An SMD case code is a length-and-width shorthand: imperial 0603 means 0.060 in × 0.030 in, or 1.6 mm × 0.8 mm (metric 1608). This SMD package size chart gives the dimensions for every common case code — resistors, ceramic capacitors, and tantalums — plus the one number the code leaves out: height. Get the code system and the profile right before you draw a footprint or set a board-height limit.
Key takeaways
- The four-digit code is length × width only: imperial 0603 = 0.060 × 0.030 in = 1.6 × 0.8 mm.
- Height is not in the code. An 0805 MLCC runs 0.65 to 1.25+ mm thick depending on value, while an 0805 resistor is about 0.5 mm.
- Metric 0603 equals imperial 0201 — the collision that swaps a mid-size part for a tiny one.
- Tantalums use a separate letter system: A / B / C / D / X = EIA 3216 / 3528 / 6032 / 7343.
- Codes follow EIA (imperial) and IEC/JIS (metric); taping follows EIA-481 and land patterns IPC-7351 — the body size is not the footprint.
- Below 0402, parts are reflow-first: 0201, 01005, and 008004 fight hand assembly.
The master SMD case-code chart
The code reads directly as dimensions. In imperial, each pair of digits is a body dimension in hundredths of an inch, so 0805 is 0.08 in × 0.05 in. The metric name states the same body in tenths of a millimeter — 0805 becomes 2012 (2.0 mm × 1.25 mm).
[IMAGE 1: labeled SMD chip with length and width callouts showing both imperial and metric codes | alt: “SMD package size chart code showing length and width in imperial and metric”]
The table below lists the common case codes with nominal length and width and the components that use them. Values are nominal body dimensions; confirm against the specific datasheet.
| Imperial | Metric | L × W (mm) | L × W (in) | Common components |
| 008004 | 0201 | 0.25 × 0.125 | 0.008 × 0.004 | MLCC (smallest) |
| 01005 | 0402 | 0.4 × 0.2 | 0.016 × 0.008 | Resistor, MLCC |
| 0201 | 0603 | 0.6 × 0.3 | 0.024 × 0.012 | Resistor, MLCC, LED |
| 0402 | 1005 | 1.0 × 0.5 | 0.040 × 0.020 | Resistor, MLCC, inductor, LED |
| 0603 | 1608 | 1.6 × 0.8 | 0.060 × 0.030 | Resistor, MLCC, inductor, LED |
| 0805 | 2012 | 2.0 × 1.25 | 0.079 × 0.049 | Resistor, MLCC, inductor, LED |
| 1206 | 3216 | 3.2 × 1.6 | 0.126 × 0.063 | Resistor, MLCC, tantalum (A/S) |
| 1210 | 3225 | 3.2 × 2.5 | 0.126 × 0.098 | Resistor, MLCC |
| 1812 | 4532 | 4.5 × 3.2 | 0.177 × 0.126 | MLCC, tantalum |
| 2010 | 5025 | 5.0 × 2.5 | 0.197 × 0.098 | Resistor |
| 2220 | 5750 | 5.7 × 5.0 | 0.225 × 0.197 | MLCC |
| 2512 | 6332 | 6.3 × 3.2 | 0.248 × 0.126 | Resistor |
For general work, 0402 through 1206 cover most designs, with 0603 the common default. Below 0402, placement gets hard fast: 0201 and 01005 need fine stencils and tight process control, and Murata’s smallest chip capacitor, 008004, measures just 0.25 mm × 0.125 mm.
The trap the chart hides: height isn’t in the code
The case code fixes length and width. It says nothing about height, and that is where footprints and enclosures collide. Two parts with the same 0805 code can differ in profile by more than 2:1, because thickness is set by what is inside, not by the outline.
