Is there some sort of ceramic cap supply crunch?

Using Arduino General Electronics
#1

Digikey and Mouser are both out of all the usual low-cost ceramic caps in 0.1uF 0805 X7R. They were like 2 cents last year, now the cheapest on mouser are 5 and cheapest on digikey are 8 (or they're out of stock). Seeing the same sort of thing with larger values too.

This is just nuts - and it seems like it's gotten worse in just the past few weeks. I was able to find them for 4 cents on digikey this weekend, but now the cheapest are 8! Anyone know what the story is here? Did something happen to a major manufacturing facility or something? Should I be holding out for this to blow over, or snapping them up in expectation of the situation getting worse?

#2

I assume it's the lead-up to this... https://www.google.com/search?q=trump+tariff+electronics

#3

or this https://www.aliexpress.com/item/MCIGICM-4000pcs-0603-smd-capacitor-ceramic-22pf-100pf-10pf-10nf-100nf-1uf-capacitors-kit-sets-0/32840742728.html?spm=2114.search0204.3.2.21c32a22Jp3q3H&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_4_10152_10151_10065_10344_10068_5723115_10130_5722815_10342_10547_10343_10340_5722915_10548_10341_5722615_10696_10084_10083_10618_10139_10307_5722715_10059_100031_10103_10624_10623_10622_5722515_10621_10620,searchweb201603_2,ppcSwitch_5_ppcChannel&algo_expid=5429e497-2587-49a0-a458-6d8c93162e87-0&algo_pvid=5429e497-2587-49a0-a458-6d8c93162e87&transAbTest=ae803_1&priceBeautifyAB=0

and

https://www.aliexpress.com/premium/smd%252Bcapacitors.html?site=glo&g=y&SearchText=smd+capacitors&tc=ppc&page=2&initiative_id=SB_20180614230547&prNum=24&user_click=y

#4

All the circuit boards we build for a customer must be rohas compliant. My GM was ordering parts for an upcoming build. One capacitor was NOT available from any distributor. He has permission to use a non-rohas component if necessary, and so he ordered those. There were tens of thousands of non-compliant caps, but none of the other.

Paul

#5

I was having problems finding 0.1uF X7R's in 0402. Digikey has them backordered until sometime this fall, and that was 2 months ago.

I think many places will simply take the easy route and just blame it on Pres Trump, but I think there's something else behind it.

#6

tinman13kup: I was having problems finding 0.1uF X7R's in 0402. Digikey has them backordered until sometime this fall, and that was 2 months ago.

I think many places will simply take the easy route and just blame it on Pres Trump, but I think there's something else behind it.

We were warned about this up to two years ago from distributor reps and in industry periodicals. Blame the BIG companies, like automotive, for taking the message seriously and buying up what was available.

Paul

#7

Paul_KD7HB: We were warned about this up to two years ago from distributor reps and in industry periodicals. Blame the BIG companies, like automotive, for taking the message seriously and buying up what was available.

Paul

That would explain the price spikes as well. Those backordered caps were $.10ea, unless you wanted an insane amount for a hobbyist. I figured a hundred would last me a while and think I got them for $.08.

I have some 0603's and 1206's, but sometimes it is nice to have something smaller.

#8

Out of curiousity I just now checked Digikey - quantity 1,000, X7R, ROHS compliant, 0805: just over US$0.04251 a piece.

The 0402 versions are cheapest at US$0.00753, then the 0603 at $0.00832. The 1206 I also see listed at a very reasonable US$0.02568 a piece at 1,000+ qty.

Really odd indeed those 0805 prices.

#9

Not sure where you found them, but I just checked and 0402 0.1uF-16V-10% are still at $.10ea, with one at $1.20ea (ouch). You get a price break for buying 10,000 of them, getting them for just over $.01ea but I don't need that many. Even if i drop a lot of them, that would make a carpet of capacitors on the floor.

It does irk me they are back in stock though, with mine still backordered. I'll have to look into cancelling the backorder and getting those in stock.

The 0805's do seem to have some odd pricing unless you get 10K of them.

#10

Increase your order numbers a bit.

1 pc USD 0.10 each.
10 pcs USD 0.03 each.
100 pcs USD 0.01340 each.
1000 pcs USD 0.00753 each.
Price break table: https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/samsung-electro-mechanics/CL05B104KO5NNWC/1276-1509-1-ND/3889595

#11

wvmarle: Increase your order numbers a bit.

1 pc USD 0.10 each. 10 pcs USD 0.03 each. 100 pcs USD 0.01340 each. 1000 pcs USD 0.00753 each. Price break table: https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/samsung-electro-mechanics/CL05B104KO5NNWC/1276-1509-1-ND/3889595

Did you see the availability? Only 25, but still does drop quite nicely with quantity. Unfortunately, the front page only gives min order pricing which is similar for quite a few different capacitors, but price breaks for quantity vary.

#12

I ticked "in stock", didn't look in more detail. Anyway, this one has 100,000 in stock for immediate shipping. Same price.

#13

Is 10nF close to 0.1uF?

Just kidding. Wish they would stay with the reduced numbers. Sometimes have to look twice to count all the zeros when 10nF is so much easier to glance and see.

#14

Darn, missed a zero somewhere.

Luckily other 100 nF ones do appear to be available at good price, though indeed there's a note about fluctuating lead times due to market demand. Interestingly I didn't notice that with the other values.

#15

Interestingly I didn't notice that with the other values.

That is because industrial uses are very keen on, quite rightly, ordering exactly what the engineers designed and more importantly had in the product when it was compliance tested.

So these standard values can be in short supply but values close to it are not. When I worked for a set top box design company we once swapped out all the 0.1uF ceramic capacitors for 22nF ones because that value was marginally cheaper and re ran all the tests and it didn’t make any difference to compliance or performance.

When you are buying these parts in the tens of millions small price differences accumulate into something quite big very quickly.