Why Are Circuit Boards Green?

Why are printed circuit boards green? Why is it the most common color? Let's discuss!

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#Green #PCB

[GregSalazar]

Thanks for the support on this one! I've been enjoying making these lately, and your feedback is encouraging! Suggest other topics in this thread. GO!

[FarrellMcGovern]

Back in the late 1970s when I had my first job in computers, I was soldering together memory boards for aerial surveying equipment, and the boards were, if I remember correctly, blue. I had asked my supervisor (who had 20+ years experience) why they were that colour, and other PCBs were green, and she told me it was due to the military specification. Different coloured PCBs indicated their capabilities. One colour, for instance, meant that the PCB was resistant to funguses, another that it was flight rated, another that it would resist some immersion in water, etc.

[Azerkeux]

My first GPU was a Zotac GT218 and I really liked its PCB color it's like a darker aquamarine kind of color

[MarcoGPUtuber]

They're green cause they want to be environmentally friendly! ;)

[CaveyMoth]

My blue and brown motherboards from 2011: "Am I a joke to you?"

[bryku]

In the early 2000s I bought a bunch of pcb for random projects. I specifically remember asking the manufacturer why the green ones were $5 cheaper.

But that was just that one manufacturer, there were tons of different boards and different materials used during that 90s - early 2000s. It was still an advancing industry.

[handmadecomputers]

My father was in the semiconductor business through the 70's and 80's and the military spec products required green PCB's so this does jive with your analysis as well.

[Ceece]

It’s Green because that was the first color invented by Disney in 1962. Before that everything was black and white.

Dad facts #57

[maelstrumyes]

for greenscreen purposes

and also


aliens

[havanowoncheese]

I really love that you have gotten back to the short more educational oriented videos. They are quite enjoyable in between build videos and PC ad videos.

[EyesOfByes]

Apple be like:
*I just dyed in your ARMs tonight*

[slacker]

As a historical note, I remember when PCBs were made of bakelite and were light brown. When first introduced, the much superior GRP boards were distinguished by being naturally translucent whitish, before solder mask was introduced and they became green.

[glenwaldrop]

If you were that full of mercury, lead, tin, baked at a couple hundred degrees, poked full of holes, peppered with copper and gold, stuffed in an air tight box, shipped to an uncertified surgeon for assembly, had dozens of items shoved in every hole you had...

You'd be green too.

[huzbum]

I think you hit the nail on the head with the contrast. I think I've read that we can most easily see contrast and edges in shades of green.

[ArtifactSkyline]

Multi-layered theory. That's a good one, especially because you are talking about multi-layered PCBs.

Not gonna lie it was more funny in my head. Thanks for the great content Greg. I will see myself out.

[martinenglish]

I have worked with blue, Dark and Light Green, Red, gold/yellow, Brown, Black. In old school Main Frames, bord colors ID'd there purpose and function. The same in military applications and equipment. Depending on what conductor is used for conductor tracks, Gold or silver or copper, Green, Brown, or Black. Red for a critical controller card to the machine, as with yellow/gold. Most consumer cards settled with green and some red with the silver/gold/copper conductor or conductor tract, contrast is the desired effect. :) Green provides the best all-around contrast for most conductors

[Sahtoovi]

tl;dr: it is easier on the eyes, the silkscreen is easier to see, and green is the natural color for many of the materials used in PCBs so costs stay down

[yankumarrah]

This is a good question! I will say that in hardware engineering when PCBs go through different stages (DVT, EVT, Production) in development you will find tan/yellow, red, and even blue! But final stage PCBs typical end up green or a variant of green unless specified to an ODM to use another final color. I personally enjoy blue and black PCBs when it comes to consumer products.

[warrenmiller]

While working in the electronics field, I have seen several other colors other than green: Blue, red, orange, tan, black light gray & brown. I will say thay green is usually the easiest to see Conformal Coating (Protective moister coating) defects under black lights.

[dazextralarge]

Thats a cool curiosity series born right here. Keep delivering those up from time to time!