Medtech and semiconductor assembly electronics in Costa Rica push capacitors toward the smallest case, and on our Hong Kong shelf the smallest case has a fallback. Of 68 stocked General Purpose 0201 lines, 58 have a 0402 Walsin twin at the same dielectric, capacitance, tolerance and voltage, and 9 of the 58 twins are on the shelf.
Venatech Limited, an authorised Walsin distributor in Hong Kong, holds the Walsin Technology (Walsin) MLCC export of 24,026 rows, 23,601 of them distinct part numbers, and a Hong Kong ready-stock list dated 23 September 2026. This post is for a design engineer or buyer at a medical device or electronics assembly site in Costa Rica who needs to know what a Hong Kong source can offer when a compact board calls for the smallest chip capacitor. Every part number below is real and every count is ours. Where it states a trade fact, it names the source, the date and the day we read it. We hold no ISO 13485 and no ISO 9001 certificate, and nothing here claims medical-grade supply.
What is happening to medical device and chip exports in Costa Rica in 2026?
Medical devices lead the export story. Teletica reported on 29 July 2026 that Costa Rica’s goods exports in January to June 2026 were about 11.722 billion US dollars, up 7% and about 722 million more than a year earlier, and that medical devices remain the main export good, adding about one hundred thirty-five million. We read the article on 23 October 2026. It gives no percentage for the medical-device line.
Semiconductors are the second thread. Delfino.cr reported on 15 October 2026 that Costa Rica’s trade promotion agency took part in SEMICON West in San Francisco, 13 to 15 October 2026, pitching the country’s talent, supplier base and business climate to semiconductor investors. We read it on 23 October 2026. It gives no export figures and does not mention medical devices.
Our view, labelled as ours: a plant that builds compact medical or test electronics is asked to shrink boards, and shrinking starts with the capacitor case. Whether your design needs 0201 depends on a board we cannot see.
Why does the 0201 size matter for a medtech board?
Because it is the smallest case in the Walsin export, and it is much smaller than the next one. In 00_ALL_MLCC_parts_combined.xlsx the 0201 body is 0.60 by 0.30 mm with a 0.30 mm thickness on the General Purpose series, against 1.00 by 0.50 mm and 0.50 mm for the 0402, so the 0201 footprint is 0.18 mm² and the 0402 is 0.50 mm², a ratio of 2.8 times. We opened the export and read the L, W and T columns.
That ratio is the reason a wearable, a handheld or a dense test card goes small, and it is also the risk: placement yield, reflow and rework differ between the two sizes, and those belong to your line, not to us. We give no process advice. The point of this post is narrower. If a 0201 line cannot be supplied or a layout can spare room, which stocked 0201 lines have a 0402 fallback in the export, and how many of those fallbacks sit on the shelf? Our operating-temperature post covers the dielectric ranges that come with either size.
How many stocked 0201 lines have a 0402 twin?
58 of 68. We parsed the 23 September 2026 stock list against 00_ALL_MLCC_parts_combined.xlsx: 99 stocked lines are 0201, 68 of them in the General Purpose series, and 58 of those 68 have a General Purpose 0402 part with the same dielectric, capacitance, tolerance and rated voltage. The other 31 stocked 0201 lines are RF, high-Q, ultra-microwave or automotive series and are outside this count.
The shelf is thin on the fallback. Only 9 of the 58 twins are themselves in the stock snapshot, so 49 would be a factory order. By dielectric, the 68 split into 38 NP0, 17 X7R, 12 X5R and 1 X6S. Twins exist for 34 of the 38 NP0, all 17 X7R, 6 of the 12 X5R and the one X6S. We have not seen this counted anywhere.
| Stocked 0201 line | Capacitance, voltage, tolerance | 0402 twin | Twin on shelf? | Match / mismatch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
0201B103K100 |
10 nF, 10 V, ±10%, X7R | 0402B103K100 |
Yes | Match on dielectric, capacitance, voltage and tolerance; mismatch on size (1.00 × 0.50 mm against 0.60 × 0.30 mm) and thickness (0.50 mm against 0.30 mm) |
0201X224M6R3 |
220 nF, 6.3 V, ±20%, X5R | 0402X224M6R3 |
Yes | Match on the four fields; mismatch on size and thickness |
0201N200J500 |
20 pF, 50 V, ±5%, NP0 | 0402N200J500 |
Yes | Match on the four fields; mismatch on size and thickness |
0201B472K100 |
4.7 nF, 10 V, ±10%, X7R | 0402B472K100 |
No | Match on the four fields; mismatch on size, thickness and shelf status: a factory order |
0201X104K6R3 |
100 nF, 6.3 V, ±10%, X5R | 0402X104K6R3 |
No | Match on the four fields; mismatch on size, thickness and shelf status |
0201X103K250 |
10 nF, 25 V, ±10%, X5R | no matching row | not applicable | Mismatch: no General Purpose 0402 row with the same dielectric, capacitance, tolerance and voltage |
Which 0201 lines have no 0402 twin?
10 of 68. Of the 10, 6 are X5R and 4 are NP0: 0201X222K160, 0201X683K6R3, 0201X103K250, 0201X153K100, 0201X153K6R3, 0201X123K100, 0201N5R6B500, 0201N1R6C250, 0201N2R6B250 and 0201N2R6B500. The X5R ones sit at 2.2 nF to 68 nF at 6.3 V to 25 V, and the NP0 ones are sub-3 pF or 5.6 pF values with tight absolute tolerances.
