An MQFP package is a metric quad flat package: a leadframe-based plastic body with gull-wing leads on four sides, dimensioned in millimeters rather than in inch-derived pitches. In practice the label points at the thick QFP class, roughly 2.0 mm to 3.4 mm tall, on 0.50 mm to 0.80 mm pitch. If MQFP appeared in a BOM you inherited, this page tells you what the part physically is and whether you can still buy it.

Key takeaways

• JCET specifies its MQFP family as 10 x 10 mm to 28 x 28 mm bodies, 44 to 208 leads, 0.50 mm to 0.80 mm pitch, and 2.0 mm to 3.4 mm package height.
• MQFP sits in JEDEC registration MS-022, which covers plastic QFPs at 0.65 mm, 0.8 mm and 1.0 mm pitch. LQFP and TQFP sit in MS-026.
• MQFP is thick. A 28 x 28 mm 208-lead part stands 3.4 mm tall, more than twice an LQFP of the same body size.
• The thickness buys thermal margin: JCET lists 24.8 degC/W for its 208-lead MQFP and 18.4 degC/W for the heat-spreader MQFP-d version.
• Most catalog devices in this package are obsolete. Treat MQFP as a maintenance footprint, and specify LQFP or TQFP for anything new.

What the MQFP name actually specifies

Quad flat package describes the lead arrangement: gull-wing leads on all four sides of a molded plastic body, surface mounted, with pin 1 marked by an index feature and numbering running counter-clockwise from it.

The M prefix marks metric dimensioning. Early quad flat packs inherited inch-derived pitches, and the metric family standardized on 0.65 mm and its neighbors instead. That distinction mattered in the early 1990s. Today every quad flat package you will meet is metric, which is why MQFP survives mostly as a legacy label in assembly-house catalogs and old package filters.

JEDEC keeps the families apart by registration number. MS-022 covers plastic quad flat packages at 0.65 mm, 0.8 mm and 1.0 mm pitch, which is the MQFP class. MS-026 covers the thin and low-profile family, meaning TQFP at 1.20 mm maximum height and LQFP at 1.60 mm maximum height. MS-029 covers the shrink family at 0.4 mm and 0.5 mm pitch.

A concrete example of an MS-022 part: QFP65P3120X3120X410-160N, a 160-lead package on 0.65 mm pitch with a 31.2 mm lead span and 4.10 mm height, registered under MS-022 variation DD. Read that name against an LQFP-144 at 22 mm span and 1.60 mm height and the difference in physical class is obvious.

MQFP dimensions, lead counts and body sizes

The JCET MQFP product brief gives the family envelope directly, and it is the most specific published range for the package class.

Parameter	MQFP family value	Source
Body sizes	10 x 10 mm to 28 x 28 mm	JCET MQFP brief
Lead counts	44 to 208	JCET MQFP brief
Lead pitch	0.50 mm to 0.80 mm	JCET MQFP brief
Package height	2.0 mm to 3.4 mm	JCET MQFP brief
Moisture sensitivity	JEDEC Level 3	JCET MQFP brief
Lead finish	Matte tin	JCET MQFP brief
Packing	Tape and reel, tube, JEDEC tray	JCET MQFP brief

The same brief lists the tooled body-and-lead combinations: 10 x 10 mm at 44 and 52 leads, 14 x 20 mm at 80, 100 and 128 leads, and 28 x 28 mm at 128, 160 and 208 leads. The 14 x 20 mm entry is the one that surprises people, since it is rectangular and will not accept a square footprint.

Two package cross-sections carry real numbers worth keeping. JCET gives the 100-lead 14 x 14 x 2.0 mm MQFP a 9.0 x 9.0 mm die pad with a 7.8 x 7.8 mm die, and the 208-lead 28 x 28 x 3.4 mm part a 14.0 x 14.0 mm pad with a 10.2 x 10.2 mm die. Those pad sizes set how much heat reaches the leadframe and how much mold compound sits above the die.

MQFP against LQFP and TQFP

These three differ in one dimension that changes everything downstream: molded body thickness.

Attribute	MQFP	LQFP	TQFP
Body thickness class	2.0 to 3.4 mm	1.40 mm	1.00 mm
Max height	up to 3.4 mm (208L)	1.60 mm	1.20 mm
Typical pitch	0.50 to 0.80 mm	0.40 to 0.80 mm	0.40 to 0.80 mm
JEDEC registration	MS-022	MS-026	MS-026
Lead count range	44 to 208	32 to 256	32 to 256
New-design status	Legacy	Current	Current

The extra millimeters of mold compound are the reason MQFP hung on. More plastic and a larger die pad move heat better than a 1.40 mm body can, and the package tolerates larger die. That advantage has been eaten by exposed-pad LQFP and QFN parts, which conduct heat down into the board instead of up through plastic.

