RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

How Thick is Gold Finger PCB Plating and its Cost

Gold plating is commonly applied to the edge connector fingers on printed

circuit boards (PCBs) to provide a

highly conductive and corrosion resistant contact surface. Determining

the optimal gold thickness for an application requires balancing cost

against performance needs like durability, contact resistance, and

insertion lifetime. This guide examines typical gold finger plating

specifications, cost tradeoffs, and key factors in selecting appropriate PCB

edge connector plating.

Table of Contents

What Are Gold Fingers on PCBs?

Gold fingers refer to the gold plated copper pads or traces along the edge

of a PCB that make electrical contact when inserted into a connector. Also

known as edge card connectors or finger connectors, these gold fingers

allow boards to be easily installed and removed from electronic devices

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

and

ackplanes.

Gold plated edge card connector fingers on a PCB

The gold plating serves several purposes:

 Provides excellent conductivity and low contact resistance

 Resists corrosion and oxidation over long-term use

 Allows many insertions and removals without degradation

 Provides lubricity for smooth insertion into mating connectors

 Protects against fretting wear during vibration or shock

 Ensures solderability for terminations and connections

Proper specification of the gold thickness is essential to maximize

performance while controlling plating cost.

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

Requst Gold Finger PCB Manufacturing Quote Now

Typical Gold Finger Thickness Ranges

Common gold plating thicknesses used on PCB connector fingers range

from around 0.05 μm to 5 μm (micrometers). Here are typical plating

ranges for various applications:

Gold Thickness Applications

0.05 – 0.15 μm Consumer electronics
0.15 – 0.3 μm Industrial electronics
0.3 – 1 μm Military/aerospace electronics
1 – 5 μm High durability connectors

Thicker gold plating is required when the application demands extended

insertion lifetime over tens of thousands of cycles. Thinner gold, down to

0.1 μm, may be suitable for lower duty consumer products.

Many standards like MIL-G-45204 and IPC-4782 specify minimum gold

thicknesses on PCB fingers for various classes of hardware. Typical

minimum values are in the range of 0.127 μm to 0.762 μm (5 to 30

microinches).

Military and industrial standards for minimum gold plating thickness

Let’s look at the key considerations when selecting gold finger plating

thickness for a particular application.

Durability and Insertion Lifetime

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

golder finger pcb

One of the main reasons for using thicker gold plating is to increase

durability over repeated insertions into the mating connector. Thinner

gold below around 0.15 μm will show visible wear and edge cuts after a

few hundred insertions. At 0.05 μm almost all the gold can wear off after

less than 100 cycles.

For consumer devices that only see occasional connections, this may be

acceptable. But industrial controls, telecom hardware, and military

systems often require thousands of insertions over decades of use.

Here is how plating thickness impacts insertion lifetime:

Gold Thickness Insertion Lifetime

0.05 μm < 100 cycles
0.1 μm < 500 cycles
0.3 μm 1,000 – 5,000 cycles
1 μm 10,000 – 50,000 cycles
3 μm > 100,000 cycles

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

Thicker gold above 2-3 μm would be specified for extremely high duty

connectors requiring hundreds of thousands of mating cycles without

deterioration.

The substrate material also affects wear life. Harder nickel underplating

prolongs gold pad lifetime compared to softer copper or brass bases.

Contact Resistance Stability

Thicker gold plating maintains lower and more stable contact resistance as

the connector is repeatedly mated over its lifetime. This provides better

electrical performance and reduces variation.

Contact resistance tends to rise as gold wears down, exposing the base

metal which oxidizes. Excessively thin gold sees resistance spikes after

fewer mating cycles.

Minimum gold thickness targets found in industrial and military

specifications aim to ensure stable contact resistance over the required

lifetime, beyond just providing environmental protection.

Solderability

Sufficient gold thickness must remain at the end of the product’s insertion

life to allow soldering to PCB connector pads. This ensures damaged

connectors can be repaired and individual fingers replaced if needed.

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

Areas with visible base metal exposure may be difficult to solder. A

minimum of 0.1 μm gold remaining is recommended for consistent solder

connections.

Lubricity

Thicker gold plating above 0.3 μm provides lubricity that allows smoother

insertion and removal from mating connectors. Thinner gold has higher

friction that can lead to sticking.

The lubricity effect reduces abrasive wear during mating cycles. But

separate lubricants are often used on gold fingers to further

improveInsertion and extraction forces must be considered to avoid

damage, especially for high density connectors.

Other Plating Material Options

While gold is generally the standard for PCB finger connectors, other

platings like silver, tin, and palladium are sometimes used:

 Silver – Lower cost but prone to tarnishing that increases contact

resistance. Requires gold flash coating.

 Tin – Least expensive plating but wears quickly. Not suitable for high

durability needs.

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

 Palladium – More affordable than gold but may not withstand harsh

environments.

 Alloys – Combinations like tin-lead, tin-bismuth, or silver-nickel

provide cost savings over pure gold.

Evaluate tradeoffs between cost and performance when assessing plating

materials. Mixing gold with other metals can offer an optimal balance for

some cost-sensitive applications.

Factors That Determine Gold Finger Plating Thickness

 Insertion cycles – Expected lifetime number of mate/demate cycles.

More cycles need thicker gold.

 Contact resistance – Lower and more consistent resistance requires

thicker gold.

 Contact density – Higher density connectors experience faster wear

requiring thicker plating.

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

 Environment – Harsh conditions like humidity, temperature, and

vibration demand thicker gold protection.

