Best way to handle heat on high-current PCB traces

[theOhmcoder]

Hey, I'm pushing around 10A through this little board and trying to keep the trace temps down. What do you usually find works better copper pours, vias, or clipping on a heatsink? Just curious about your experience

 

[Circuitsmith]

Copper fills do a good job of spreading heat. Still, for circuits that need a lot of current, attaching a heat sink straight to the board works better. Vias can offer some help, but they don't make as big of a difference as the other ways.

 

[CoolBrad2025]

Hey, I'm pushing around 10A through this little board and trying to keep the trace temps down. What do you usually find works better copper pours, vias, or clipping on a heatsink? Just curious about your experience

10A is where you really start pushing standard copper weights. It’s a trade off, the more space you dedicate to copper, the cooler it runs, but the less space you have for components

 

[Tovaren]

If you've got room, think about using thicker copper PCBs (like 2oz or more) or even adding external bus bars. They're way better at handling constant current than just using pours or vias.