Thermal performance, with numbers

JCET publishes simulated junction-to-ambient figures for a 4-layer board per JEDEC JESD51-7, under natural convection per JESD51-2. The 100-lead 14 x 14 x 2.0 mm MQFP comes in at 37.0 degC/W. The 208-lead 28 x 28 x 3.4 mm part reaches 24.8 degC/W.

The heat-spreader variant matters if you are keeping a legacy design alive. MQFP-d embeds an anodized aluminum spreader during molding, and JCET rates the 208-lead version at 18.4 degC/W, which the brief describes as roughly a 30 percent typical improvement over standard MQFP. It is available in the 28 x 28 mm body, and availability should be confirmed with the assembly house rather than assumed.

Read those numbers against the test condition before using them. A 4-layer JESD51-7 board with generous copper is a friendlier thermal environment than a 2-layer board in a sealed enclosure, so derate accordingly.

MQFP land patterns

Because MQFP bodies use coarser pitch than the low-profile family, the land patterns are more forgiving. Holtek publishes usable values for the thick QFP geometries in its footprint guide, revision 1.10 dated 13 August 2025. Values in millimeters, where D and W are the outer land span, x is pad width and y is pad length.

Package	Pitch	Land span D x W	Pad width x	Pad length y
44 lead, 10 x 10 mm	0.80	12.3 x 12.3 BSC	0.50	2.25
52 lead, 10 x 10 mm	0.65	12.3 x 12.3 BSC	0.45	2.25
64 lead, 14 x 14 mm	0.80	16.3 x 16.3 BSC	0.50	2.25
80 lead, 14 x 20 mm	0.80	17.0 x 23.0 BSC	0.50	2.25
100 lead, 14 x 20 mm	0.65	17.6 x 23.6 BSC	0.45	2.85
128 lead, 14 x 20 mm	0.50	16.4 x 22.4 BSC	0.30	2.05
208 lead, 28 x 28 mm	0.50	30.0 x 30.0 BSC	0.30	1.65

Pad length on the thick packages runs 2.25 mm to 2.85 mm against 1.65 mm on a low-profile part. That is the visible consequence of a longer lead foot and a taller standoff, and it is why an MQFP land pattern does not shrink onto an LQFP body of the same lead count.

NXP application note AN4388 sets the design rule behind those numbers: pad width follows lead pitch, and pad length equals the nominal foot length plus an extension at heel and toe. For its 14 x 14 mm 0.65 mm pitch example the note lands on a 0.38 mm pad width and a 1.80 mm pad length, built from a 0.80 mm nominal foot with 0.50 mm of extension on each end. Apply the same construction to whichever MQFP body you are supporting.

Availability: what you can still buy

This is the part most package glossaries skip. Catalog devices in thick QFP bodies have largely left production.

• Microchip ATF1504AS-7QC100, a 64-macrocell CPLD in a 100-lead PQFP on a 14 x 20 mm body, is listed obsolete at DigiKey.
• Altera EPM7192EQC160-20, 192 macrocells in a 160-lead PQFP on 28 x 28 mm, is listed obsolete.
• Microchip A42MX24-FPQG160, an antifuse FPGA in the same 160-lead 28 x 28 mm body, requires a manufacturer-approved quote and is listed obsolete.

The pattern is consistent: the silicon migrated to 100-lead TQFP on 14 x 14 mm and to BGA. Microchip ATF1508AS-10AI100 in a 100-lead TQFP remains stocked, which is the practical second source when a 100-lead PQFP part dries up. That swap is a board change, since the body drops from 14 x 20 mm to 14 x 14 mm and the pitch changes with it.

For a design you must keep building, buy through franchised distribution and treat broker stock with suspicion. Obsolete quad flat packs in high-visibility bodies are a favorite counterfeit target, and a 28 x 28 mm package gives plenty of room for a remarked top surface. Decapsulation or X-ray on an incoming lot is cheap next to a field failure.

Assembly notes

MQFP parts ship at JEDEC moisture sensitivity Level 3 per the JCET brief, which means a limited floor life once the dry pack is opened. Bake per J-STD-033 if the bag has been open past its window. A 3.4 mm body holds more moisture than a 1.4 mm one, and popcorning at reflow peak is the failure it produces.

