A PCB shield can — also called an RF shield can, EMI shield can or board-level shield — is a formed metal enclosure soldered over part of a circuit board to stop a noisy circuit from radiating, or to protect a sensitive circuit from its neighbors. It is the most cost-effective way to fix EMI at its source, before it reaches the enclosure or the cables. This guide compares the main types of PCB shield cans, the materials and thicknesses they are made from, standard versus custom sizes, and exactly what to send when you request a quote.
On a dense board, a switching regulator, processor, memory bus or radio power amplifier can sit millimeters from a GNSS receiver or a sensitive analog front end. A shield can, grounded to a continuous copper ring on the PCB, forms a small Faraday enclosure around the circuit. It contains radiated emissions, blocks incoming interference, and gives each RF block its own isolated cavity — which is why shield cans appear on almost every phone, router, radio module, medical wearable and defense electronics board.
| Type | How it works | Best for | 3G MetalworX family |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-piece shield can | Single formed can soldered or clipped to the board | Price-sensitive designs where components do not need to be accessed | QUBE — surface-mount or through-hole, compatible with automated-assembly PCB clips |
| Two-piece frame + cover | Soldered frame with a removable snap-on cover | Rework, inspection and tuning access; the most versatile choice | FLEX — welded frame, excellent cover retention, virtually no size limits, SMT and through-hole |
| Two-piece SMT with perimeter flange | Flanged frame for structural support and pick-and-place | Prototypes that must transition smoothly to high-volume SMT | SWIPE — available with a PIC-Spot for automated placement |
| Standard off-the-shelf | Catalog sizes with no tooling | Fast prototypes and production without startup cost | PIC-it — one- and two-piece, supplied on tape and reel |
| Multi-cavity shield | One welded frame with internal walls and a single cover | Isolating several RF blocks while saving board space and weight | MULTIZONE — high inter-cavity isolation |
| Hybrid (machined replacement) | Formed multi-zone shield with a conductive foam-gasketed cover | Replacing costly machined housings, including at 5G frequencies | HYBRID — similar isolation to machined parts at lower cost and weight |
| Machined shield | Precision-machined housing | The most demanding isolation and millimeter-wave requirements | Machined Shield |
The vast majority of board-level shields are made from tin-plated steel or nickel silver. Less common materials are used where the can has a second job, such as spreading heat or acting as a spring.
| Material | Available thicknesses | Recommended use |
|---|---|---|
| Tin-plated steel | 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.6 mm (0.008–0.025″) | Indoor environments where corrosion is not an issue — the default choice |
| Nickel silver | 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.6 mm (0.008–0.025″) | Outdoor and military applications that need corrosion resistance |
| Mu-metal | 0.25, 0.6 mm | Magnetic shielding |
| Copper | 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.6 mm | Components that also transfer heat |
| Beryllium copper | 0.125, 0.2 mm | Spring features with resistance to thermal relaxation |
| Phosphor bronze | 0.125, 0.2 mm | Spring-type features |
| Stainless steel | 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 mm | Non-shielding mechanical components |
Standard shields are the fastest route to a working prototype. 3G’s PIC-it range needs no tooling and no startup charge — for example, PIC-S-101 measures 12.7 × 13.67 × 2.54 mm in 0.2 mm (0.008″) tin-plated steel — and every frame ships on tape and reel for pick-and-place. Custom cans make sense once the layout is fixed or the circuit needs an exact footprint, height or cavity arrangement; QUBE one-piece cans, for instance, start from sizes such as 12.70 × 19.05 × 2.54 mm and scale up from there. Because 3G builds millions of board-level shields a year and keeps tin-plated steel and nickel silver in stock, custom parts move to production without long material lead times.
Co-planarity, solder-joint design and keep-out rules are covered in detail in our board-level shield PCB design and mounting guide.
A PCB shield can is a small formed metal enclosure soldered over a section of a printed circuit board to contain the electromagnetic energy of a noisy circuit or protect a sensitive one. It is also called an RF shield can, EMI shield can or board-level shield.
Most PCB shield cans are tin-plated steel for indoor products or nickel silver for outdoor and military environments, typically 0.2 to 0.6 mm thick. Copper is used for heat transfer, beryllium copper and phosphor bronze for spring features, mu-metal for magnetic shielding and stainless steel for non-shielding mechanical parts.
A one-piece can is the lowest-cost option when the components underneath never need to be accessed. A two-piece shield — a soldered frame with a removable cover — costs slightly more but allows inspection, rework and tuning without desoldering, which is why it is the most common choice for prototypes and RF modules.
Yes. 3G’s PIC-it shields are standard surface-mount board-level shields in one-piece and two-piece designs with no tooling lead time or startup cost, supplied on tape and reel for automated placement. Custom sizes are available across the QUBE, FLEX, SWIPE, MULTIZONE and HYBRID families.
Send the PCB outline or keep-out area, component heights, the attachment method (surface mount, through-hole or clips), material and finish preference, operating environment, frequency range and annual volume. 3G engineers typically reply the same business day and can ship free samples within 48 hours.
Send your board outline and component heights — we return a shield can recommendation, usually the same business day.
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