EMC Question of the Week: July 21, 2025

illustration of a top view and side view of a two-terminal surface mount component

Two-terminal surface-mount components have a length, width and height. The length is always the  

  1. longest dimension
  2. longest dimension that is not the height
  3. distance between inner edges of end caps
  4. distance between outer edges of end caps

Answer

The best answer is “d.” For two-terminal components such as resistors, capacitors, inductors and diodes, the length of the component is the distance between the outer edges of the end caps. This is often also the longest dimension, but reverse aspect ratio components (such as 0204, 0306, and 0612 components) have a width greater than their length.  

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