What are laptops made of?
Laptops take 9 things directly, among them printed circuit board, microchip, memory chip, ABS plastic, aluminum and solid-state drive. Trace them back and you pass 75 made things on the way to 31 raw materials.
How laptops are made See it on the map
What goes straight in
- Printed circuit boardat Build the motherboard
- Microchipat Build the motherboard
- Memory chipat Build the motherboard
- ABS plasticat Mold or machine the case
- Aluminumat Mold or machine the case
- Solid-state driveat Fit storage and battery
- Lithium-ion cellat Fit storage and battery
- Computer keyboardat Install keyboard and trackpad
- LCD screenat Hinge on the display
From the ground: 31 raw materials
- Air through ABS plastic
- Crude oil through aluminum
- Coal through aluminum
- Copper ore through lithium-ion cell, copper
- Water through lithium-ion cell, copper
- Silica sand through printed circuit board, fiberglass
- Limestone through printed circuit board, fiberglass
- Quartz through memory chip, silicon wafer
- Tin ore through microchip, tin
- Gold ore through microchip, gold
- Natural gas through ABS plastic, ethylene
- Iron ore through LCD screen, pigment
- Sulfur through LCD screen, pigment
- Bauxite through aluminum, alumina
- Lithium brine through lithium-ion cell, lithium carbonate
- Spodumene through lithium-ion cell, lithium carbonate
- Cobalt ore through lithium-ion cell, cobalt
- Nickel ore through lithium-ion cell, nickel
- Manganese ore through lithium-ion cell, manganese
- Natural rubber latex through computer keyboard, vulcanized rubber
- Rock salt through printed circuit board, fiberglass, soda ash
- Trona through printed circuit board, fiberglass, soda ash
- Lead ore through solid-state drive, solder, silver
- Silver ore through solid-state drive, solder, silver
- Zinc ore through LCD screen, LED, indium
- Titanium ore through LCD screen, pigment, titanium dioxide
- Dolomite through lithium-ion cell, steel, magnesium
- Corn through printed circuit board, fiberglass, soda ash, carbon dioxide
- Timber through lithium-ion cell, steel, magnesium, metallurgical silicon
- Sugarcane through printed circuit board, fiberglass, soda ash, carbon dioxide, baker's yeast, molasses
- Sugar beet through printed circuit board, fiberglass, soda ash, carbon dioxide, baker's yeast, molasses
Made along the way: 66 things
Metals 16
Chemicals and fuels 29
Oxygen gasNitrogen gasNaphthaPropyleneAmmoniaBenzeneEthyleneStyrenePigmentPetroleum cokeSynthetic graphiteSulfuric acidSoda ashPhenolAcetoneChlorineCaustic sodaArgonQuicklimeHydrogenTolueneTitanium dioxideCarbon blackMethanolCarbon dioxideFormaldehydeHydrochloric acidPropaneCharcoal
Plastics and fibers 8
Glass, stone and ceramics 1
Electronics 10
PhotoresistSilicon waferLithium carbonateIndium tin oxideLEDPolysiliconIndiumGalliumMetallurgical siliconTrichlorosilane