Facts About PCBs (That You Probably Didn’t Know!)

Why they’re green
Have you ever wondered why the majority of PCBs are that iconic dark green colour? The green that you see is actually the colour of the soldermask showing through the glass. In regards to the origins of the use of the green, there are a few theories.

Some speculate that green was the regulation standard when for when PCBs were used by the American military, and the use of it spread from there. It has also been suggested that green could have been the colour of the original solder mask resins, and that we continue to use green as a matter of convention, despite no longer using these materials. In modern circuits a soldermask can actually be made in any colour. However, green has worked well for us so far, and it makes it particularly easy for engineers to see faults in the traces, so many companies tend to stick with it.