PCB File Formats: Gerber, Drill Data and Manufacturing Packages

Which PCB file format should you send?

Use the manufacturing output format agreed with the receiving team. A common fabrication package combines Gerber artwork, drill data, an unambiguous outline and fabrication instructions. Intelligent manufacturing packages such as ODB++ or IPC-2581 can carry structured information, but the export content and the receiving workflow still need confirmation.

For assembly, include the required BOM, placement and assembly definition in the accepted form. A manufacturing package may contain some of that information, yet its presence and correctness should be checked rather than assumed. The required PCBA files guide explains the full enquiry-to-release package; this page focuses on formats and export interpretation.

Native PCB and schematic files serve engineering editing and design maintenance. Fabrication outputs serve manufacturing. A PDF is useful for human-readable instructions. An archive groups files for transfer. These are different roles, so asking for “the PCB file” without naming the task often causes incomplete handoffs.

For editable source work, distinguish organizing multiple boards as separate KiCad projects from migrating an EasyEDA design into KiCad ; these tasks precede the manufacturing-file release.

Identify filename clues and build a review manifest

Paste filenames, one per line. The tool suggests possible categories from extensions and flags duplicates or ambiguous names. It does not read a Gerber, parse drill coordinates, inspect an archive or prove that a layer is present. Content stays outside this tool; even a plausible filename requires a content review.

Use the output to start a manifest, then add the verified layer function, revision, units and release status in your controlled documentation. A filename containing “top” is a hint only. Archive extensions such as ZIP tell you about the container, not the correctness or completeness of its contents.

Compare file types by the job they do

Gerber extensions vary between CAD tools. Names such as .gtl and .gbl often identify top and bottom copper, while .gts and .gbs often indicate solder mask. A generic .gbr name may carry any layer. A file called .gm1 is not automatically the board outline; inspect its actual content and the project export convention.

Modern Gerber can include attributes that reduce ambiguity, and the Gerber job format can carry additional fabrication information. The official Ucamco Gerber overview and Gerber format specifications and examples are the appropriate references for format details. Do not create format rules by guessing from a filename.

ODB++ is documented by Siemens; the IPC-2581 consortium provides information about its exchange format. Agree which supported export to use. Sending several independently edited packages can increase ambiguity if their content is not synchronized.

Reading a file with a viewer and changing an editable design are different operations. Use the guide to choosing a PCB viewing route or the workflow for updating a KiCad PCB from its schematic to reach the task that matches your source files.

Review the exported content, not just the extension

Open the exported manufacturing data in an appropriate viewer and review it as a package. Start with the outline and copper stack, then overlay drills, mask and legend. Check that all layers use the intended coordinate origin and units. Verify that slots, cutouts and board edges are represented in a way the receiving process understands.

Review plated and non-plated hole information deliberately. A drill filename can suggest its purpose, but the actual tool definitions, plating classification and fabrication drawing determine the manufacturing instruction. Do not rely on a renamed .txt file as evidence that drilling information is correct.

Check that the outline is unambiguous, that required openings are present and that no reference geometry is being mistaken for a cut. For a panel, distinguish the unit outline, array perimeter, routed slots and score lines. Link the package to the approved assembly panel definition when assembly is included.

Review solder-mask openings and legend placement with the intended layer semantics. A viewer display that looks inverted may reflect a polarity or display setting, so resolve the interpretation using format content and the export configuration rather than editing artwork based only on appearance.

The official KiCad PCB Editor documentation describes fabrication and placement export workflows. Use the documentation for your actual CAD version and compare the generated output with the intended design. A successful export command is not a DFM result.

Create one authoritative manufacturing manifest

A practical manifest records the product and revision, filenames, verified purpose, preparation date and the responsible contact. Identify which documents control stackup, finish, tolerances, impedance requirements and special operations. Include the source of the required netlist comparison when that is part of the fabrication test agreement.

Keep superseded exports outside the release archive. If several revisions are included for comparison, label them clearly as reference material and identify the only approved build revision. A folder with both “final” and “final2” invites interpretation at exactly the point where the supplier needs certainty.

When an engineering change affects the design, regenerate affected outputs from the controlled CAD source. Record what changed and how existing material or work in progress should be handled. Editing one exported layer manually can leave the drill, netlist, assembly drawing or source design out of agreement.

Use the PCB DFM guide for manufacturability questions after the package meaning is clear. For assembly consistency, the DFA tools address selected BOM and placement issues. Format identification, content consistency and process feasibility are separate checks with different evidence.

For construction-specific outputs, review KiCad flex-region documentation ; for assembly data, use KiCad BOM and placement export checks so that geometry, population and revision definitions stay aligned.

What if you only have photographs or an old manufactured board?

Photographs can communicate layout context, markings, damage or connector orientation. They cannot reliably reveal every inner-layer connection, component value, hole specification or assembly requirement. A PDF schematic can explain a circuit, but it cannot directly define the full copper geometry and fabrication process.

When the native design is missing, use the PCB-to-schematic recovery workflow to separate observations from inferred information. Recovery is an engineering task with explicit uncertainty and validation needs. It is not a matter of renaming an image into a Gerber file.

For an early discussion, describe what you have: native source, exported manufacturing data, schematic PDF, photographs, sample boards or partial records. Explain whether the desired outcome is repair documentation, a redesign or a repeat manufacturing release. This lets the engineering review start at the right level.

Send the agreed package to PCB Manufacturing for fabrication review, or follow the PCBA file checklist when the order includes components and assembly. If your only question concerns file interpretation, state it directly rather than waiting to prepare an entire production package.

Questions before quotation and production