Bulk packaging of most surface mount connectors is not acceptable due to the fragile nature of the leads and the stringent coplanarity, skew and angle specifications that must be maintained. Additionally, pick-and-place machines require components to be supplied in tubes, trays or on tape and reel.

Tape and reel is becoming the preferred packaging method for surface mount interconnects for a number of reasons. Connectors are placed in individual vacuum formed plastic pockets, covered with tape and rolled onto reels, hence the name "tape and reel." This packaging protects leads and eliminates the possibility of inserting a tube into the feeder backwards, causing polarization problems. Tape and reel also offers higher processing speeds by being able to load more interconnects onto a reel than can be fit into tubes.

Since the pocket for each different connector size must be tooled separately, tape and reel is relatively expensive when compared to the versatility and availability of tubes. Tube technology is older and more common than tape and reel and lends itself better to short runs. Many bench top pick and place machines can not accommodate tape and reel packaging.