No matching row at 0402 does not mean no capacitor: a neighbouring value, a different voltage or a different tolerance may exist, and the choice is a design decision. The cross-reference tool will list near candidates with each difference stated. For 0201 lines that need a larger body for voltage reasons, our case-size post shows where capacitance sits in the large series.
What changes when a 0201 becomes a 0402?
The body, the thickness and the pad pattern; sometimes more. Per the export, the 0402 General Purpose body is 2.8 times the footprint and 1.7 times the thickness of the 0201, and the twin matches on four fields only: dielectric, capacitance, tolerance and rated voltage. Land pattern, stencil, placement and reflow behaviour are not in the export.
Three more fields are not in the export, and the General Purpose approval sheet is where to look. Capacitance under DC bias is one; our DC-bias post covers it. Ageing and the capacitance test conditions are the others. A twin that matches four export fields has still to be qualified in your circuit. We will not tell you the twin is the same part. We will show you where it differs. None of the 28 Walsin datasheets we hold contains the words medical or ISO 13485, so we make no medical suitability claim. If your quality system requires a certified source, confirm that with your own quality team.
We give no customs, free-trade-zone or import advice for Costa Rica. Take that question to your compliance team.
How can Venatech help a Costa Rica medtech or semiconductor buyer?
By crossing the capacitor you already use, stating the differences, and quoting small lots, with 18 manufacturers’ part numbers decoded in the tool. Venatech Limited is an authorised Walsin distributor in Hong Kong. Walsin is our only authorised line; the other lines we supply are Stackpole and Viking.
- Cross-reference. Paste the incumbent number into the free cross-reference tool, which decodes 18 manufacturers’ part numbers across 800,000+ crossable parts, and read each Walsin candidate with match and mismatch stated field by field, including the size.
- BOM check. Upload a bill of materials to /bom/ and have each line checked against the same engine.
- Ready stock. The ready stock list is a Hong Kong snapshot dated 23 September 2026, never live-synced.
- Service. Hong Kong-based, small lots, cross-referencing help, and a quote requested through the site. Unit 207, 2/F, Sun Ling Plaza, 30 On Kui Street, Fanling, N.T., Hong Kong, telephone (852) 2628 4777.
A worked example from our own export: a 10 nF, 10 V, ±10% X7R line is 0201B103K100, on the shelf. If the layout can take the larger body, 0402B103K100 is the 0402 candidate, also on the shelf. Our MLCC range lists the families. We hold no price, lead time or stock guarantee to give you here, and a quote comes through the site.
The short version
Medical devices remain Costa Rica’s top export good, per Teletica on 29 July 2026. On our shelf, 68 General Purpose 0201 lines are stocked, 58 have a 0402 Walsin twin at four matching fields, and 9 of the 58 twins are on the shelf. 10 have no 0402 row with the same four fields.
Send us one 0201 capacitor from a Costa Rican medical or test board and we will return the 0402 candidate, if one exists, with the size, thickness and shelf status stated. If your next layout had 0.3 mm of room to spare, which capacitor would you have chosen first?
Sources
Fetched 23 October 2026. The trade statements above are taken from these pages; the part data comes from our own Walsin export and stock list.
- Teletica, medical devices, bananas and pineapples lift Costa Rica’s exports, 29 July 2026: https://www.teletica.com/nacional/dispositivos-medicos-banano-y-pina-disparan-exportaciones-de-costa-rica_414391
- Delfino.cr, Procomer at SEMICON West, 15 October 2026: https://delfino.cr/2026/10/procomer-participa-en-semicon-west-y-consolida-a-costa-rica-como-destino-estrategico-para-semiconductores
Frequently asked questions
What is the main export good of Costa Rica in 2026?
Teletica reported on 29 July 2026 that medical devices remain the main export good in January to June 2026, adding about one hundred thirty-five million, within total goods exports of about 11.722 billion US dollars. It is one news report, so check the national trade promotion agency figures.
How many stocked 0201 capacitors have a 0402 twin?
58 of 68 stocked General Purpose 0201 lines have a General Purpose 0402 Walsin part with the same dielectric, capacitance, tolerance and rated voltage. 9 of the 58 twins are on the 23 September 2026 shelf. We matched the stock list to the export to count them.
Is a 0402 a drop-in replacement for a 0201?
No. The body is larger, 1.00 by 0.50 mm against 0.60 by 0.30 mm, and thicker, so the land pattern and the process change. The twin matches four fields only. Qualify it in your own circuit and compare both datasheets.
Does Venatech hold ISO 13485?
No. Venatech holds neither ISO 13485 nor ISO 9001, and none of the 28 Walsin datasheets we hold mentions medical use. We make no medical-grade claim. Confirm your supplier requirements with your quality team.
Are the 0402 twins on your shelf?
Only 9 of the 58 are, in the 23 September 2026 snapshot. The other 49 would be a factory order. We guarantee no price, lead time or stock, and we quote small lots through the site.
Do you give customs or import advice for Costa Rica?
No. We give no customs, tax or import advice and we state no country of origin for any part, because none of the documents we hold names a manufacturing site. Ask your compliance team. We can provide lot and date-code traceability and a certificate of conformity per shipment on request.