Part Number Suffix Decoder: 7 Chipmakers' Ordering Codes in One Chart

A component's orderable part number is the base part number plus up to five coded attributes: a qualification marker (often a prefix such as onsemi's SZ or a suffix such as Nexperia's -Q100), a temperature grade, a package code, a lead-free or material code, and a packaging code. Two of those five change what the part can do. The other three only change the material finish or the box it ships in. Buyers who can tell the two groups apart quote faster, accept valid alternates, and avoid the one mistake that costs real money: approving a commercial-grade part against an automotive or high-temperature requirement because the base numbers matched.

This guide decodes the ordering codes of seven chipmakers in one chart, using parts that GlobX holds in stock in Germany as the examples, and ends with the misreads that trip up experienced purchasers.

How to read an ordering code in five blocks

Read an ordering code as five blocks: qualification marker, base number, temperature grade, package, then finish and packaging at the far right. Manufacturers put the blocks in different orders and some skip a block entirely, but every mainstream semiconductor maker encodes the same five questions.

1. Qualification marker. Is this the automotive (AEC-Q100 for ICs, AEC-Q101 for discretes) or PPAP-capable version? onsemi uses prefixes (NV, NRV, SZ), Texas Instruments uses -Q1, Nexperia uses -Q100 or a Q letter, ST uses Y, ADI uses W, and Micron puts an A in front of the temperature code.
2. Base number. The function and electrical family, plus any option digits such as a reference voltage or output voltage.
3. Temperature grade. A letter or digit that sets the guaranteed operating range. On an STM32 the digit 6 means -40 to +85 C; on a Linear Technology part the letter after the base number (C, I, H, MP) does the same job.
4. Package. D for SOIC at TI and onsemi, G for SSOP on Linear Technology parts, H for a BGA on the STM32L1.
5. Finish and packaging. Lead-free markers (G, Z, #PBF, /NOPB, G4) and reel, tube or tray codes (T1, R2, TR, -REEL7, XUMA1, ,118).

The practical rule: read from the right. Strip the packaging code first, then the finish code, and whatever is left is the part you must match exactly.

The decoder chart: seven chipmakers side by side

The chart below maps each manufacturer's codes to the five blocks. Every example is a live GlobX catalogue part, with the stock quantity shown on its product page as of September 2026 where one is listed.

Packaging codes deserve their own discussion because reel size decides whether your pick-and-place line can feed the part at all. The format trade-offs are covered in our tape and reel vs cut tape chart.

Suffixes that change the part, and suffixes that only change the box

Packaging codes and most lead-free codes do not change the silicon, while qualification markers, temperature grades, option digits and sometimes die revisions do. That split is the whole decision rule for accepting an alternate ordering code.

Nexperia states it plainly in its customer support FAQ: the suffix at the end of the part number refers to the packing method, with no difference in function or material composition between variants such as BAT54,215 and BAT54,235. Texas Instruments gives the same answer for its legacy G4 and E4 codes, which date from the lead-free transition and now order the same physical part as the code without them.

Usually safe to accept as the same part (confirm quantity per reel against your feeder):

• Different reel size of the same code: T1G vs T3G, -REEL7 vs -REEL, #TRPBF vs #TRMPBF.
• Legacy green designators: SN75176BDRG4 vs SN75176BDR.
• Nexperia packing codes after the comma.

Never accept without an engineering sign-off:

• A missing or added qualification marker. SZMMSZ5237BT1G is the AEC-Q101, PPAP-capable version of the MMSZ5237B Zener; the non-SZ part has the same electrical data sheet but none of the automotive change-control obligations. Our AEC-Q100 vs AEC-Q101 guide explains what those obligations cover.
• A different temperature grade, even one that looks wider in the right direction on paper.
• A different option digit inside the base number (output voltage, reference voltage, speed bin).
• A halogen-status change (Infineon X to H) if your customer's material declaration requires halogen-free.

