MLCC tolerance codes in stock lean on one letter. In our 23 September 2026 Hong Kong snapshot, 354 of 764 matched lines, 46.3%, are K (10 percent), against 25.6% of Walsin’s export. Of 325 X7R lines, 308 are K, 14 are J and 3 are M. For Romania, K is a shelf position and M is not.
Venatech Limited, an authorised Walsin distributor in Hong Kong, holds the multilayer ceramic capacitor export published by Walsin Technology (Walsin), 24,026 rows and 23,601 distinct part numbers, and a ready-stock snapshot of 1,125 part numbers dated 23 September 2026. This post joins the two on the tolerance field. We read the tolerance letter, character nine, out of every part number ourselves and counted it on both sides. Every part number below is real. Part-number counts only; no piece counts, and the snapshot is a date, not a live feed.
Which tolerance codes does the Hong Kong shelf use, against the full Walsin export?
Ten of thirteen, and one of them dominates. We matched 764 stocked part numbers to export rows and counted the tolerance letter on both sides. K (10 percent) is 354 shelf lines, 46.3%, against 6,049 export parts, 25.6%. The three codes P, Q and V, 88 export parts between them, have no shelf line at all.
The table compares the share of each code on the shelf with its share of the export. “Match” means the two shares are within 2 percentage points.
| Code | Tolerance | Export parts | Share of export | Shelf lines | Share of shelf | Shelf minus export | A real shelf part | Match / mismatch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 0.05 pF | 1,099 | 4.7% | 22 | 2.9% | -1.8 | 0402N0R6A500 |
Match |
| B | 0.1 pF | 2,538 | 10.8% | 67 | 8.8% | -2.0 | 0402N1R2B500 |
Match (borderline) |
| C | 0.25 pF | 2,117 | 9.0% | 66 | 8.6% | -0.3 | 0603N1R2C500 |
Match |
| D | 0.5 pF | 870 | 3.7% | 2 | 0.3% | -3.4 | 0603N5R6D500 |
Mismatch — 870 parts, 2 lines |
| F | 1% | 1,835 | 7.8% | 24 | 3.1% | -4.6 | 0402N100F500 |
Mismatch — shelf thinner |
| G | 2% | 1,773 | 7.5% | 27 | 3.5% | -4.0 | 0603N150G500 |
Mismatch — shelf thinner |
| J | 5% | 5,605 | 23.7% | 183 | 24.0% | +0.2 | 0402B222J500 |
Match |
| K | 10% | 6,049 | 25.6% | 354 | 46.3% | +20.7 | 0201B472K100 |
Mismatch — shelf concentrated |
| M | 20% | 1,612 | 6.8% | 18 | 2.4% | -4.5 | 0603B104M500 |
Mismatch — shelf thinner |
| Z | -20/+80% | 15 | 0.1% | 1 | 0.1% | +0.1 | 1206F474Z500 |
Match on share; one line |
| P, Q, V | 0.02 pF, 0.03 pF, -10/+7% | 88 | 0.4% | 0 | 0.0% | -0.4 | none on shelf | Match on share; mismatch on coverage |
The absolute-picofarad codes, A to D plus P and Q, cover 6,710 export parts and 157 shelf lines, 2.3% coverage. The percentage codes cover 16,891 export parts and 607 shelf lines, 3.6%. For what each letter means, see tolerance, TCR and dielectric codes decoded and how to read a Walsin MLCC part number.
How lopsided is the X7R shelf by tolerance?
Almost entirely one code. We counted the tolerance letter on every X7R part in the export, 7,269 of them, and on every X7R shelf line, 325. K is 308 shelf lines, 94.8%, against 60.2% of the export. M is 3 shelf lines, 0.9%, against 1,262 export parts, 17.4%. We have not seen this counted anywhere.
The 325 includes the two safety-series lines S242B102K502 and S252B222K502, both K. The rest are General Purpose (193), Middle to High Voltage (88), Soft Termination SH (23) and Big sizes (2) lines.
| X7R tolerance | Export parts | Share of export | Shelf lines | Share of shelf | Shelf minus export | Match / mismatch (within 2 points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K, 10% | 4,375 | 60.2% | 308 | 94.8% | +34.6 | Mismatch — shelf concentrated |
| J, 5% | 1,611 | 22.2% | 14 | 4.3% | -17.9 | Mismatch — shelf thin |
| M, 20% | 1,262 | 17.4% | 3 | 0.9% | -16.4 | Mismatch — shelf near-absent |
| B, F, G, V, Z | 21 | 0.3% | 0 | 0.0% | -0.3 | Match on share; no shelf line |
The consequence is practical. A BOM line that says X7R, plus or minus 10 percent, is served from the shelf in 308 positions. A line that says X7R, plus or minus 20 percent, is served in 3, and a Romanian buyer who has been quoting M because the drawing says M is looking at three part numbers: 0603B104M500, 0603B224M160 and 0402B122M500.
Where are the 20 percent and 5 percent Class II lines on the shelf?
