Pogo Pin Design Guide: Sizes, Pitch, Tip Styles and PCB Contact Pad Layout
TL;DR
Choose a pogo pin by pitch first, then spring force, travel and tip style, using the largest series your tightest pad spacing allows. Lay out each PCB contact pad at about 1.2 mm diameter where space allows, never below 0.8 mm, and keep pad centres at or above the pin's rated minimum spacing.
A pogo pin only works as well as the layout around it. Pick the wrong pitch and the barrels will not fit between your pads; make the contact pad too small and fixture tolerance turns into intermittent contact. This guide covers pogo pin sizes, pitch, spring force, tip styles and PCB contact pad layout, using real figures from the standard probe series we stock, so the board and the fixture agree with each other the first time.
What Pogo Pin Sizes Are Available, and How Are They Named?
Pogo pin sizes are grouped by minimum centre spacing, which is the closest two pins can sit side by side. The part number tells you almost everything else. Take the S-50C-T-5.6-DG-S as an example: S-50C is the series, built for 0.050 in (1.27 mm) centres; T is the tip style; 5.6 is the spring force in ounces at working travel; DG identifies a gold-plated beryllium copper plunger; and the final -S marks the steel-plunger version. Once you can read that string, comparing one spring contact probe with another takes seconds.
The table below compares the main series in our probe pin collection, taken from the published specifications of one representative part in each series.
| Series (example part) | Minimum centres | Spring force at working travel | Working / max travel | Current | Typical resistance |
| SS-30 (SS-30-C-1.3-G) | 0.039 in (0.99 mm) | 1.3 oz (about 37 g) | 1.70 / 2.54 mm | 3 A | < 40 mΩ |
| S-0 (S-0-A-2.2-D) | 0.050 in (1.27 mm) | 2.2 oz (about 62 g) | 1.78 / 2.54 mm | 3 A | < 35 mΩ |
| S-50C (S-50C-T-5.6-DG-S) | 0.050 in (1.27 mm) | 5.6 oz (about 159 g) | 4.32 / 6.35 mm | 3 A | < 25 mΩ |
| S-2 (S-2-F-8.3-D) | 0.100 in (2.54 mm) | 8.3 oz (about 235 g) | 2.54 / 4.06 mm | 3 A | < 35 mΩ |
| S-4 (S-4-J-5-G) | 0.156 to 0.187 in (3.96 to 4.75 mm) | 5.0 oz (about 142 g) | 4.32 / 6.35 mm | 5 A | < 20 mΩ |
| S-5 (S-5-F-16.4-G) | 0.187 in (4.75 mm) | 16.4 oz (about 465 g) | 4.32 / 6.35 mm | 5 A | < 8 mΩ |
Force varies within a series (the S-50C-A is 4.3 oz), so check the exact part.
How Do You Choose Pogo Pin Pitch for Your PCB?
Start from the tightest pad spacing on the board, then pick the largest series that still fits it. Bigger pins give longer travel, lower resistance and easier fixture drilling. Danish test-fixture maker MEKAN's PCB design-for-test guidelines name 2.54 mm as the preferred spacing and warn that 1.27 mm pitch is possible but raises cost and reliability challenges.
Fine pogo pin pitch is still common here. According to JTC, Singapore accounts for about 11% of the global semiconductor market and 5% of wafer capacity, so local test benches see plenty of dense boards. The practical answer is mixing: SS-30 or S-0 pins only in the dense areas, larger S-2 or S-4 pins everywhere else.
Which Tip Style Should a Pogo Pin Use?
Choose the tip by what it lands on: a flat pad, a via, a component lead or a contaminated surface. The letter after the series code identifies the tip, and each product page shows its drawing.
- Pointed or spear tips concentrate force to cut through oxide and flux residue on flat pads and test vias.
- Crown or serrated multi-point tips grip leads, solder joints and through-hole pins, and tolerate slight misalignment.
- Concave or cup tips self-centre on protruding pins and component legs.
- Flat or rounded tips suit product connections on clean gold pads where witness marks are unacceptable.
Tip choice can also change your pitch. On the S-4 series, tip styles B, C, D, G, J and K fit 3.96 mm centres, while A, E, F and H need 4.75 mm. Whether the pin is a test contact or a product contact matters too, and our guide to spring contact probes vs pogo pins explains why duty cycle drives that choice.
How Much Spring Force Does a Pogo Pin Need?
Enough to break through surface films and hold steady contact, but no more than the board and fixture can carry. Rated force applies at working travel, so compress each pin to that point, not its maximum stroke. Total force adds up fast: 200 S-50C pins at 5.6 oz each push about 1,120 oz, roughly 32 kg, onto one board. Thin or flexible boards suit low-force SS-30 or S-0 pins, while heavy S-5 pins earn their place on contaminated targets and current-carrying nets.
How Should You Lay Out the Pogo Pin Contact Pad on the PCB?
Make each pogo pin contact pad larger than the tip, centre it on a grid that matches your series, and keep it clear of anything the plunger could strike. MEKAN's guidelines state, "the most standard size for a TP is Ø1,2mm," and set Ø0.8 mm as the smallest size. Good pogo pin PCB practice also includes:
- Putting all test pads on one side of the board and spreading them evenly, so probe force does not bow the PCB.
- Keeping solder mask, silkscreen and component bodies off the pad area.
- Using a gold finish such as ENIG where pads see repeated contact or serve as permanent product contacts.
- Allowing for the full tolerance stack (fixture drilling, board registration, pointing accuracy) at fine pitch.
On the fixture side, mount each pin in a matching receptacle rather than soldering it in, so a worn pin is swapped by hand in seconds. The same pad rules apply to a pogo pin PCB used for board-to-board or docking contacts, where the mating pad must cover the pin's full positional tolerance.
Lay Out the Board Around the Pin You Will Order
Fix the pitch, choose the series, match the tip to the target, then size the pads. In that order, the layout and the fixture are built around the same part.
Sisco Interconnect stocks standard pogo pins and receptacles in Singapore for engineers across the region. Send us your pad spacing, target type and cycle count, and we will recommend a series. Request a quotation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the smallest pogo pin pitch you stock?
Our SS-30 series spring contact probe is built for 0.039 in (0.99 mm) centres.
What size should a pogo pin contact pad be?
About 1.2 mm diameter is a common standard; 0.8 mm is the practical minimum.
What do the numbers in a pogo pin part number mean?
The series sets the pitch, the letter sets the tip, and the decimal is spring force in ounces.
Does tip style affect pogo pin pitch?
Yes. On the S-4 series, some tips fit 3.96 mm centres while others need 4.75 mm.
Which pogo pin sizes carry the most current?
The S-4 and S-5 are rated at 5 A continuous, against 3 A for the finer series.
Related reading: High Current Probe Guide: Carrying More Current Without Overheating | Pogo Pin vs Rigid Pin vs Receptacle: Choosing the Right Contact