If you’re unsure about an unusual marking’s meaning, if the capacitor doesn’t indicate a crucial piece of info (such as the breakdown voltage), or if you’re designing a new project and specifying capacitors, check the complete datasheet to be sure you have what you need to proceed safely.CAPACITOR 476 10K SMD Datasheets Context Search Catalog DatasheetĪbstract: capacitor 476 10k SMD capacitor 476 10k 040 SMD capacitor 476 SMD SMD CAPACITORS 106 E smd E23 smd 476 10k 0R122 CERAMICS CAPACITORS 0402 capacitor SMD 476 With these guidelines, you should be able to quickly check the specs of any capacitor you are using. The capacitor tolerance chart below shows some common tolerance letter codes:

Other optional data may include values such as:Ĭomponent manufacturers indicate tolerance with a letter code that refers to variances as small as +/- 0.5pF (indicated as A) up to -20/+80% (written as Z). If you come across these capacitors, try looking up a capacitor color code guide like the one here to decipher the codes for capacitance, breakdown voltage, and other values.

Modern capacitors use the numerical markings we outlined above, but older capacitors employed a (now obsolete) color coding system. Also note the indications for the breakdown voltage and operating temperature. Usually the line is white, but below you can see a capacitor with a black stripe marking the negative pole. If the capacitor bears a second value, it will typically be its breakdown voltage, expressed as a number followed by V, such as “25V” or “100V.”įinally, in the case of a capacitor with polarized leads, you’ll typically see a colored stripe on the negative side. You’ll need to know the difference between 134μF written directly or at 130,000μF written in an exponential coding.Īfter capacitance, the next most important spec is the breakdown voltage.

It’s important to know the general range of capacitance to understand how to read the numbers. You may see a number between 1 and 999 written directly on them. Note that tiny capacitors – under 1000μF – will indicate the capacitance directly in picofarads.

The numbers eight and nine refer not to an exponential power of eight and nine, but to a multiplier of.

In this marking formula, it is important to note that the final digit may indicate a few different things:

Surface mount capacitor code chart