Lead damage is the other recurring problem. Thick QFPs in trays and tubes have long, exposed leads with no bumpers, and a dropped tray bends feet out of coplanarity. Inspect incoming lots on legacy parts rather than trusting the reel.

Reflow profiles built for modern thin packages can under-heat a 3.4 mm body. Check the profile against the thickest package on the board, since the thermal mass difference between a 3.4 mm MQFP and a 1.0 mm TQFP on the same panel is substantial.

Frequently asked questions

What does MQFP stand for?

Metric quad flat package. It describes a plastic, leadframe-based surface-mount package with gull-wing leads on all four sides, dimensioned in millimeters. The metric distinction separated it from earlier inch-derived quad flat packs, and today the label mostly identifies the thick QFP class rather than a unique geometry.

What is the difference between MQFP and LQFP?

Body thickness and registration. MQFP runs 2.0 mm to 3.4 mm tall under JEDEC MS-022; LQFP is 1.40 mm thick with 1.60 mm maximum height under MS-026. The land patterns differ too, with MQFP pads running 2.25 mm or longer against 1.65 mm on LQFP.

What pitch does an MQFP use?

JCET specifies 0.50 mm to 0.80 mm across its MQFP family. The JEDEC MS-022 registration that covers this class spans 0.65 mm, 0.8 mm and 1.0 mm pitch. Coarse pitch is one reason legacy boards using this package escape-route comfortably on two layers.

Is MQFP still used in new designs?

Rarely. Catalog devices in thick QFP bodies are largely obsolete, and current parts ship in LQFP, TQFP, QFN or BGA. Treat MQFP as a maintenance footprint for existing hardware, and expect a board revision when the original device goes end of life.

How much better is MQFP-d thermally?

JCET rates its 208-lead MQFP at 24.8 degC/W junction-to-ambient and the heat-spreader MQFP-d version of the same body at 18.4 degC/W, describing the gain as roughly 30 percent typical. Both figures are simulated on a 4-layer board per JESD51-7 under natural convection per JESD51-2.

What to do with an MQFP in your BOM

If the board is in production and the device is still orderable, leave it alone and buy through franchised distribution with incoming inspection on any broker lot. Confirm the body size in the vendor drawing before touching the footprint, since 14 x 20 mm rectangular bodies share lead counts with square ones.

If the device is obsolete, plan the migration now rather than at the last-time-buy notice. The usual landing spot is the same silicon in a 100-lead TQFP on 14 x 14 mm, which costs a board revision and buys a decade of availability. Check thermal margin during that move, since dropping from a 2.0 mm body to a 1.0 mm one gives up the mold compound that was carrying heat.

For anything new, specify LQFP or TQFP under MS-026, or an exposed-pad package if the die runs hot. The MQFP thermal advantage no longer justifies the height.

[IMAGE 1: cross-section comparison of MQFP, LQFP and TQFP bodies at the same lead count, heights labeled | alt: “MQFP package cross-section compared with LQFP and TQFP body thickness”]

[IMAGE 2: MQFP land pattern with pad width, pad length and land span called out for a 0.65 mm pitch body | alt: “MQFP land pattern showing 0.45 mm pad width and 2.85 mm pad length at 0.65 mm pitch”]

[IMAGE 3: top view of a 208-lead 28 x 28 mm metric quad flat package with pin 1 index marked | alt: “Metric quad flat package top view, 208 leads on a 28 x 28 mm body”]

Sources

• JCET Group, MQFP – Metric Quad Flat Pack product brief, 2019.
• Holtek Semiconductor, Recommended Footprints for QFP Series, User Guide Rev. 1.10, 13 August 2025.
• NXP Semiconductors, AN4388 Rev. 2.0, Quad Flat Package (QFP) application note.
• JEDEC Publication 95, registrations MS-022 (plastic QFP, 0.65 / 0.8 / 1.0 mm pitch), MS-026 (thin and low-profile QFP) and MS-029 (shrink QFP).
• JEDEC JESD51-2 and JESD51-7, thermal test environment and test board specifications.
• DigiKey product pages for ATF1504AS-7QC100, ATF1508AS-10AI100, EPM7192EQC160-20 and A42MX24-FPQG160 (lifecycle status).
• [INTERNAL LINK: LQFP-64 package dimensions, pinout and footprint -> the current low-profile replacement family]
• [INTERNAL LINK: LQFP-80 package dimensions, pinout and footprint -> adjacent lead count in the low-profile family]
• [INTERNAL LINK: PCB footprint creation step by step -> building the land pattern for a legacy package]
• [INTERNAL LINK: paste layer design for thermal pads -> stencil work on thick-body packages]