and metal scanning procedures for all persons leaving the production site.
- High security vault, fitted with alarms, cameras, and smoke-cloak for the storage of high grade metallics.
StoneX: We open markets
Our market expertise, advanced platforms, global reach, culture of full transparency and commitment to our clients’ success all set us apart in the financial marketplace.
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ReachWith access to 40+ derivatives exchanges, 180+ foreign exchange markets, nearly every global securities marketplace and numerous bi-lateral liquidity venues, StoneX’s digital network and deep relationships can take clients anywhere they want to go.
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TransparencyAs a publicly traded company meeting the highest standards of regulatory compliance in the markets we serve; our financials and record of accomplishment are matters of public record. StoneX’s commitment to “doing the right thing over the easy thing” sets us apart in the industry and helps us build respect, client trust and new partnerships.
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ExpertiseFrom our proprietary Market Intelligence platform, to “boots on the ground” expertise from award-winning traders and professionals, we connect our clients directly to actionable insights they can use to make more informed decisions and achieve their goals in the global markets.
© 2025 StoneX Group Inc.
All rights reserved. StoneX Metals Limited (“SML”) is part of the StoneX Group. SML is registered in England and Wales with company number 15492387. SML is a processor of materials containing silver, gold and PGMs. The information on this website is not advice nor a recommendation to trade nor an offer to buy or sell any financial product or service. It does not take into account your particular investment objectives, financial situation or needs and does not create a binding obligation on any of the StoneX Group of companies to enter into any transaction with you. You should perform an independent investigation of any transaction to determine whether it is suitable for you. The information is provided on an ‘as-is’ basis and may contain statements and opinions of the StoneX Group as well as excerpts and/or information from public sources and third parties and no warranty, whether express or implied, is given as to its completeness or accuracy. SML (on its own behalf and on behalf of its directors, employees and agents) disclaims any and all liability as well as any third-party claim that may arise from the accuracy and/or completeness of the information detailed herein, as well as the use of or reliance on this information by you or any third party.