Carrier Tape Design Tool

Use the tool on this page. Choose a standard tape width, then set the pocket length (A0), width (B0) and depth (K0) to match your component – a live 2D drawing and 3D preview update as you go. When it looks right, submit it and a local EPS Global engineer reviews feasibility and confirms the final dimensions, tolerances and pitch. The drawing is a draft to help you visualise and start the conversation, not a finished manufacturing specification.

These are the standard carrier tape dimensions used across the industry:

• W – the overall width of the carrier tape (for example 8, 12, 24 or 32 mm).
• A0 – the pocket length, along the feed direction.
• B0 – the pocket width, across the tape.
• K0 – the pocket depth.
• P1 – the pitch, or the distance between the centres of adjacent pockets.

A0, B0 and K0 are sized around your component; the sprocket features (P0 pitch and D0 hole) are set by the tape standard. Our engineers fine-tune all of these for your exact part and feeder.

Embossed carrier tape comes in standard widths chosen to suit your component – commonly 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 44, 56 and 72 mm. As a rough guide:

• 8 mm – small passives such as 0201 to 0805.
• 12–16 mm – SOIC-type packages.
• 24 mm – larger QFPs.
• 32 mm and above – BGAs, modules and larger parts (these wider tapes use sprocket holes on both edges).

Not sure which you need? Pick the closest width in the tool and we’ll confirm the right one for your component.

Measure your component’s length, width and height, then add a small clearance so it sits securely without excess movement – typically 0.1–0.9 mm on each axis. For example, a 21 mm component sits in a pocket around 21.1–21.9 mm. Leave enough flat tape each side of the pocket (at least about 1.9 mm) so the cover tape can seal properly. Enter these as A0 (length), B0 (width) and K0 (depth) in the tool. If you only have the physical part or a datasheet, send it over and we’ll take the measurements for you.

EPS Global operates 22 service centres worldwide, across EMEA, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, with local sales, technical support and customer service in each region. Locations include Dublin, Timișoara, Brno, Sao Paulo, Indianapolis, Querétaro, Manaus, Guadalajara, and Reynosa. Our centres are deliberately placed close to major manufacturing and automotive clusters, so we can deliver seamlessly to your point-of-use, shorten lead times and reduce freight costs.

We convert electronic, mechanical and electromechanical components into carrier tape on reels, whatever format they arrive in – loose in bags, on trays, or in tubes. That covers surface-mount devices, through-hole components, transistors, diodes, MOSFETs, connectors and bowl-fed mechanical parts. For SMD packaging we support packages down to 0101 (1 mm); as a general guide, mechanical parts larger than 4 mm and under 400 g can usually be reeled. We also manufacture our own custom carrier tape for unusually shaped or deeper components.

Your draft goes to your local EPS Global team, who review feasibility and confirm the final dimensions, tolerances and pitch, then come back to you with a quote. Because we’re located close to your operation, we can align tooling and delivery with your manufacturing schedule. Get in touch if you’d like to talk it through first.