Which type of mineral concentrate usually contains the most silver?

Among the three major types of mineral concentrates—lead, copper, and zinc—lead concentrates typically contain the most silver, while zinc concentrates contain the least.1

Because silver is widely distributed in nature but rarely exists as a primary constituent in ores, it is most frequently recovered as a by-product of mining and processing other base metals. When these ores undergo flotation separation, the resulting lead concentrates are particularly rich in silver content. Once extracted, the silver is often recovered from lead bullion through the Parkes process and further purified via cupellation.2314