How to Read and Understand SMD Capacitor Codes [Solve]

In one of our articles How to Identify SMD Components from Their Appearances, we introduce how to identify SMD capacitors from appearances, but we still have a question: how to read and understand capacitors codes?

When you source electronic components, you need to deliver a bill of materials (BOM) that must contain the component codes; when you receive the electronic components, you also need to check the components by reading the codes on the materials trays or packages.

Note: On electronic component packages or BOMs, the components usually have two code series - common codes and manufacturer codes. Manufacturers such as Samsung and Panasonic have different coding rules, but common code rules are used worldwide.

This article will guide you on how to read and understand common SMD capacitor codes. Reading and understanding SMD capacitor codes is not difficult at all. When you know how to read common SMD capacitor codes, you will also find it easy to understand other component codes and manufacturers' SMD capacitor codes.

Understanding 3 Parts of SMD Capacitor Codes

An SMD capacitor code series is composed of 11 codes. A code has 3 parts that are connected by "-". For example, ECA-0105Y-K31.

The first part is the system codes consisting of 3 uppercase letters. The system codes represent the component type and material.

The second part is the feature codes consisting of 4 numbers and 1 uppercase letter, or 5 numbers. The feature codes represent the capacitance value and working voltage.

The last part is the packaging part consisting of 1 uppercase letter and 2 numbers. The packaging codes represent the size and packaging method of the SMD capacitors.

Let's read SMD capacitor codes one by one from the below content.

SMD capacitor 1st code E means SMD category

The 1st code E means the electronic component belongs to surface-mounted devices (SMD).

For example, ECA-0105Y-K31, ECS-0105F-KB1, and ECH-0107F-KG1 are all SMD components.

SMD capacitor 2nd code C means SMD capacitor

The 2nd code C means the SMD component is an SMD capacitor. C stands for capacitors.

For example, ECA-0105Y-K31, ECS-0105F-KB1, and ECH-0107F-KG1 are all SMD capacitors.

SMD capacitor 3rd code stands for the capacitor material and soldering surface

The 3rd code stands for the SMD capacitor's materials and soldering surface.

For example, the 3rd code A in ECA-0105Y-K31 means that the capacitor material is ceramic, and the soldering surface is nickel-plated.

Here is a table of the SMD capacitor 3rd code's coding rules.

SMD capacitor 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th codes stand for the capacitance value

The 4th, 5th, and 6th codes are the absolute numbers of the capacitance value, and the 7th code is the power of 10.

For example, in the SMD capacitor code series ECA-0105Y-K31, 0105 means 10 × 10^5 pF = 10^6pF = 1μF.

SMD capacitor 8th code means the capacitor's working voltage

The 8th code in the SMD capacitor codes stands for the capacitor's working voltage. For example, the 8th code Y in ECA-0105Y-K31 means the working voltage of the SMD capacitor is 16V.

For ceramic capacitors, tantalum capacitors, and electrolytic capacitors, the 9th code has different coding rules. Here are 3 tables for the 8th code's coding rule.

1. Ceramic capacitor the 8th code corresponding voltage table

2. Tantalum capacitor the 8th code corresponding voltage table

3. Electrolytic capacitor the 8th code corresponding voltage table

SMD capacitor 9th code means capacitance value tolerance

The 9th code in the SMD capacitor codes stands for the capacitor's capacitance value tolerance. The smaller the tolerance, the more accurate the capacitance value.

For example, the 9th code K in ECA-0105Y-K31 stands for the ±10% capacitance tolerance.

Here is a table for the SMD capacitor 9th code's coding rule.

SMD capacitor 10th code means the capacitor's size

The 10th code stands for the capacitor's package size.

For example, 3 in the ceramic capacitor SMD code series ECA-0105Y-K31 stands for the capacitor package size of 0603 (0.06inch × 0.03inch) in the imperial system [equals to 1608 (1.6mm × 0.8mm) in the metric system].

For ceramic capacitors, tantalum capacitors, and electrolytic capacitors, the 10th code has different coding rules. Here are 3 tables for the 10th code's coding rule.

1. Ceramic capacitor the 10th code corresponding package size table

2. Tantalum capacitor the 10th code corresponding package size table

3. Electrolytic capacitor the 10th code corresponding package size table

SMD capacitor 11th code means packaging method for the capacitor

The 11th code in the SMD capacitor code series means the packaging method for the package.

For example, the 11th code 1 in the SMD ceramic capacitor code series ECA-0105Y-K3 means the capacitors' tape and reel width is 8mm.

Here is the 11th code's coding rule table for all SMD capacitors.

Besides, for SMD tantalum capacitors, the 11th code can also be W, which means a waffle package for the tantalum capacitor.

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Conclusion

This article illustrates how to read and understand SMD capacitor codes in detail. If you need SMD capacitors or PCB assembly services, don't miss the one-stop electronics manufacturer PCBONLINE.