IC (Integrated Circuit) refers to a chip made by integrating numerous miniaturized electronic components, such as transistors, resistors, capacitors, diodes, etc. onto a single plastic substrate. In a broad sense, the concept of an IC chip encompasses semiconductor component products.

In 2010, due to various factors in the financial market, China’s IC market experienced a situation where the demand exceeded the supply. Many mainstream IC products encountered a stagnation in production lines since late 2009. Consequently, numerous terms related to ICs emerged in the Chinese IC market, including new bulk, refurbished/recycled, re-labeled, and new and original products.

Bulk: There are two types of  bulk products. One type refers to products directly entering the market without undergoing quality control (QC) by the manufacturers, indicating a lower qualification rate. The other type refers to products from manufacturers without external packaging that exhibit oxidation, indentation, or scratching, among other issues.

Refurbished/Recycled: This type of product is obtained through various channels by profit-oriented enterprises in China. They re-mark these products with new model and batch numbers. Another form of refurbished product involves re-screening ICs with the same functions but different brands and types within the same package.

Re-labeled: After repainting and typing different batches of old goods, they will be changed to a brand new unified batch.

New and Original: These are fully intact products purchased directly from the original manufacturer or their authorized agents. The external packaging adheres to the requirements of the original manufacturer, and the performance complies with the product specifications.

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