Disclosed herein are contact pads for use with integrated circuit (IC) packages. In some embodiments, a contact pad disclosed herein may be disposed on a substrate of an IC package, and may include a metal projection portion and a metal recess portion. Each of the metal projection portion and the metal recess portion may have a solder contact surface. The solder contact surface of the metal recess portion may be spaced away from the solder contact surface of the metal projection portion. Related devices and techniques are also disclosed herein, and other embodiments may be claimed.