PCB Houses

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PCB costing services

PCB Shopper This site allows entering PCB size, layers, solder mask requirements and quantity, and will search various PCB fab houses (18 manufacturers, as of 2014-07-30) for the lowest price.

PCB Manufacturers specializing in quick turns for prototyping

If you know of others that should be listed, or you are a commercial company that wants to be listed, please e-mail me.If any of this information is outdated, please e-mail me with updates. I add vendors as vendors request, or as people inform me of vendors they've used.

OSH Park

OSH Park is an aggregation service that panelizes a number of customer orders into a single panel, then sends them out for fab. 2 layer PCBs are $5 per square inch, FR4, ENIG finish, 0.063 thickness, 1 oz copper, 6/6 spacing, 13/7 drills. 4 layer PCBs are $10 per square inch, FR408, 0.5 oz copper, 5/5 spacing, 10/4 drills. For the price, you get 3 boards (e.g. $20 buys 3 PCBs that are 2 layer and 4 square inches). Turn times are 12 to 14 days, sometimes sooner. I have used this vendor several times and been quite pleased with the results. Lower prices are available for larger orders.

Custom Circuit Boards - 888-906-6331

CustomCircuitBoards.com is a Phoenix, AZ based company specializing in quick-turn prototyping. PCB's up to 24 layers, 18" x 28" 2-layer, 16" x 26" multi-layer boards, minimum 4 mil space/trace (depending on copper weight), 0.5 to 5 ounce copper weights, thermal cure epoxy LPI ink in various colors, silk screen one or both sides, etc. I have not used this vendor.

San Francisco Circuits - 650-655-7202

San Francisco Circuits is a PCB services provider in the San Francisco Bay Area that offers PCB design, PCB fabrication and assembly, specializing in advanced technologies such as rigid flex and metal core boards. 40+ layer capability, 2 mil traces, 2 mil spacing, 8 mil minimum drill, routed edges, etc. I have not used this vendor.

PCB Fab Express - 408-857-0039

These people have really aggressive pricing, starting at $13 (minimum quantity 5) for 2 layer, with mask and legend, up to 20 square inches. They also have 4 layer @ $33, 6 layer @ $48, and 8 layers @ $73, all with 5 day turn. Again, these are for 20 square inch boards. The prices increase for 40, 60, 80 and 100 square inches, but are still reasonable. Note that for 80 square inches, the prices are straight on par with $33/each deal from Advanced Circuits. There is also the odd requirement of all holes having to be plated through, and if you do have unplated holes (surcharge applies), only up to a 0.190 diameter. I've used these several times now, and been very happy with the results.

Advanced Circuits - 800-979-4722

These people are great. Boards up to 85 square inches (9.2" x 9.2"), 2 layer FR-4, 0.062, 1 ounce copper, plated through, solder mask both sides, silkscreen one side, square route (not sheared!), on a 5 day turn for $33 each, minimum 3. So for $99, you can get 3 of your boards from 1" by 1" on up to 85 square inches. That's a heck of a deal. I've used them for my last several boards, and the quality is awesome. Drills are on center, the silkscreen is sharp, dimensioning is dead on. And if you have an obvious CAD error (like inverted text), they'll call you about it. Highly recommended.

e-TekNet - 480-633-1809

I haven't personally used these folks yet, but I've seen at least 4 boards produced by them that are commercial products. The quality is very good. Looking at prices for 100 square inch boards 2 layer boards, they're cheaper by half than PCB Fab Express, and don't have the 60 square inch limit that Advanced Circuits has. I haven't compared prices for smaller sized boards, comparable to what I've produced at either of the other two companies mentioned.

Olimex - +359-32-626259

Olimex is based in Bulgaria. They have excellent rates, and offer solder mask and silk screening. They offer two basic sizes of boards, and will panelize your design (for free) to maximize the board usage. Using the lowest cost shipping option makes this an excellent value, but does result in longer turn around times. So far, my only real complaint was the drilling accuracy is not as tight as I would like. They seem to have 2-3mils of drill slop. I have turned 1 board with them as of 2000/12/03, and been very happy. The drill slop was annoying, but did not cause any problems. Tsvetan Usunov, the person who helped me get everything in order for submission, is very helpful, and responds quickly to e-mail.

Speedy PCB Prototype - 613-216-1913

"High quality PCB prototypes and PCB fabrication at very low prices. All boards are manufactured under ISO and UL." Added by request. I have not produced any boards with them. Based in Ottawa, Canada.

AP Circuits - 403-250-3406

Based in Canada, APC has reasonable rates and quick turns. My biggest complaint with them is that the board shearing is somewhat sloppy, and requires filing afterwards to clean it up. They do not offer solder mask and silk screening for the quick turn packages. I have turned 3 boards with them as of 2000/12/03, and been happy with the results, other than the shearing issue.

PCBPro - 503-829-9108

"Provides pcb design software, Circuit Boards, PCB prototype, PCB Schematic, pcb layout software, circuit board manufacturers, Printed Circuit Board Manufacturers and PCBs." Added by request. I have not produced any boards with them.

Express PCB - (no phone)

Express PCB is unique in that they provide free software for doing the board layout, which couples tightly with their production facilities. They offer four manufacturing options. "Standard" is 2 layer, plated through, no solder mask or silk screen, small orders ship next day, UPS. "Miniboard" is a 3.8" x 2.5" inch board, same as "Standard", but shipped via US Priority Mail. "10-day production" 2 layer plated through, includes solder mask and silk screen, routed to board perimeter, shipped UPS. "4-day production" is the same as "10-day", but higher cost. No phone number listed, try e-mail. I have not produced any boards with them.

PCB Express - 503-829-9108

PCB Express does 1, 2, 4 and 6 layer boards. Their basic pricing is available in the back of most electronics magazines. They seem to be more oriented towards business level prototype runs, as opposed to basement projects, like AP Circuits and Olimex. Their pricing is fairly high compared to these other two. I have not produced any boards with them.

Sierra Proto Express - 408-735-7137

Sierra Proto Express offers may different options. Their prices seem really good for multi-layer boards (4+), but don't really compete with Olimex for basic 1 or 2 layer boards. I have not produced any boards with them.

SMTH Circuits - 604-858-3970

SMTH Circuits offers 2 panels of 5" x 8" 2 layer boards with plated through holes and solder mask for $99. I have not produced any boards with them.

Pulsar, Inc - 847-233-0012

Pulsars ad say they offer 1 and 2 layer boards, SMOBC, LPI mask, through hole or SMT, nickle and gold plating, routing or scoring, and electrical testing. 3 day turn on 10 pieces of 1 or 2 layers is $249 (up to 30 square inches each), and includes tooling, artwork, LPI mask and legend. I have not produced any boards with them.

Royal Circuit Solutions - 831-636-7789

Quick-turn board house in Silicon Valley, CA. Special pricing at various times that are reasonable competitive. See their 'Specials' page for latest pricing. I have not produced any boards with them, nor had I heard of them before receiving some promotional email in mid-December, 2008.

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PCBs On The Cheap - Going overseas to China or some other countries can really lower your costs, especially if you don't mind waiting.