0402 SMD LED

0402 SMD LEDs (1005 metric) measure just 1.0mm × 0.5mm — the smallest LEDs we stock and among the smallest commercially available surface-mount emitters.

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0402 SMD LEDs (1005 metric) measure just 1.0mm × 0.5mm — the smallest LEDs we stock and among the smallest commercially available surface-mount emitters. At this scale, an 0402 LED is barely visible to the naked eye once soldered to a PCB pad. That near-invisibility is exactly the point: scale modelers, micro-soldering repair technicians, and high-density PCB designers choose the 0402 package specifically because the light source must not draw attention to itself. We carry 0402 LEDs in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and white — covering every common indicator and accent-lighting color. Each product page lists the peak wavelength in nanometers, forward voltage, and maximum drive current so you can spec the part precisely for your circuit. If you want the convenience of pre-attached magnet wire without soldering the LED yourself, see our pre-wired SMD LEDs, which ship with 0402 emitters already bonded to fine-gauge leads.

Scale modeling and miniature lighting account for the majority of individual 0402 LED sales. At 1:72 scale, a 1mm LED represents a roughly 72mm (3-inch) real-world light source — proportionally correct for cockpit instruments, aircraft navigation lights, and vehicle headlamps on Tamiya, Hasegawa, and Eduard kits. 1:48 scale armor builders use them for tank headlights, dashboard indicator panels, and interior dome lights on M1 Abrams, Tiger I, and Panther builds. Warhammer 40K hobbyists wire 0402 LEDs into Imperial Knight eye lenses, Titan weapon-barrel glow effects, and cockpit instruments on Aeronautica Imperialis flyers. Gunpla builders install them as mono-eye cameras in Zaku and Gouf kits, and as thruster glow on MG-grade mobile suits. Book nook diorama builders — a fast-growing community on r/booknooks — embed 0402 LEDs as streetlights, window glow, neon signage, and fireplace flicker effects inside miniature alleyway and fantasy scenes that sit between books on a shelf. LEGO lighting enthusiasts use them where even the smallest Brickstuff module is too large, threading magnet wire through Technic pin holes and tile gaps. At every one of these scales, the 0402 package disappears into the model once painted or concealed behind a lens, leaving only the light effect visible — which is the whole point of choosing the smallest available emitter.

Electronics repair is the other major demand driver for bare 0402 LEDs. Modern smartphones (iPhone 14/15/16 series, Samsung Galaxy S-series, Google Pixel), laptops (MacBook logic boards), AirPods charging cases, and IoT devices all use 0402-package LEDs as status indicators, proximity sensor emitters, and camera-active lights on their internal PCBs. When one of these components fails — a charging LED stops lighting, a proximity sensor loses its IR emitter, a camera indicator goes dark — micro-soldering repair technicians replace the individual 0402 part under a stereo microscope rather than swapping the entire logic board. The r/microsoldering and r/mobilerepair communities on Reddit discuss 0402 LED replacements routinely, and repair shops like iPad Rehab and Jessa Jones’s training courses teach 0402 rework as a core micro-soldering skill. Having known-good replacement LEDs on hand means faster turnaround and lower parts cost per repair.

Soldering 0402 components is an advanced skill, but well within reach for anyone who has worked with 0603 or 0805 parts and wants to push their technique further. A fine-tip soldering iron (conical tip ≤0.5mm or a thin chisel tip), high-quality tacky flux, and thin solder wire (0.3mm diameter or thinner) are essential. Most technicians use a stereo microscope at 10–20× magnification — a basic desk loupe or headband magnifier with an LED ring light can work for occasional jobs, but sustained 0402 work really benefits from binocular optics. Reverse-action tweezers hold the part in place while you tack one pad, then flow the second. For production runs or batch builds, solder paste and a hot-air station (or a reflow oven / hot plate) are far more efficient than hand-soldering individual parts. Kapton tape secures adjacent components during hot-air rework. The key to clean 0402 joints is minimal solder volume — too much solder bridges the pads, while too little creates a cold joint. Practice on scrap PCBs before committing to your final assembly.

Electrical specifications follow the same patterns as larger SMD packages. Forward voltage by color: red/orange/yellow/amber ≈ 1.8–2.2Vf; green/blue/white/UV ≈ 2.8–3.4Vf. Maximum continuous current is typically 20mA, though many modelers drive 0402 LEDs at 5–10mA for a subtler, more realistic glow that also extends LED lifespan. Power dissipation at 20mA is modest (≤70mW), so thermal management is rarely a concern at this package size. Always pair the LED with a current-limiting resistor — our LED resistor calculator computes the correct value for any supply voltage and target current. For 5V circuits driving a red 0402 at 10mA, a 300Ω resistor is typical; for white/blue at 10mA from 5V, use 180–200Ω. The resistor can be a standard through-hole axial type wired in series, or an SMD resistor (0402 or 0603 size) placed on the same PCB. New to LEDs entirely? Pre-wired LEDs include the resistor on the wire, so you just connect power and ground — no calculations needed.

