What is a chip resistor?

A chip resistor is a component that opposes the flow of electrical current. It is mainly used to operate, safeguard or control circuits. They are extensively applied in various application areas including automotive, transport, industrial, consumer electronics, and IT & telecommunication industries.

The consumer electronics sector is advancing with novel innovations such as high definition equipment and eco-friendly electronic products. However, with the rising development of electronics products, their demand has increased manifolds, which has also boosted the demand for chip resistors.

A chip resistor also known as surface-mount device or SMD resistor is an integrated circuit (IC) device designed in square or rectangular chip bundles. A chip resistor is a component that opposes the flow of electrical current. It is mainly used to operate, safeguard or control circuits. It can have a definite value of resistance or it might be flexible or variable within a specific range. A resistor is a passive component and can only decrease current or voltage signals.

Chip resistors form the main components of several advance electronics products. If electronics devices do not have resistors fitted in, there would be almost nothing to limit the flow of current. And having too much current can cause harm to the device, thus destroying it.

Chip resistors are extensively applied in various application areas including automotive, transport, industrial, consumer electronics, and IT & telecommunication industries. As per a report by Research Dive, the global chip resistor market is foreseen to exceed a revenue of $3,330.3 million in the 2021–2028 timeframe, owing to the growing demand for chip resistors from various industrial sectors.