LM358 PCB Design Guide: Footprint, Pinout, and Alternatives

The LM358 is the default dual op-amp of the last five decades: two amplifiers in an 8-pin package, a single supply from 3 V to 30 V, an input range that includes ground, and a unit price near zero. TI's current datasheet (SLOS068AB, originally June 1976) covers the whole family — LM158, LM258, LM358, the tighter-offset LM358A, and the newer LM358B, which TI positions as a drop-in upgrade with 36 V supply, 1.2 MHz bandwidth, and faster slew.

Its reputation for being finicky is really a reputation for being misapplied. The LM358 predates rail-to-rail outputs, so its output stops well short of the positive supply; its class-B-style output stage produces crossover distortion on AC signals; and its 0.7 MHz gain-bandwidth belongs to a different era. None of these are defects — they are all in the datasheet — but each one regularly surprises designers raised on modern CMOS parts.

If your circuit lives on a 3.3 V or 5 V rail and needs output swing near the supplies, a modern part like the TLV9002 or MCP6002 is the better choice. If you genuinely need a 30 V single supply, the LM358 still earns its socket — as long as you design around the five behaviors below.

What breaks boards

1. 01

   Not rail-to-rail: the output stops about 1.5 V below V+

   The datasheet guarantees the output only to within 1.5 V of the positive rail at VS = 5 V with a 2 kΩ load (2 V typ / 3 V max from the rail at VS = 30 V). A 5 V-supplied LM358 therefore tops out around 3.5 V, which is the single most common LM358 surprise: an ADC buffer that never reads full scale, a comparator stage that never reaches logic high. If you need swing to the top rail, use a rail-to-rail part.

2. 02

   Input common-mode range includes ground, not the positive rail

   The LM358's claim to fame is that its inputs work at and slightly below ground on a single supply — ideal for low-side current sensing. The flip side is the opposite of modern CMOS expectations: the common-mode range ends well short of V+ (about 1.5–2 V below it; check your datasheet revision for the exact figure at your supply). Signals near the positive rail cause the input stage to misbehave, classically with output phase reversal in older bipolar designs.

3. 03

   Crossover distortion on AC signals — bias the output with a pull-down

   The output stage transitions between sourcing and sinking with a dead zone, so a sine wave centered mid-supply picks up a visible glitch at every zero crossing. The classic fix is a resistor from the output to ground (or V−) sized to sink a few milliamps, which keeps the output stage sourcing class-A through the crossover region. For audio or any low-distortion AC path, choose a different amplifier.

4. 04

   0.7 MHz GBW and 0.3 V/µs slew — this is a slow amplifier

   The LM358 measures 0.7 MHz typical gain-bandwidth and 0.3 V/µs slew (the LM358B improves these to 1.2 MHz and 0.5 V/µs). At a gain of 10 that leaves roughly 70 kHz of bandwidth, and a full 3 V output step takes about 10 µs. It is fine for thermistors, current-sense filtering, and DC comparisons; it is the wrong part for fast pulses, video, or anything an oscilloscope would call quick.

5. 05

   The output floats near ground only when almost nothing loads it

   The millivolt-level output floor (5 mV typ / 20 mV max above V−) is specified at VS = 5 V with a light load of RL ≤ 10 kΩ. With the output near ground the sink capability collapses to 12 µA min / 30 µA typ (measured at VO = 200 mV), versus 10–20 mA of sink current when the output sits at 15 V. Any meaningful sink load therefore pulls the output well above 0 V. If a stage must actively pull low, add the class-A pull-down resistor or pick an amplifier with a true rail-to-rail output stage.

Key specifications

Verified against the manufacturer datasheet on 2026-07-09. Confirm the current revision before production use.

Alternatives

• MCP6002 — true rail-to-rail input and output in the same pinout; the catch is a 6 V maximum supply.
• TLV9002 — TI's modern equivalent: rail-to-rail output, 1 MHz, low offset — but a 5.5 V-class part that cannot take LM358 supply voltages.
• LM324 — the same amplifier four times in a 14-pin package, with all the same limitations.

Common questions

Why does my LM358 output not reach 5 V?

Because the LM358 is not rail-to-rail: the output is only guaranteed to within 1.5 V of the positive supply (at 5 V, RL ≥ 2 kΩ), so a 5 V-supplied LM358 tops out around 3.5 V. That is normal datasheet behavior, not a bad chip. Use a rail-to-rail part like the TLV9002 or MCP6002 if you need full swing.

Is the LM358 rail-to-rail?

No. The inputs and output work down to the negative rail (the output floor is 5 mV typ above V−, but only with very light loads), while the top of the range stops 1.5 V or more below V+ for both the inputs and the output.

Can the LM358 run from a single supply?

Yes — that is its defining feature. It runs from a single 3 V to 30 V supply (the LM358B extends this to 36 V) and its input common-mode range includes ground, so low-side sensing works without a negative rail.

What is a modern replacement for the LM358?

On 3.3 V or 5 V rails, the TLV9002 or MCP6002 give rail-to-rail output and better offset in the same pinout. If you need the high supply voltage, TI's LM358B is the drop-in upgrade on the same datasheet, with 36 V supply, 1.2 MHz GBW, and 0.5 V/µs slew.