M is mostly X5R, and J on a Class II dielectric is X7R only. Of the 18 shelf lines coded M, 15 are X5R and 3 are X7R; 12 of the 15 X5R lines are rated 6.3 V and 3 are 10 V. Of 1,653 Class II export parts coded J, the shelf holds 14, all X7R, 0.8%.
| Cell | Export parts | Shelf lines | Example on the shelf | Match / mismatch against a K position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| X5R, M, 6.3 V | 67 | 12 | 0402X224M6R3 |
Mismatch — 12 of 67 |
| X5R, M, 10 V | 65 | 3 | 0402X475M100 |
Mismatch — 3 of 65 |
| X5R, M, every other voltage | 128 | 0 | none | Mismatch — no shelf line at 4, 16, 25, 35, 50 or 100 V |
| X7R, M | 1,262 | 3 | 0603B104M500 |
Mismatch — 3 of 1,262 |
| X7R, J | 1,611 | 14 | 0805B103J101 |
Mismatch — 14 of 1,611, 0.9% |
| X5R, J | 41 | 0 | none | Mismatch — no shelf line |
| X5R, K | 421 | 36 | 0201X104K6R3 |
Match — the position the shelf is built around |
There is no shelf line coded J on X5R or X6S, and no shelf line coded M on X6S, against 41, 0 and 69 export parts. The dielectric letters themselves are covered in NP0 vs X7R vs X5R.
Does the Tolerance cell agree with the code on every shelf line?
Yes, on all 764. We compared the tolerance letter in each stocked part number with the string in the export’s Tolerance cell and found zero disagreements. None of the 764 shelf lines is among the 653 export part numbers whose Tolerance cell holds a bare negative fraction, so on the shelf the cell can be read as a tolerance.
That is a property of which series the shelf draws from, not of the export. The negative-fraction rows sit in the automotive MG series, which has no shelf line. The Tolerance cell and the letter are two statements of one field, and where they agree you can filter on either. Separately, the 30 shelf lines whose Termination cell is non-empty hold a copy of their tolerance string there, and none states a finish.
What should a Romanian buyer do when the drawing tolerance is not on the shelf?
Read the drawing before reading the letter. Many tolerance requirements are a limit, not a grade, and a part tighter than the limit sits inside the band on that one field only. Capacitance, voltage, case size, thickness and dielectric are separate fields and each must match. Paste your BOM into the free cross-reference tool, up to 500 part numbers or an Excel or CSV, and it states each difference from your original. Then check ready stock, 1,125 part numbers as at 23 September 2026. Venatech ships from Hong Kong; there is no Romanian entity and no European inventory.
| Field | Your incumbent part | Walsin candidate | Match / mismatch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tolerance letter | (you fill in) | per the export row | State the letter and the percentage |
| Dielectric | (you fill in) | per the export row | Class I and Class II differ on tolerance range |
| Capacitance and voltage | (you fill in) | per the export row | Match exactly or state the difference |
| Datasheet | (you fill in) | Walsin approval sheet for the series | Confirm against both datasheets |
We hold 28 Walsin datasheets, 451 pages, of which 26 are MLCC series sheets; the General Purpose sheet is on Walsin’s site. The MLCC range is on the MLCC page.
The short version
354 of 764 matched shelf lines, 46.3%, carry K, against 25.6% of the export. Among 325 X7R lines, 308 are K, 14 are J and 3 are M, against 60.2%, 22.2% and 17.4% of 7,269 X7R export parts. 18 shelf lines are M, 15 of them X5R at 6.3 V or 10 V. P, Q and V, 88 export parts, have no shelf line, and all 764 shelf lines have a Tolerance cell that agrees with their letter. Confirm against both datasheets and qualify in your own circuit; qualification stays with you.
Send us the tolerance line off your drawing and the part numbers you quote against it, and we will tell you which grades the export holds and which the shelf did on 23 September 2026. And a question back: is your M position a real 20 percent requirement, or is it M because the last part was?
Frequently asked questions
What tolerance do most Hong Kong stock MLCC lines carry?
K, plus or minus 10 percent. In the snapshot dated 23 September 2026, 354 of 764 matched lines, 46.3 percent, carry K, against 25.6 percent of Walsin’s 23,601 export part numbers. Among X7R lines the figure is 308 of 325, 94.8 percent.
Is there plus or minus 20 percent X7R in stock?
Three lines in the snapshot dated 23 September 2026: 0603B104M500, 0603B224M160 and 0402B122M500. Walsin’s export holds 1,262 X7R parts coded M, so 3 is 0.2 percent of them. The 20 percent lines on the shelf are mostly X5R, 15 of 18.
Does the shelf hold any plus or minus 5 percent X5R?
No. Walsin’s export holds 41 X5R parts coded J and the snapshot dated 23 September 2026 holds none. The shelf holds 14 X7R lines coded J out of 1,611 in the export. These are dated snapshot counts, not a statement about availability from Walsin.
Which MLCC tolerance codes have no Hong Kong stock line?
P, Q and V, which hold 53, 33 and 2 part numbers in Walsin’s export, 88 in all. P and Q are picofarad grades, almost all on ultra microwave and microwave parts, and V is a minus 10 to plus 7 percent band. The snapshot dated 23 September 2026 holds no line in any of the three.
Can I trust the Tolerance column for the stocked parts?
On the shelf, yes. We compared the tolerance letter in all 764 stocked part numbers with the Tolerance cell in the export and found zero disagreements. In the full export 653 part numbers hold a bare negative fraction there, all in the automotive MG series, which has no shelf line.
Does Venatech hold MLCC stock in Romania?
No. Venatech Limited is in Hong Kong, with group entities in Shenzhen, Singapore and Jiangmen and Chengdu in preparation. There is no Romanian entity and no European inventory. Everything ships from Hong Kong, and ready stock is a dated snapshot of 1,125 part numbers as at 23 September 2026.