Tantalum Capacitor Polarity Markings

In this article, we go over the polarity markings found on a tantalum capacitor, so that we can determine which lead is the positive lead and which lead is the negative one.

Tantalum Capacitors, like aluminum electrolytics, are polarized capacitors. This means that they have positive and negative leads and you must be careful to insert the capacitor the right way in the circuit for the circuit to function correctly.

Tantalum Capacitors are marked pretty clearly to differentiate between positive and negative leads.

To tell which side is positive, the tantalum capacitor has a positive sign (+) next to the positive lead, as shown below:

Some tantalum capacitors even have different sized leads. In a case where a tantalum capacitor has one lead that is longer than the other, like aluminum electrolytic capacitors, the longer lead is the positive lead, as shown below:

For the uneven size lead tantalum capacitors, the positive sign (+) still exists on the capacitor, so you can do both checks to make sure which lead is which.

To find out how to read and interpret all of the values on a tantalum capacitor, see the article, How to Read a Tantalum Capacitor. This explains all the values found on a tantalum capacitor, including the 2 lefthand number values, and what they mean.

Related Resources

What are Tantalum Capacitors?

Types of Capacitors