Minimum trace width and spacing in PCB Design - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

This table shows different PCB trace types with their current ratings, minimum trace widths, and minimum spacing requirements. The selected trace type is in B5.

Cell	Value
A1	Trace Type
B1	Current (A)
C1	Min Width (mil)
D1	Min Spacing (mil)
A2	Signal
B2	1
C2	6
D2	6
A3	Power
B3	5
C3	20
D3	10
A4	Ground
B4	3
C4	12
D4	8
A5	Selected Trace
B5	Power
C5
D5
E5	Formula Result
F5

Formula Trace

=VLOOKUP(B5, A2:D4, 3, FALSE)

Step 1: VLOOKUP("Power", A2:D4, 3, FALSE)

Cell Reference Map

     A        B        C        D        E        F
1 |Trace Type|Current  |Min Width|Min Spacing|        |       
2 |Signal    |1        |6       |6         |        |       
3 |Power     |5        |20      |10        |        |       
4 |Ground    |3        |12      |8         |        |       
5 |Selected Trace|Power    |        |          |Formula Result|       

The formula looks up the value in B5 ('Power') in the first column of the range A2:D4 to find the minimum trace width in the 3rd column.

Result

     A        B        C        D        E        F
1 |Trace Type|Current  |Min Width|Min Spacing|        |       
2 |Signal    |1        |6       |6         |        |       
3 |Power     |5        |20      |10        |        |       
4 |Ground    |3        |12      |8         |        |       
5 |Selected Trace|Power    |        |          |Formula Result|20     

The formula result 20 is shown in cell F5, representing the minimum trace width in mils for the selected 'Power' trace type.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What value does the formula return for the selected trace type 'Power'?

A 10

B 20

C 5

D 6

Key Result

VLOOKUP looks for a value in the first column of a range and returns a value from a specified column in the same row.