C_0402 (1005 Metric)

The 0402 (1005 Metric) is the go-to passive component size for production electronics. At just 1.0 x 0.5mm, it is roughly half the area of an 0603 and one-quarter of an 0805, enabling very high component density. Used for bypass capacitors, pull-up/pull-down resistors, and filter components on smartphone PCBs, wearables, IoT modules, and any design where board real estate is at a premium. Requires reflow soldering — too small for hand assembly. The standard passive size for professional PCB designs targeting volume manufacturing.