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Design Units

Printed From: PCB Libraries Forum
Category: Libraries
Forum Name: PCB Libraries Guideline
Forum Description: (online edition)
URL: https://www.PCBLibraries.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3689
Printed Date: 05 Oct 2026 at 2:44pm


Topic: Design Units
Posted By: Nick B
Subject: Design Units
Date Posted: 20 Aug 2026 at 11:00am
PCB Footprint Expert Design Units User Interface


There are 4 options (millimeter, micrometer, inch, mil) for units, but millimeter is the most popular today because most package dimensions in manufacturer datasheets are displayed in millimeter units.

Decimal Place Accuracy > Minimum / Maximum
Most PCB Library Parts are created in millimeter units to match the current package datasheet, but everyone is in a different environment. The new "Units" allows you to set the Minimum and Maximum rounding values.

By setting the Minimum and Maximum values, you establish the program rounding values.

Example 1: using 2 place Minimum accuracy, entering a 0.8 value, will display as 0.80. The program will automatically add a trailing zero to round the value 2 place minimal accuracy.

Example 2: using 2 place Maximum accuracy, all values will be rounded up to the nearest 0.01. Entering a 0.025 value would display as 0.03.

The program default settings are Minimum 2 and Maximum 3. Because the minimum is 2, the program will automatically remove all training zero’s past 2 places. And the maximum setting of 3 will only round up values less than one micrometer.

Example 3: using a 3 place Maximum accuracy, a value of 0.3255 will be rounded up to 0.326

Example 4: using a 2 place Minimum accuracy, a value of 0.29 will be rounded up to 0.30
  • 4 units = 0.0001
  • 3 units = 0.001
  • 2 units = 0.01
  • 1 unit = 0.1
The most important thing is that both the minimum and maximum options go up to 6 places. This accuracy is intended to increase the rounding accuracy when converting between Metric and Imperial units. It is not recommended that users select 6/6 as their min/max because this will affect the Physical Description that is auto generated by Footprint Expert in the FPX file. Having every value 6 places to the right of the decimal point would also affect every component family calculator, as every value will be rounded and displayed with 6-point accuracy. A simple value of 0.01 would display as 0.010000 and the Physical Description would be the same.



FOOTPRINT EXPERT GUIDELINE Topics
https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/terms-and-definitions_topic3672.html - Terms & Definitions         https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/component-descriptions_topic3673.html - Component Descriptions         https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/threetier-density-levels_topic3674.html - Three-Tier Density Levels
https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/ipc7352-mathematical-model_topic3675.html - IPC-7352 Mathematical Model        Solder Joint Goal Tables: [ https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/surface-mount-solder-joint-goal-tables-min-max_topic3676.html - Min/Max ] [ https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/solder-joint-goal-tables-for-nominal-calculation_topic3677.html - Nominal ]
https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/manufacturer-recommended-patterns_topic3678.html - Manufacturer Recommended         https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/throughhole-terminals_topic3679.html - Through-hole Terminals         https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/courtyard-excess_topic3680.html - Courtyard Excess
https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/pcbl-footprint-naming-convention-surface-mount_topic3681.html - PCBL Footprint Convention: SM        IPC-7352 Naming Convention: [ https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/ipc7352-footprint-naming-convention-throughhole_topic3682.html - Footprint TH ] [ https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/ipc7352-pad-stack-naming-convention_topic3685.html - Pad Stack ]
https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/oda-pad-stack-naming-convention_topic3686.html - ODA Pad Stack Convention         https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/terminal-lead-forms_topic3687.html - Terminal Lead Forms         https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/pad-shapes_topic3688.html - Pad Shapes         https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/design-units_topic3689.html - Design Units
https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/fpx-file-definition_topic3690.html - FPX File Definition         https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/smd-pad-stack-rules_topic3691.html - SMD Pad Stack Rules         https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/drafting-outlines-polarity-marking_topic3692.html - Drafting Outlines & Polarity Marking
https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/package-and-terminal-tolerances_topic3693.html - Package & Terminal Tolerances         https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/zero-component-orientation_topic3694.html - Zero Component Orientation
https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/standard-reference-designators_topic3695.html - Standard Reference Designators        Component Families: [ https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/surface-mount-component-families_topic3696.html - Surface Mount ] [ https://www.pcblibraries.com/forum/throughhole-component-families_topic3697.html - Through-hole ]



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