Resistors are thin and consistent. Per Vishay’s D/CRCW dimensions (doc 20008), an 0402 resistor is about 0.35 mm tall, 0603 about 0.45 mm, and 0805 about 0.5 mm. Ceramic capacitors are not consistent: an 0805 MLCC’s thickness climbs with capacitance and voltage.
| Case code | Resistor height | MLCC thickness range | Why they differ |
| 0402 (1005) | ~0.35 mm | up to ~0.5 mm | More dielectric layers add height |
| 0603 (1608) | ~0.45 mm | ~0.5–0.8 mm | Same footprint, taller build |
| 0805 (2012) | ~0.5 mm | 0.65 / 0.85 / 1.15 / 1.25 mm | Thickness set by value, not the code |
| 1206 (3216) | ~0.55 mm | up to ~1.6 mm | High-cap parts are much taller |
| 1210 (3225) | ~0.55 mm | up to ~2.5 mm | A 1210 MLCC can be 2.5 mm tall |
Those MLCC thickness classes come from manufacturer datasheets. Samsung’s MLCC catalog lists 0805 thickness codes of 0.65, 0.85, 1.15, and 1.25 mm, and Murata specifies a 1210 capacitor at 3.2 mm × 2.5 mm × 2.5 mm — a part whose height nearly matches its width. The resistor in the same 1210 outline is roughly 0.55 mm.
Worked example. A design caps component height at 1.0 mm. An 0805 resistor (0.5 mm) fits, and an 0805 C0G capacitor at 0.65 mm fits. A high-value 0805 X5R at 1.25 mm does not — same footprint, over the limit. Check the Z dimension on the exact part, because the case code will not warn you.
Imperial vs metric case codes
The code carries a built-in ambiguity. Imperial 0603 is 1.6 mm × 0.8 mm. Metric 0603 is 0.6 mm × 0.3 mm — which is imperial 0201. The two “0603” parts are not interchangeable, and reading one as the other drops a near-invisible chip onto a footprint meant for a much bigger one.
Most vendors label parts with imperial codes but design boards in millimeters, which is how the mix-up starts. The fix is mechanical: put both codes on every BOM line and in the CAD library, like “0603 / 1608,” and confirm the system with the supplier before ordering. When a datasheet shows only a metric code, convert it before you trust your memory.
[IMAGE 2: side-by-side of an imperial 0603 and a metric 0603 (imperial 0201) at true relative scale | alt: “imperial 0603 versus metric 0603 SMD size comparison showing the code collision”]
Case sizes by component: resistors, MLCCs, tantalums
The same code behaves differently across component families, and tantalums use a different system entirely.
Resistors follow the chart directly and stay thin. Body dimensions and heights track Vishay’s outlines, and power scales with size rather than height, so the L×W chart is enough for most resistor work.
Ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) share the 0402–2220 codes but add the thickness problem above. A given case can hold very different capacitance depending on dielectric class — a stable C0G/NP0 part holds less than a high-density X7R or X5R in the same body — and the higher-value parts are taller. Vendors code the thickness separately in the part number, so read it.
Tantalums ignore the four-digit code and use letter case codes mapped to EIA metric outlines that include height. The common set, per KEMET and EPCOS datasheets:
| Letter | EIA metric | L × W × H (mm) |
| A | 3216-18 | 3.2 × 1.6 × 1.6 |
| B | 3528-21 | 3.5 × 2.8 × 1.9 |
| C | 6032-28 | 6.0 × 3.2 × 2.5 |
| D | 7343-31 | 7.3 × 4.3 × 2.8 |
| X | 7343-43 | 7.3 × 4.3 × 4.0 |
Two things trip people here. First, a tantalum “A” case is a 3216 metric outline — the same footprint as a 1206 chip, but the coding logic is unrelated, so cross-referencing by the number alone fails. Second, the same footprint comes in height variants: a 7343 is a “D” at 2.8 mm or an “X” at 4.0 mm, so the letter, not the metric number, sets the profile. Low-profile tantalum variants (S, T, U, V) exist for height-limited boards.
Tolerance and land pattern: body size isn’t the footprint
The chart lists nominal dimensions, but every part carries a tolerance. An 0402 body is 1.0 mm × 0.5 mm with roughly ±0.05 mm on each dimension, and larger cases hold wider bands — a tantalum C case is 6.0 mm ±0.3 mm long, per EPCOS. Those tolerances feed directly into pad design.
