Sorting and destruction

  • Banknotes that are returned to an SNB bank office are sorted and checked for authenticity in special sorting machines. Genuine banknotes in good condition are put back into circulation; damaged or soiled ones are destroyed. Notes that the sorting machine does not recognise as genuine are rejected and must be checked manually. Counterfeit banknotes are handed over to the police.

    Sorting machine
    Sorting machine

    Notes that are fragmented, burnt, decayed, or – due to the improper opening of a security cash box – are dye-stained, or are otherwise severely damaged, are sent to the SNB in Berne for verification.

    Damaged banknotes
    Damaged banknotes
    Damaged banknotes
    Damaged banknotes
  • The sorting machines used for the processing of banknotes have an integrated shredder, which, in one and the same process, destroys banknotes that have been recognised as genuine but are no longer suitable for circulation. What remain are snippets of banknotes, which are compacted and subsequently taken to the public waste incinerator.

    Banknote snippets
    Banknote snippets
    Banknote snippets before they are transported to the incineration plant
    Banknote snippets before they are transported to the incineration plant
  • The life span of a banknote varies depending on the denomination. Large denominations tend to have a longer life expectancy than small ones. In 2022, destroyed notes accounted for 24% of all processed notes. This figure is unusually high and is attributable to the introduction of the new banknote series and the associated destruction of incoming notes from the old banknote series.

    In 2022, the SNB put 61.7 million freshly printed banknotes with a total nominal value of CHF 10.9 billion into circulation. It destroyed 51.4 million damaged or recalled banknotes with a face value of CHF 10.4 billion.

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