The TO-220-5 package is the five-lead member of the TO-220 family: the same roughly 10 mm body and bolt-down tab, with leads on 1.7 mm pitch instead of 2.54 mm. One outline ships in at least three lead bends, and a footprint drawn for the wrong one will not fit. Below are the dimensions from three vendors, the variant map, and the thermal figure most datasheets leave out.
Key takeaways
- Nominal pitch is 1.7 mm; body is 15.2–15.8 mm × 9.7–10.3 mm × 4.1–4.5 mm per NXP’s SOT263 outline.
- Analog Devices publishes three drawings for one 5-lead TO-220: Standard, Flow 30 and Flow 40.
- ST’s Pentawatt V is a staggered five-lead TO-220 at 3.20–3.60 mm in-row pitch. It is not footprint-compatible with an inline part.
- TI’s LM2596 gives RθJC(top) = 2 °C/W and no tab thermal resistance. That is the wrong number for a bolted heatsink.
- The through-hole part is MSL 1 with unlimited floor life; its TO-263 sibling is MSL 3 at 168 hours.
What the TO-220-5 package is
TO-220-5 is a plastic, single-ended, heatsink-mounted power package with five leads on 1.7 mm nominal pitch and one mounting hole through the tab. NXP catalogs it as SOT263 with a nominal body of 15.5 mm × 10 mm × 4.3 mm. It carries devices that need more terminals than a three-lead regulator allows.
The name is generic rather than registered. NXP’s package information sheet lists the JEDEC outline code simply as “5-lead TO-220” and the industry code as TO-220-5. Vendors layer their own names on top: Analog Devices calls the straight-lead version T5, Texas Instruments uses NDH and NEB, and ST markets its staggered version as Pentawatt, a registered SGS-Thomson trademark.
[IMAGE 1: Front, side and rear views of a five-lead TO-220 with lead pitch, body width, seated height and tab hole dimensioned | alt: “TO-220-5 package dimensions showing 1.7 mm lead pitch, 10 mm body width and tab mounting hole”]
TO-220-5 dimensions across three vendors
| Dimension | NXP SOT263 (8 Feb 2016) | ADI T5, DWG 05-08-1421 | ST Pentawatt V (TDA2050) |
| Lead pitch | 1.7 mm nominal (e) | 1.70 mm / 0.067 in BSC | 3.20–3.60 mm in-row, 3.40 typ (G) |
| Span over two pitches | — | — | 6.60–7.00 mm, 6.80 typ (G1) |
| Package length | 15.2–15.8 mm (D) | — | 15.55–15.95 mm (L1) |
| Package width | 9.7–10.3 mm (E) | — | 10.40 mm max (H2) |
| Seated height / body thickness | 4.1–4.5 mm (A) | — | 4.80 mm max (A) |
| Mounting hole diameter | — | 3.734–3.937 mm / 0.147–0.155 in | 3.65–3.85 mm (DIA) |
| Terminations | 5 (n2) | 5 | 5 |
| Mass | — | — | 2.00 g |
Two things fall out of that table. First, the tab hole is not common across vendors: ADI’s runs 3.734–3.937 mm while ST’s runs 3.65–3.85 mm. Size a shoulder-washer bushing to 3.65 mm worst case rather than to a 3.8 mm nominal.
Second, ST’s Pentawatt is not a drop-in. Its leads sit in two rows at 3.40 mm in-row pitch, which projects to the same 1.7 mm spacing but needs a two-row land pattern.
The ADI column has gaps because that drawing places dimensions on the figure without a symbol table. Only the pitch (marked BSC) and the hole (marked DIA) can be quoted without guessing which feature owns each value; take the rest from a vendor with a labeled table.
