PCB Footprint Guide - When to Use NSMD, SMD, or Gang Mask Pads

Choosing Pad Variants in Your PCB Footprints

eCADBridge • Footprint Library Practice

If you've ever paused before publishing a footprint to your library and wondered whether the pad should be Solder Mask Defined (SMD), Non-Solder Mask Defined (NSMD), or part of a Gang Mask, you're asking the right question. It's one of those choices that looks small on the screen but quietly decides whether a board survives reflow, thermal cycling, and ten years in the field.

This article walks through how to make that decision the way an experienced librarian does and how the Footprint Analyzer in eCADBridge can take the guesswork out of it.

The Three Variants, in Plain Terms

Figure 1. Cross-sections of NSMD, SMD, and Gang Mask pads after solder mask and reflow.