The short answer
What this setting controls
Green is the familiar, economical default. Other colours can help product identity or visual contrast. White mask usually needs black silkscreen so markings remain legible.
Consider optical inspection contrast, trace visibility, cosmetic consistency across revisions and the effect of mask colour on silkscreen and assembly evidence.
Options in the order form
How the available choices differ
| Choice | Use it for | Engineering note |
|---|---|---|
| Green | General purpose and easy inspection | Broad process familiarity and strong contrast for visual inspection. |
| Black / white | Strong product aesthetics | Trace visibility and legend contrast differ; white mask normally uses black legend. |
| Red / blue / yellow / purple | Product identity or visual coding | Keep revision-to-revision appearance expectations realistic. |
Compatibility
What can change with this selection
- Silkscreen is constrained by the selected mask colour.
- Colour availability may differ for flex, HDI and specialised materials.
- If the page disables a choice, treat it as a compatibility result and adjust the controlling design decision rather than forcing the value.
Practical recommendation
How to make the decision
- Use Green for the most familiar inspection and documentation path.
- Choose a brand colour when the product needs it and the readability trade-off is acceptable.
- Check the linked silkscreen choice after changing the mask colour.
Before release
Check these points before adding the quote to cart
- Confirm the selected value matches the released Gerber, drawing, stack-up, BOM or assembly plan.
- Review any fields that changed automatically after this selection.
- Check the board preview and server-calculated estimate before adding the quote to cart.
- Use Green for the most familiar inspection and documentation path.
- Choose a brand colour when the product needs it and the readability trade-off is acceptable.
- Check the linked silkscreen choice after changing the mask colour.
Frequently asked questions
Answers for ordering and design review
Does colour change electrical performance?
Usually the colour is a visual mask choice, but the associated material/process availability and inspection contrast can still matter.
When should I change PCB colour?
Change it when the released electrical, mechanical, thermal, assembly or quality plan gives a measurable reason. Otherwise keep the compatible default and review the resulting board preview and estimate.
Why is an option disabled?
The current material, geometry, layer count, quantity or another selected process makes that combination unavailable. Change the controlling selection or revise the design package rather than trying to bypass the disabled state.
Can I rely on the online choice as final manufacturing approval?
No. The interface screens known combinations and requests pricing, while final manufacturability remains subject to the released files and technical review.
What should I record outside the order form?
Put controlled requirements in the fabrication drawing, assembly drawing, stack-up, BOM or acceptance plan. Use Special instructions only for a concise pointer to that controlled requirement.
Will changing this update other selections?
It can. The order form re-evaluates compatibility and may replace a now-invalid dependent choice before requesting a fresh server-side estimate. Review every highlighted or automatically changed field.
What if the design requires an option that is not offered?
Do not approximate it with a different label. Recheck the controlling material and geometry, document the actual requirement, and request technical review before placing the order.
Further reading
Standards and technical references
Use the latest applicable revision and your organisation’s controlled requirements when a standard forms part of product acceptance.