The rapid generation of electronic waste (e-waste), a waste stream containing hazardous materials, has led to a global concern. There is a need for developing the proper treatment of e-waste. Due to the high concentration of valuable metals, e-waste has been considered as potential metal resources. Extensive studies have been given to develop recycling methods for various e-waste (mostly waste printed circuit boards/WPCBs), but less attention has been paid to the recycling of discarded integrated circuits (ICs), which are vital components of modern electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). Thus, present study aims at developing a recycling process for discarded ICs using physical separation methods comprising size reduction and magnetic separation. It was concluded that the magnetic separation method was capable of recovering almost all of iron, nickel and cobalt into magnetic fraction, while enriching copper in the non-magnetic fraction. © 2024 Author(s).