Metal collecting

Metals are a collectible in The Sims 3 and The Sims 4.

The Sims 4
There are 20 metals in the base game and 2 in Get to Work, bringing the current total to 22. They are collected through exploring various rocks in the world. Metals can be sent to the Geo Council to be broken down into elements for §20. One of the possible elements that the metal can be broken down into will arrive in the mail the following day. In Get to Work, scientists can analyze crystals and metals themselves. In Jungle Adventure, Sims can extract elements from crystals at the archaeology table. Metal Collectables

The Sims 3
Metals are found in ore form and can be smelted into ingots for §40.

Sometimes the foundry will return an ore, saying that it is actually a Mysterious Mr. Gnome in disguise.

Smelted ingots are worth 175% of their original cost, and so the raw metal must be worth §54 to offset the §40 cost of smelting and break even relative to selling the ore alone.

The "breaking even" equation is as follows:

0.75 * X - §40 = Profit

With X being the value of the ore. Plugging in §54 yields a profit of §0.5; thus this is the lowest whole number that does not lose money.

Some consider §23 as "breaking even," but this only covers the cost of smelting the ore. In order to fully "break even", it must factor in all costs, including the value of the ore itself. Plugging into the above equation yields a net loss of -§22.75. Even disregarding the cost of the original ore, to sell the raw ore gives §23 and costs nothing, for a profit of §23, whereas mailing it to the smelter, costs §40 and makes §40.25, for a profit of §0.25. From a strict Simoleon standpoint, it is far more worthwhile to sell a raw ore up to §54, at which point it becomes worthwhile to smelt it.

However, smelting also provides the chance of getting a Mysterious Mr. Gnome, worth §1000, as well as the chance of duplicating the smelted bars if the sim has completed the Metal Collector challenge. This is a gamble that may make it worth smelting ores that are less than §54.