Do You Know What X7R and Y5V Mean on Ceramic Capacitors

Ceramic capacitors are electronic components that use ceramic materials as the dielectric, with metal electrodes on or inside the ceramic to form the capacitor. They are widely used in communication devices, consumer electronics, automotive electronics, and industrial automation due to their small size, wide capacitance range, high insulation resistance, excellent frequency characteristics, and low loss.

Even among ceramic capacitors, you might see markings like X7R or Y5V. These letters and numbers are not arbitrary—they follow the EIA (Electronic Industries Alliance) standard for temperature characteristics, indicating the capacitor’s operating temperature range and capacitance stability.

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1. X7R Capacitors

X7R capacitors belong to Class II ceramic capacitors:

X: Minimum operating temperature, -55°C

7: Maximum operating temperature, +125°C

R: Capacitance change tolerance, ±15%

This means an X7R capacitor’s capacitance will vary no more than ±15% over a temperature range of -55°C to +125°C, providing stable performance for circuits across a wide temperature range.

2. Y5V Capacitors

Y5V capacitors belong to Class III ceramic capacitors:

Y: Minimum operating temperature, -30°C

5: Maximum operating temperature, +85°C

V: Capacitance change tolerance, +22% to -82%

This means a Y5V capacitor’s capacitance can fluctuate drastically—up to losing more than half of its nominal capacitance—even with modest temperature changes. Y5V capacitors are less stable and suitable for applications where capacitance precision is not critical.

Conclusion

Understanding these codes is crucial when selecting ceramic capacitors for your circuit. X7R offers stable capacitance over a wide temperature range, while Y5V is suitable for non-critical applications where large capacitance variation is acceptable.

This article is provided by JYH HSU (JEC) Electronics. JEC is a research, development, production, and sales-oriented company specializing in manufacturing and selling various electronic components such as capacitors and resistors.