# Black market price of yellowcake? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 7, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-market-price-of-yellowcake/733860 "2015-10-07T21:09:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-market-price-of-yellowcake/733860/1 "2015-10-07T21:09:31Z")
[Link to CNN article on an arrest regarding smuggled yellowcake in Moldova](http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/08/24/moldova.uranium.discovered/index.html) The article states that the thieves were seeking millions of euros for about 4lbs of yellowcake. Is this because they were trying to pass it off as enriched uranium? Surely yellowcake isn’t worth that. Thanks, Rob Edit: I see that the open market price is something like $40/lb. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-market-price-of-yellowcake/733860/2 "2015-10-07T21:38:05Z")
Not sure of black market of anything, but there is apparently an open market for such. [http://www.uranium.info/](http://www.uranium.info/) Now I just hope the feds do not come knocking on my door at 5AM. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-market-price-of-yellowcake/733860/3 "2015-10-07T22:00:41Z")
I would assume the sort of people buying enriched uranium are also the sort of people not to take one’s word for it. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-market-price-of-yellowcake/733860/4 "2015-10-07T22:11:24Z")
Mmmm. Yellow Cake. Nice and moist, with chocolate frosting. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-market-price-of-yellowcake/733860/5 "2015-10-07T22:19:43Z")
> [@sweeteviljesus](#): > > [Link to CNN article on an arrest regarding smuggled yellowcake in Moldova](http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/08/24/moldova.uranium.discovered/index.html) > > The article states that the thieves were seeking millions of euros for about 4lbs of yellowcake. Is this because they were trying to pass it off as enriched uranium? Surely yellowcake isn’t worth that. > > Thanks, > Rob > > Edit: I see that the open market price is something like $40/lb. I imagine that its like Oxycontin. The price at the pharmacy is much less than the price on the black market. There may be restrictions on who is allowed to buy it legally, or at the very least if you buy it on the open market your transaction is recorded with a government agency. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-market-price-of-yellowcake/733860/6 "2015-10-07T23:54:46Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Mmmm. Yellow Cake. Nice and moist, with chocolate frosting. And, a bargain at about [$1.29 per pound](http://www.amazon.com/Pillsbury-Traditional-Cake-Yellow-15-25/dp/B00I8G5UZ8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444262045&sr=8-1&keywords=yellow+cake+mix). ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-market-price-of-yellowcake/733860/7 "2015-10-08T08:26:44Z")
I imagine that the actual market for buyers would be very price indifferent and so small as to not cause much competition, assuming they are purchasing it for its uranium content for use and not to just admire it or as a curiosity anyway. To even be in the market for such would require such an enormous investment in machinery and expertise to refine it into usable fissionable material that spending an extra million or so is small potatoes. If you have already passed that barrier you are not likely to throw in the towel or balk and search for cheaper sellers just due to a minuscule amount of money in comparison. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-market-price-of-yellowcake/733860/8 "2015-10-08T11:23:17Z")
Need Answer Fast? ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-market-price-of-yellowcake/733860/9 "2015-10-08T12:29:53Z")
Lot of fuss for some old used urinal cakes… ---
**Author:** ![Ionizer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5daacb/32.png) [@Ionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ionizer)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-market-price-of-yellowcake/733860/10 "2015-10-08T17:56:18Z")
> [@grude](#): > > I imagine that the actual market for buyers would be very price indifferent and so small as to not cause much competition, assuming they are purchasing it for its uranium content for use and not to just admire it or as a curiosity anyway. > > To even be in the market for such would require such an enormous investment in machinery and expertise to refine it into usable fissionable material that spending an extra million or so is small potatoes. If you have already passed that barrier you are not likely to throw in the towel or balk and search for cheaper sellers just due to a minuscule amount of money in comparison. I read an article (can’t find atm) where at least one of the ‘sellers’ stated that their intent (maybe just his, idk), was to sell to ISIS to use as a ‘dirty bomb’ material - not to make a fissionable device, per se. Just a tad bit less frightening than a fission-level organization obtaining the stuff through improper/illegal means, of course. No particular specialized-in-atomics and/or advanced-level knowlege of bombs needed to make a ‘dirty bomb’, afaik Found the story of this [here](http://www.newser.com/story/214043/nuclear-smugglers-seek-isis-buyers.html) outlining the fellow’s statement(s)…seems fissionable product was not the end point of sale intent overall based on investigations done. ---
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-market-price-of-yellowcake/733860/11 "2015-10-14T15:01:21Z")
While yellowcake is toxic, it is not particularly radioactive, so I don’t see how it would make much of a dirty bomb. Indeed, I am surprised that sale of such a meager amount of yellowcake is even illegal (of course selling stolen goods is another matter).