The pad pattern is not the body. Land patterns follow IPC-7351, which defines density levels — level A (most robust, hand-friendly), B (general), and C (high density) — with different fillet allowances. Draw pads from the IPC land pattern or the manufacturer’s recommendation, never from the body outline alone, or you will get poor fillets and yield loss. Reels and tape follow EIA-481, and reflow handling follows J-STD-020 moisture classification.
How to pick a case size
Work the choice in this order and the field narrows quickly.
- Start from the electrical need. Set the resistor power or the capacitor value and voltage first; that sets a minimum case.
- Add the height budget. Check the enclosure’s Z limit against the part’s real thickness, not the case code — critical for MLCCs and tantalums.
- Match your assembly. For hand or mixed builds, stay at 0603 or larger; 0402 and below need reflow and inspection.
- Confirm the code system. Verify imperial versus metric before ordering, and label both in the BOM.
- Design the land pattern. Use the IPC-7351 pad geometry for the case, not the body dimensions.
Case-size mistakes that cause returns
- Assuming height from the case code, then finding a tall MLCC or tantalum breaks the enclosure fit.
- Confusing metric and imperial — ordering a metric 0603 (imperial 0201) for an imperial-0603 land.
- Cross-referencing a tantalum by its metric number and missing the height variant (D versus X).
- Drawing pads from body dimensions instead of the IPC-7351 land pattern.
- Hand-placing 0201 or 01005 on boards that will need rework, driving tombstoning.
- Ignoring dimensional tolerance on larger cases, so pads and courtyards are too tight.
FAQ
What is 0603 in mm?
An imperial 0603 SMD part is 1.6 mm × 0.8 mm — 0.060 in × 0.030 in — and is also called metric 1608. That is the length and width of the body only; height is not encoded and depends on the component. A metric 0603, by contrast, is 0.6 mm × 0.3 mm.
Is imperial 0603 the same as metric 0603?
No. Imperial 0603 is 1.6 mm × 0.8 mm; metric 0603 is 0.6 mm × 0.3 mm, which equals imperial 0201. They are different parts. Always confirm whether a code is imperial (EIA) or metric (IEC/JIS) before drawing a footprint or ordering, and list both codes in your BOM.
Do resistors and capacitors use the same SMD size codes?
Chip resistors and ceramic capacitors share the same four-digit L×W codes (0402, 0603, 0805, and so on), so an 0603 resistor and an 0603 MLCC have the same footprint. Their heights differ: MLCCs get taller with capacitance, while resistors stay thin. Tantalum capacitors use a separate letter code system instead.
What is the height of an 0805 capacitor?
It varies with capacitance and voltage. Per Samsung’s MLCC data, an 0805 ceramic capacitor comes in thickness classes of about 0.65, 0.85, 1.15, and 1.25 mm — more than double from thinnest to thickest, all in the same 2.0 mm × 1.25 mm footprint. Always read the thickness code in the part number.
What are the tantalum capacitor case codes?
Tantalums use letter codes mapped to EIA metric outlines: A = 3216, B = 3528, C = 6032, D = 7343, with X a taller 7343 variant, per KEMET and EPCOS. The letter sets length, width, and height. Low-profile variants (S, T, U, V) exist for height-limited boards.
What is the smallest SMD package size?
For resistors, 01005 (0.4 mm × 0.2 mm) is the common floor. Ceramic capacitors go smaller: Murata produces 008004 parts at 0.25 mm × 0.125 mm. These sizes are reflow-only, needing fine stencils, precise placement, and magnified inspection — they are not practical for hand assembly.
The bottom line
Read the case code as length and width, then treat height as a separate lookup. For most boards, default to 0603 or 0805 and confirm the imperial-versus-metric system before ordering. For capacitors, pull the real thickness from the part number, because an 0805 or 1210 MLCC can stand far taller than the resistor beside it. For tantalums, size by the letter code, not the metric number. And draw every footprint from the IPC-7351 land pattern, never the body dimensions — that last step prevents more returns than any chart lookup.