PCB design notes: the 0402 imperial footprint (IPC land pattern) has recommended pad dimensions of approximately 0.6mm × 0.5mm with a 0.5mm gap between pads. In KiCad, search the footprint library for LED_SMD:LED_0402_1005Metric. In EasyEDA, search “0402 LED” in the component library. The polarity marking varies by manufacturer — some use a green dot or T-shaped cathode marker on the bottom; others use a small notch on the cathode end. Always verify polarity with the datasheet before committing a layout to fabrication. If you need more room on your PCB or want easier hand-rework, step up to 0603 SMD LEDs (1.6mm × 0.8mm) or 0805 SMD LEDs (2.0mm × 1.25mm). For a comparison of all SMD package sizes we carry, see the SMD LEDs parent category. If you prefer through-hole LEDs for breadboarding or panel-mount builds, browse our DIP LEDs and diffused LEDs instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

An 0402 LED measures 1.0mm × 0.5mm — roughly the size of a grain of sand. For comparison, an 0603 is 1.6mm × 0.8mm (about 2.5× the footprint area), an 0805 is 2.0mm × 1.25mm, and a 1206 is 3.2mm × 1.6mm. The “0402” designation is the imperial footprint code; the metric equivalent is 1005 (1.0mm × 0.5mm). It is the smallest LED package we carry and the smallest size practical for hand-soldering under magnification.
You can hand-solder 0402 LEDs, but it is considered advanced SMD work. You will need a fine-tip soldering iron (conical or chisel ≤0.5mm), quality tacky flux, thin solder wire (0.3mm or thinner), and magnification — ideally a stereo microscope at 10–20×, though a headband loupe can work for occasional jobs. Reverse-action tweezers hold the part while you tack one pad, then reflow the second. For batch builds, solder paste with a hot-air station or hot plate is far more efficient. If you are new to SMD soldering, start with 0805 or 1206 LEDs first and work your way down.
Use our LED Resistor Calculator to find the exact value for your supply voltage and LED color.0V) at 10mA from a 5V source: (5 − 2.0) ÷ 0.010 = 300Ω. For white or blue (Vf ≈ 3.1V) at 10mA from 5V: 190Ω — round up to 200Ω. Many scale modelers run 0402 LEDs at just 5mA for a subtler, more realistic glow. Use our LED resistor calculator to compute exact values for any supply voltage and target current. Always use a current-limiting resistor — without one, the LED will overdraw and burn out instantly.
The numbers refer to the imperial package dimensions: 0402 = 1.0mm × 0.5mm, 0603 = 1.6mm × 0.8mm, 0805 = 2.0mm × 1.25mm. All three run on the same forward voltages and similar drive currents (20mA max). The practical differences are soldering difficulty and footprint size. Choose 0402 when the LED must be invisible (1:72 scale models, phone board repair, ultra-dense PCBs). Choose 0603 for a good balance of small size and hand-solderability. Choose 0805 for the easiest SMD hand-soldering experience and breadboard adapter compatibility.
0402 LEDs are the go-to emitter for 1:72 and 1:48 scale aircraft (cockpit instruments, navigation lights), 1:35 scale armor (tank headlights, dashboard indicators), Bandai Star Wars model kits (engine glow, cockpit lighting), Warhammer 40K vehicles and Titans (eye lenses, weapon effects), Gunpla mono-eye cameras on MG and PG kits, and book nook dioramas (streetlights, window glow, miniature signage). Any model where a larger LED would be visible and break the illusion of scale benefits from the tiny 0402 form factor. For models where pre-attached leads are more convenient, see our pre-wired SMD LEDs.
Most 0402 SMD LEDs have a wide viewing angle of 120–140°, which means the light spreads broadly rather than focusing into a tight beam. This is typical of SMD packages — unlike through-hole DIP LEDs that use a lens to concentrate light into a 15–30° cone, SMD LEDs emit from a flat surface and radiate in a wide hemisphere. The wide viewing angle makes 0402 LEDs excellent for panel indicators, ambient glow effects in models, and PCB status lights where the LED needs to be visible from many directions.