Every distributor publishes a shortage list. Most of them read like a wish list from a marketing team. This one is different — it's built from the RFQs that land in our inbox every week, the parts we actually can't sell in stock, and the lead times franchise distributors are quoting when they finally quote at all.
Here are the fifteen categories tightest in supply right now, and what we're seeing on the ground for each.
1. Automotive-grade microcontrollers
NXP S32K, Renesas RH850, Infineon AURIX — anything AEC-Q100 with a lock-step core is still hard to find in real quantities. Franchise lead times are 40–52 weeks; broker market is priced 3–8× MSRP depending on package.
2. SiC MOSFETs and modules
Wolfspeed, ROHM, onsemi automotive-grade SiC in TO-247 and half-bridge modules. EV traction inverter demand is still pulling everything forward.
3. FPGAs — mid- and high-density
AMD/Xilinx Kintex and Virtex UltraScale+, Intel/Altera Stratix. Datacenter and defense buyers are competing for the same parts. Legacy Spartan-6 is worse — end of life, no drop-in replacement.
4. Legacy 74-series logic in DIP
PDIP through-hole 74HC/74LS parts for legacy industrial and defense builds. Nobody's making these in volume anymore. Consignment lots are gold.
5. MLCCs — high-cap, high-voltage
Murata, TDK, KEMET 10µF+ MLCCs in ≥50V ratings, especially X7R and X8R. Automotive and industrial power supply builds keep clearing distributor stock.
6. Tantalum capacitors — MIL-spec
Kemet T491, AVX/Kyocera TAJ in higher voltages, plus CWR-series MIL-PRF-55365 parts. Long-lead from the mill, and secondary market is thin.
7. Precision analog — instrumentation amps and references
Analog Devices AD8221 family, LTC voltage references, TI INA-series. Medical and test-and-measurement customers are the pull.
8. PMICs for datacenter and comms
MPS, Renesas (Intersil), TI multi-rail controllers. AI server BOMs eat these by the reel.
9. Automotive passives — high-reliability
AEC-Q200 chip resistors and inductors in unusual values or high current ratings. Not glamorous, still stops production lines.
10. Legacy DDR3 and older memory
Micron, Samsung, Hynix DDR3 densities that are past their prime. Industrial customers on 10-year build cycles still need them.
11. MIL-PRF-19500 discretes
JAN, JANTX, JANTXV, JANS 2N-series transistors and 1N-series diodes. Long lead from the mill, and used-stock supply is drying up as programs retire.
12. IGBT modules — industrial
Infineon, Mitsubishi, Semikron in 1200V and 1700V ratings. Renewable-energy and industrial-drive demand.
13. Automotive connectors — sealed
TE, Molex, JAE sealed multi-pin automotive connectors. Long-lead from all three at the moment.
14. DC-DC converter modules
Vicor, Murata Power, Delta modules — the bricks. Defense and industrial system builds keep them tight.
15. Optocouplers — high-isolation
Broadcom (Avago), Vishay reinforced-isolation parts. Renewable inverters and industrial gate drivers use them by the thousand.
The pattern: when a part goes tight, franchise lead times don't ramp — they clip to 40–52 weeks and stay there. That's the buyer's cue to call an independent.
What a distributor sees that price sheets don't
Every one of these categories has healthy secondary-market supply if you know where to look. We buy lots directly from OEMs and EMS providers who over-ordered when lead times were 78 weeks, and now have inventory they need to move. That's the arbitrage that keeps a family-owned distributor useful in 2026.
If you're chasing anything on this list, send us the part numbers. Most quotes go out same day.
Chasing a shortage part?
Send us the part number and quantity — usually same-day quote, always confidential.