Lead-free codes sit in the middle. For EU builds, a non-lead-free legacy code is not a packaging question but a RoHS compliance question. The finish itself is identified on the reel label by the JEDEC JESD97 category code: e1 for SnAgCu, e3 for matte tin and e4 for precious-metal finishes such as NiPdAu. If the ordering code says lead-free and the label says something else, stop and treat the lot as suspect.

Worked example: one DDR2 base number, two temperature grades

An RFQ for "MT47H64M16NF-25E" without the grade can be filled by two different Micron parts whose maximum operating temperatures differ by 30 C. Both are 1 Gbit DDR2 SDRAM in an 84-ball FBGA, organised 64M x 16, rated DDR2-800.

• MT47H64M16NF-25E AIT:M TR: automotive, AEC-Q100, -40 to +95 C. GlobX holds 8,000 pieces in stock, date code 23+.
• MT47H64M16NF-25E AUT:M TR: automotive, -40 to +125 C. Not on the shelf; GlobX quotes it on request within one business day.

For a telematics unit mounted in the cabin, the AIT grade is the correct and faster buy. For a controller near the engine or inside a power-train housing, only AUT meets the requirement, and shipping the in-stock AIT part would pass incoming inspection and fail in the field on a hot day. The part number difference is a single letter. The decision belongs to the design engineer, and the buyer's job is to make sure the RFQ carries the full code, colon and all. With DDR2 increasingly end-of-life, this choice is getting sharper; see our DDR2 end-of-life sourcing guide for where remaining supply sits.

Four misreads that cost buyers money

The most expensive suffix errors come from codes that look like quantities, codes that ERP systems mangle, and variant digits that hide inside what looks like a suffix.

1. Reading an option digit as a reel quantity. AD5620BRJZ-2500RL7 is not a 2,500-piece reel. The -2 selects the 2.5 V on-chip reference and 500RL7 means 500 pieces on a 7-inch reel. GlobX holds 1,500 pieces of this code, rated -40 to +105 C.
2. Stripped punctuation. ERP systems and marketplace listings drop colons, commas, slashes and hash signs. "MT47H64M16NF25EAITMTR", "74HC08DQ100118" and "LTC6811IG1TRPBF" are typical of how these codes arrive from ERP exports and spreadsheets. Search on the stripped form, but write the punctuated manufacturer code on the purchase order.
3. Treating a dash-number as packaging. In LTC6811IG-1#TRPBF the -1 is a device variant, and the packaging starts after the hash. Linear Technology parts put everything the buyer can flex after the #.
4. Assuming a designator bump is cosmetic. Infineon's A1 to A2 step in TLE9260QXXUMA2 means Infineon assigned a new orderable code, which it does when something about the part or its supply changed. Read the associated product change notification before mixing A1 and A2 stock on one build.

Practitioner gotcha: independent-market counterfeiters exploit suffixes too. A reel labelled with an automotive or lead-free code but carrying a commercial-grade die, or an e3 label on a tin-lead finish, is a common remarking pattern. The checks that catch it are in our guide to avoiding counterfeit electronic components.

What to write on the RFQ and purchase order

Write the full manufacturer ordering code with its original punctuation, then state separately which blocks you will flex. A supplier can only offer a valid alternate if you tell them which parts of the code are negotiable.

• Line 1: the exact code, for example SZMMSZ5237BT1G.
• Line 2: acceptable packaging alternates ("T3G acceptable, cut tape not acceptable").
• Line 3: non-negotiable attributes in words ("AEC-Q101 and PPAP required", "-40 to +125 C minimum", "halogen free").
• Line 4: documentation required, typically a certificate of conformance naming the full ordering code and date code.

Have a code you cannot decode, or an alternate you are not sure you can accept? Send GlobX the full ordering code, your quantity and the attributes that matter to your build, and we will tell you within 24 hours which variants we can ship from European stock and which blocks of the code actually differ.