One outline, three lead bends
Analog Devices publishes three drawings for what its catalog calls a 5-lead plastic TO-220. TI does the same under other codes: the LM2596 addendum in SNVS124G (Rev G, March 2023) lists TO-220 (NDH) for most order codes and TO-220 (NEB) for LM2596T-ADJ/LF02, on two distinct drawings.
| Vendor | Designator | Lead form | Where it shows up |
| Analog Devices | T5, DWG 05-08-1421 | Straight, inline | Vertical through-hole mounting |
| Analog Devices | DWG 05-08-1490 | Formed, Flow 30 | Offset or horizontal mounting |
| Analog Devices | DWG 05-08-1480 | Formed, Flow 40 | The only one with a published solder pad layout |
| Texas Instruments | NDH0005D | 5-lead TO-220 | LM2596T-3.3, -5.0, -12, -ADJ/NOPB |
| Texas Instruments | NEB0005B, NEB0005E | 5-lead TO-220 | LM2596T-ADJ/LF02 |
| STMicroelectronics | Pentawatt V | Staggered, vertical | TDA2050V |
Distributors carry the split into the catalog. DigiKey describes LM2596T-ADJ/NOPB as “TO-220-5 Formed Leads” and LM2576T-ADJ/NOPB simply as “TO-220-5”. If your library holds a single TO-220-5 package footprint, it is wrong for one of those two parts.
[IMAGE 2: Three five-lead TO-220 devices side by side showing straight inline leads, formed leads and staggered Pentawatt leads | alt: “TO-220-5 lead bend variants comparing straight inline, formed and staggered Pentawatt leads”]
Pinout, the tab, and what the outline does not define
The outline fixes mechanics and nothing else. On TI’s LM2596, pins 1 to 5 are VIN, switch output, ground, feedback and ON/OFF. Nothing in the package definition requires that order; an audio amplifier in the same body uses a different assignment.
The tab node is equally undefined. ST’s TDA2050 mounting instructions state that no electrical isolation is needed between package and heatsink, with silicone grease for thermal contact — a statement about that device in that circuit. Confirm the tab node in your own datasheet before bolting anything to a chassis.
Thermal reality and a worked example
TI’s LM2596 datasheet gives RθJA = 50 °C/W for the 5-pin TO-220 mounted vertically on roughly 1 in² of 1-oz copper with no heatsink, and RθJC(top) = 2 °C/W.
Read the second figure carefully. RθJC(top) is a JESD51 top-of-package metric, not the tab path, and it is not what you use to size a bolted heatsink. TI publishes no tab thermal resistance for this part; the datasheet substitutes junction-temperature-rise curves taken on a 3-square-inch single-sided 2-oz board.
Worked example. An LM2596-5.0 at VIN = 12 V delivering 3 A. TI specifies 80% efficiency at that operating point, so output is 15 W, input is 18.75 W and dissipation is 3.75 W. At 50 °C/W with no heatsink, 3.75 W lifts the junction 188 °C above ambient — far past the 150 °C limit. Turned around, the bare package supports:
P = (125 − 45) / 50 = 1.6 W at 45 °C ambient, junction held to 125 °C
A heatsink stops being optional somewhere near 1.5 W.
ST handles the same problem differently. The TDA2050 datasheet publishes Rth junction-case of 3 °C/W maximum, total dissipation of 25 W at TCASE = 75 °C, and a sizing table: 12 W needs a 4.2 °C/W sink, 8 W needs 6.2 °C/W, 6 W needs 8.3 °C/W. If your five-lead part comes from a vendor that publishes only RθJA, you will be characterizing the tab path yourself.
[IMAGE 3: Thermal path diagram from junction through tab and interface to heatsink and ambient, annotated with the worked example values | alt: “TO-220-5 thermal path showing junction to tab, tab to heatsink and heatsink to ambient”]
Devices you will actually meet in TO-220-5
| Device | Vendor | Package code | Function | Verified figures |
| LM2596 | TI | NDH / NEB (TO-220, 5) | 150 kHz buck, 3 A | RθJA 50 °C/W; body 14.986 mm × 10.16 mm; MSL 1 |
| LM2576 | TI | TO-220-5 | 52 kHz buck, 3 A | VIN 4–40 V; VOUT to 37 V; TJ −40 to 125 °C |
| TDA2050 | ST | Pentawatt V | 32 W class-AB audio amp | Rth j-c 3 °C/W; Ptot 25 W at TC = 75 °C; obsolete |
Five leads appear where a three-terminal part runs out of pins: a regulator needing feedback and an enable, or an amplifier needing two supplies, an input pair and an output.
