A Guide On Standard PCB Thickness And Optimization

If you’re designing a printed circuit board (PCB), one of the most important things to get right is the thickness of the PCB. While it may not feel like a critical detail, PCB thickness affects everything from the strength of your PCB to its heat and signal performances to the PCB’s manufacturability. 

Determining the correct PCB thickness can depend on several features: the number of layers, type of signal connections, where it is placed, and even the space that is available to devote to the PCB in your product.

In this guide, we’ll break everything down, in a digestible manner, and show you why the thickness of your PCB can matter more than you realize.

What’s the Standard PCB Thickness?

The most common PCB thickness used today is 1.57 mm (or 0.062 inches). This thickness is common because it accommodates most electronic components and connectors.

However, based on your project and application use, you may come across sizes such as 0.8 mm, 1.0 mm, 2.36 mm, or even 3.2 mm. Each thickness serves a usage, and is well suited to certain conditions.

Why PCB Thickness is Important

Here is how the right thickness can affect:

Durability: Thicker PCBs are more durable than thinner PCBs. A thinner PCB is a good way to save weight, but is not as durable.

Heat Management: Thicker boards will be able to dissipate heat better, this will benefit power-hungry or, high-speed devices

Signal Quality: In high-speed or high-frequency designs, the thickness is relevant when trying to keep the signal clean and avoid distortion (loss of signal integrity).

Ease of Manufacturing: Standard thicknesses are easier, faster, and more reliable to manufacture. Custom thicknesses may cost more and take longer to manufacture.

What Affects PCB Thickness?

There are several factors that can affect how thick your board is:

Layer Count: More layers = thicker board. If your PCB has a lot of power and signal layers, naturally the board will be thicker.

Copper thickness: If thicker copper is used to accommodate higher currents that will add to the overall thickness of the board.

Material Used: Some materials are denser or thinner by nature. Some advanced electronics come in high-performance materials and will sometimes require additional thicknesses.

Signal and Current Requirements: For high-speed signals, or if you have high current flow, you could need a thicker board to deal with both heat and signal integrity.

Device Design: If your product is a compact device, you may need a thinner board. If you have a rugged, industrial device, you could use a thicker one.

Selecting and Optimizing Thickness

The best solution is typically the one that is 1.57 mm. It is safe, easy to measure, it works and it’s relatively well supported by manufacturers.

Customize When Needed: Use thinner boards (0.8 mm) in designs where thickness is constrained, and use thicker boards (2.0 mm, or thicker) in designs where structural or heat strength is considered or required.

Ask Your Manufacturer:  Verify supported thicknesses. This will save you a lot of time and expense in the long run.

Find a Balance Between Function and Cost: There is no point in overbuilding a board! Pick the thickness that works and is not unnecessarily costly or complicated.

How SunStream Helps You

At SunStream we offer PCB design services that cover every aspect of a successful design. We ensure that your PCB is reliable in performance, fits in your available space, and is manufacturable. Whether you’re designing for medical devices, EVs, industrial equipment or consumer electronics, we will ensure that the thickness of the PCB is suited to your specific application.