 Cost constraints – Minimal thickness based on performance needs

to control plating cost.

 Reliability requirements – Mission critical systems justify thicker

gold than consumer hardware.

 PCB material – Softer copper needs more gold than hard nickel

underplating.

 Solderability – Sufficient gold must remain for repair soldering after

usage.

Analyze all factors above to select the optimal gold finger plating thickness

for each application’s needs. Over-spending on unneeded thickness

wastes money. But inadequate thickness risks premature failure.

Gold Finger Plating Process

Gold is applied to PCB connector fingers through electroplating. The PCB

panel goes through a series of plating baths to deposit various metal

layers:

1. Copper PCB Traces – Base metal fingers are formed by copper etching

2. Electroless Nickel – Thin nickel layer enhances adhesion

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

3. Electrolytic Nickel – Thicker harder nickel to prolong wear life

4. Gold – Final gold plating applied to specified thickness

The gold bath contains gold potassium cyanide or gold sulfite dissolved in

solution. Applying current to the PCB deposits gold ions onto the nickel

underplating.

Typical PCB gold finger plating sequence

After plating, a glassivation step may apply solder mask to protect from

solder bridging between fingers. A lubricant coating also improves

insertion.

Requst Gold Finger PCB Manufacturing Quote Now

Cost Impact of Thicker Gold Plating

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

Adding plating thickness requires longer plating time and more gold

material, increasing process costs. Here is an approximate cost

comparison of gold thicknesses:

Gold Thickness Relative Plating Cost

0.05 μm 1X
0.15 μm 1.5X
0.75 μm 2X
1.5 μm 3X
3 μm 5X

Doubling thickness adds around 50% to the base cost. Going from 0.05

μm to 1 μm increases cost by 2-3X. The gold material alone represents

over 90% of this added cost.

For a moderately complex PCB, going from 0.15 μm to 0.75 μm gold might

add $5 to $10 to the overall board fabrication cost. On boards with high

edge connector density, the incremental cost for thick gold is higher.

Plating cost rises non-linearly with thickness due to gold material usage

Work with your PCB manufacturer to determine optimum gold finger

thickness for your budget and connector requirements.

Design Rules for Gold Fingers

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

Follow these guidelines when laying out gold fingers on the PCB edge:

 Minimum gold finger width: 0.2mm

 Minimum space between fingers: 0.2mm

 Avoid acute angles on fingers

 Rounded corners ease insertion

 Extend gold 0.5mm from edge

 Align with via grids for stiffness

 Limit unsupported span length

 Solder mask web between fingers

Well-designed gold fingers withstand repeated insertions and minimize

risk of pad lift, solder fractures, or PCB warping.

Gold Finger PCB Connectors

Many standard connector footprints are designed for gold fingers

including:

 PCI/PCIe

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

 Memory – DIMM, SODIMM

 Board-to-board – DIN41612, Nano-D

 Backplanes – VME64x, CompactPCI

 Storage – SAS, SATA

Common PCB connectors using gold plated edge fingers

Most PCB connector series offer optional gold plating on housing and pins

to match gold fingers on the mating board.

Alternative Finger Materials and Platings

While gold is the norm, other finger plating and base material options

exist:

 BeCu copper alloy for increased hardness and wear resistance

 Hardened steel or beryllium copper pins

 Tin, tin-lead, and tin-bismuth platings for cost savings

 Nickel/palladium to replace gold in some harsh environments

 Selective gold plating only on contact wiping areas

 Dual plating with gold only on mating tip of fingers

 Gold dot flash coating over silver or palladium base

Evaluate overall cost savings from any gold reduction techniques against

possible tradeoffs in reliability.

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

FQA about Gold Fingers on PCBs

gold finger

Why is gold used for edge connector fingers?

Gold provides excellent conductivity, corrosion resistance, and lubricity. It

allows many insertion cycles without degrading electrical or mechanical

performance.

How thick should gold plating be for automotive electronics?

0.3 to 1 μm provides good durability for automotive environments seeing

thousands of insertion cycles under vibration and temperature swings.

What is the cheapest plating that can be used on fingers?

Pure tin is the least expensive at less than 10% the cost of gold. But it

oxidizes quickly and wears out after a few dozen insertions.

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

What is the hardest metal used for PCB edge fingers?

Beryllium copper alloy provides the greatest hardness and wear

resistance. But beryllium is toxic requiring careful handling. Steel fingers

are more common for high durability needs.

Is it possible to reduce gold thickness on non-contact areas of fingers?

Yes, selective gold plating only on the mating wiping surfaces can save

cost with minimal impact on performance. The ends and sides of fingers

can have reduced gold.

Conclusion

Specifying the optimum gold plating thickness for PCB connector fingers

requires balancing cost versus required lifetime durability, contact

resistance stability, solderability, and other factors. More insertion cycles,

higher densities, and harsher environments demand thicker gold over 0.5

μm to prevent premature failure. But excessive margins waste cost. Work

closely with your PCB partner to validate the best gold finger plating for

your application’s functionality, reliability, and budget needs.

Related Posts:

1. What’s the Difference Between PCB Immersion Gold and Gold

Plating PCB ?

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/

 RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

2. Edge Connector PCB: What are the Best Gold Plating Methods?

3. 52 Layer PCB Board Flash Gold + Hard Gold Manufacturing

4. How Thick Should a PCB be?

https://www.raypcb.com/gold-fingers-pcb/

PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services https://www.raypcb.com/