What Thickness Thermal Pad Do I Need? Complete Guide

Choosing the right thickness thermal pad is just as important as choosing the right thermal conductivity. Use the wrong thickness and you could end up with poor heat transfer or damage to your components.

Common Thermal Pad Thicknesses

0.5mm — Ultra thin. Used for very tight clearances, mainly on laptop memory chips and thin SSD heatsinks.

0.8mm — Thin. Common for laptop GPU memory chips and some SSD applications.

1.0mm — The most common thickness. Used for GPU VRAM chips, VRMs, and general electronics cooling.

1.5mm — Medium. Used where there is a slightly larger gap between the component and heatsink.

2.0mm — Thick. Common for desktop GPU memory chips on older cards and some power components.

2.5mm — Extra thick. Used for components that sit lower on the PCB.

3.0mm — Maximum thickness. Used for large gap applications like some console repairs and LED cooling.

How to Measure What You Need

Method 1 — Check your GPU/laptop model specs online. Many tech forums and repair guides list the exact thickness needed.

Method 2 — Remove the old thermal pad and measure it with a ruler or digital caliper.

Method 3 — When in doubt, go slightly thicker. A pad that is too thick will compress under pressure. A pad that is too thin will leave a gap.

BCI Thermal Pad Sizes Available

BCI Thermal Pads are available in 0.5mm, 0.8mm, 1.0mm, 1.5mm, 2.0mm, 2.5mm and 3.0mm thicknesses.

All pads offer 12.8 W/mK thermal conductivity and are non-conductive, fire retardant, and rated from -40°C to 200°C.

Australian owned and in stock in Victoria. Fast dispatch Australia wide.

Shop BCI Thermal Pads at bcithermal.com