Aluminum electrolytic capacitors use an aluminum oxide dielectric formed on an etched aluminum foil anode, yielding high capacitance values at relatively low cost — a combination that makes them the workhorse of power supply filtering, motor starting, and audio amplification circuits worldwide. Their electrolyte composition and can construction are performance-critical: temperature rating (e.g., 85°C vs. 105°C) and ripple-current capacity are the primary specification axes that importers and buyers use to differentiate commodity from premium grades. Chinese manufacturers dominate global production, and imports from China are subject to Section 301 tariffs, which has accelerated sourcing shifts toward producers in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.

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