Sourcing: MSL, tubes, price and lifecycle
The through-hole part has one process advantage over its surface-mount sibling. TI’s LM2596 addendum rates the TO-220 (NDH) version at MSL Level-1-NA-UNLIM — unlimited floor life, no dry pack, no pre-bake — while the TO-263 (KTT) version is Level-3-245C-168 HR. The same table lists the TO-220 parts as RoHS compliant and the TO-263 parts as RoHS exempt.
Shipping is 45 pieces per tube. Checked in August 2026, DigiKey listed LM2576T-ADJ/NOPB at 4,879 in stock against a 6-week manufacturer lead time, priced from $3.54 in ones down to $1.87 at 5,040 pieces — a 1.9× spread. LM2596T-ADJ/NOPB was showing out of stock and backorder at the same moment, and the older non-NOPB LM2596T-ADJ is flagged as no longer manufactured. Second-source before you commit a single order code.
One documentation trap. The thermal table in SNVS124G labels its columns KTW (TO-263) and NDZ (TO-220), while the package information table and the orderable addendum in the same document use KTT, NDH and NEB. Map by pin count and package family, not by the suffix in the thermal table.
Five mistakes that cause rework
- One library footprint named TO-220-5. Straight and formed leads need different land patterns and different insertion depths.
- Sizing tab hardware to 3.8 mm. ST’s Pentawatt hole starts at 3.65 mm; a bushing cut for the larger figure binds.
- Using RθJC(top) to size a heatsink. It is a top-of-package metric. It says nothing about the tab.
- Treating Pentawatt as an inline TO-220-5. The leads are staggered across two rows at 3.40 mm in-row pitch.
- Assuming the pinout follows the family. The outline defines mechanics only; pin 1 is whatever the datasheet says it is.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pitch of a TO-220-5 package?
1.7 mm nominal. NXP’s SOT263 package information sheet lists e = 1.7 mm, and Analog Devices’ 5-lead TO-220 drawing gives 0.067 in, or 1.70 mm, BSC. ST’s staggered Pentawatt V measures 3.20 to 3.60 mm between leads in the same row, which projects down to the same 1.7 mm spacing.
Is TO-220-5 the same as SOT263?
Yes. NXP’s package information sheet for SOT263 gives both the descriptive code and the industry code as TO-220-5, and the JEDEC outline code as 5-lead TO-220. Treat them as one package, then verify the lead form separately, because neither name implies a particular bend.
What is a Pentawatt package?
Pentawatt is STMicroelectronics’ name for its five-lead TO-220-style power package, a registered SGS-Thomson trademark. The vertical version used on the TDA2050 has staggered leads at 3.20 to 3.60 mm in-row pitch, a 3.65 to 3.85 mm tab hole, and a mass of 2.00 g per ST’s mechanical data.
How much power can a TO-220-5 dissipate?
That depends on the die and the heatsink, not the outline. With no heatsink, TI specifies 50 °C/W junction-to-ambient for the LM2596 in TO-220-5 mounted vertically on about 1 in² of copper. At 45 °C ambient with the junction held to 125 °C, that supports roughly 1.6 W.
What is the TO-220-5 mounting hole size?
Analog Devices’ 5-lead TO-220 drawing gives 0.147 to 0.155 in, or 3.734 to 3.937 mm. ST specifies 3.65 to 3.85 mm for Pentawatt V. Size mounting hardware to the smallest figure you might receive rather than to a single nominal value, since the ranges do not fully overlap.
What to do next
Before laying out a footprint: pull the exact mechanical drawing referenced against your order code, not the generic package name. NDH and NEB are both described as “TO-220, 5” and are not the same drawing.
Before sizing a heatsink: check whether the vendor publishes a tab thermal resistance. If the datasheet offers only RθJA and RθJC(top), you are measuring the tab path yourself.
Before choosing between TO-220-5 and TO-263-5: if your line has no dry-pack handling, the through-hole part’s MSL 1 rating deletes a process step and a bake oven.
Before releasing the BOM: confirm the lead form in the distributor description. “TO-220-5” and “TO-220-5 Formed Leads” sit on the same shelf and are different parts.
