Decode the cryptic 2- and 3-digit numbers printed on ceramic disc, monolithic, and tantalum capacitors; expand EIA-96 SMD codes (A2, B5…); and reverse the process: type a capacitance and get the code that should appear on the part.
Ceramic capacitors print capacitance in picofarads using a JIS-style mnemonic.
A 1- or 2-digit number is the value directly in pF.
A 3-digit number reads as XY × 10Z pF, like resistors:
104 → 10 × 104 = 100 000 pF = 100 nF = 0.1 µF.
Letter suffixes give tolerance (J = ±5 %, K = ±10 %, M = ±20 %);
a leading or trailing letter often gives voltage rating
(2A = 100 V, 1H = 50 V, 2D = 200 V).
Tiny 0402 / 0603 / 0805 SMD ceramic caps don't have room for full numerics.
The EIA-96 scheme uses 2 digits + 1 letter multiplier or 1 letter + 1 digit:
the digit pair (or letter index) gives the significant value, and the letter is a power-of-ten multiplier.
Letters skip I, O, Q, R, U, V, W, X
to avoid look-alikes.
| Letter | Tolerance | Notes |
|---|
A digit-letter pair printed before the numeric code maps to a working DC voltage.
| Code | Volts | Code | Volts | Code | Volts |
|---|
For 2-digit + letter SMD markings, the digits look up the significand here, and the trailing letter multiplies it by a power of ten.
| Code | Value | Code | Value | Code | Value | Code | Value |
|---|
| Letter | Multiplier | Letter | Multiplier | Letter | Multiplier |
|---|