Frequently Asked Questions

The majority of JST through-hole type header wafer materials cannot withstand the temperatures required for reflow soldering (pin-n-paste). The through-hole headers are designed for wave or dip soldering methods.

Certain connectors are offered with gold plating depending on the series and / or the JST part number. Most are custom per customer / request. For details please contact your sales representative at the following link: JST Reps and Distributors

The following table is our general gold plating nomenclature:

Gold Plating Table

When purchasing some JST part numbers, you may find added characters and letters added to the prefix or the suffix of the part number as designated by our factories and sales offices.

Prefixed characters indicate the factory of origin while suffixed characters may indicate RoHS compliance and/or internal JST changes (i.e. change in raw material supplier). Any internal changes denoted in the suffix do not affect part fit, form or function.

The following common prefixed characters would indicate the factory / country of origin. If there is no character prefixed to the part number, the country of origin is Japan:

(G) = Shanghai, China
(W) = Indonesia
(C) = Waukegan, Illinois, USA
(Q) = Korea
(D) = Malaysia
(B) = Belgium
(K) = Kurayoshi, Japan
(I) = Innosho, Japan
(U) = Utsunomiya, Japan
(K) = Yangsan, Korea
(A) = Guntersville, Alabama, USA
(V) = France
(X) = Germany
(O) = Oda, Japan

The following suffixed characters would indicate the part number is RoHS compliant. These typically apply to PCB mounted headers. The majority of housings and contacts are RoHS compliant as is and do not require these added characters. Please contact your JST sales representative to confirm RoHS compliance if you are uncertain:

(LF) = Lead-free. The finish would be 98% tin and 2% copper.
(LF)(SN) = Lead-free with a 100% pure tin finish [SN is the Periodic Table of Elements symbol for tin].
(LF)(AU) = Lead-free with a 100% gold finish [AU is the Periodic Table of Elements symbol for gold]. The gold finish would have a nickel underplate.

Other characters, such as (S), (N), (M), etc., would indicate modifications to the part, changes in the raw material supplier at the factory, or packaging. These characters differ from part to part and series to series. For details on such characters, please contact your JST sales representative at the following link for more information: JST Reps and Distributors

The (P) or (PP) suffixed to the part number is an internal reference for JST. The (P) or (PP) indicates a change made to the inner and outer package labeling. It does not affect the physical part and it will not be shown on the product specifications.

Used on surface mount, through-hole headers and board-in connectors, a “boss” is a peg on the bottom of a header that helps polarize and situate the product onto the PCB.

For polarization, the boss allows the user to orient the product onto the PCB in only one direction. They are also used to help steady surface mount headers before subjecting them to IR reflow.

An extra hole is required to be drilled /punched into the PCB when incorporating items with bosses though the boss typically will not penetrate completely through the PCB like a through-hole solder tail would.

Certain connectors are offered with gold plating depending on the series and / or the JST part number. Most are custom per customer / request. For details please contact your sales representative at the following link: JST Reps and Distributors

The following table is our general gold plating nomenclature:

Gold Plating Table