The Sims 3/Metal collecting

Metals are a collectible in The Sims 3 and are found in ore form, to 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: §54 (cost of ingot) * 1.75 (smelting worth modifier) - §54 (cost of ingot) - §40 (cost of smelting) = §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 correct equation, §23 * 1.75 - §23 - §40 = -§22.75, and thus is losing money. 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 simolean 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.