13x2 Pin Female Header

The 13x2 Pin Female Header (26-Pin Dual Row) is an essential component for anyone building custom Raspberry Pi add-on modules, HATs, breakout boards, or prototyping shields. With its standard 0.1" (2.54mm) pitch and dual-row layout (2 rows of 13 pins), this header is designed to mate perfectly with the original 26-pin Raspberry Pi GPIO header found on Pi Models A, B, B+, and the first 26 pins of the 40-pin GPIO header on Pi 2, 3, 4, and Zero.

This female socket header allows you to design and build professional-quality add-on boards that simply plug onto the Raspberry Pi's male GPIO pins — no soldering wires directly to the Pi, no fragile breadboard connections, and no risk of mismatched pin alignments. The result is a clean, secure, and reusable connection between your custom hardware and the Raspberry Pi — exactly the way commercial HATs and shields are designed.

The header features high-quality plated through-hole (PTH) pins that solder cleanly into any standard 0.1"-pitch PCB, including Perma-Proto boards, custom-designed PCBs, perfboards, and prototyping shields. The plastic insulator body is heat-resistant and holds the pins securely in place during and after soldering, while the gold or tin-plated contacts provide reliable, low-resistance electrical connections that withstand many insertion and removal cycles.

This is a standard component used in countless DIY Raspberry Pi projects, including:

• Custom Raspberry Pi HAT designs
• Sensor and module breakout boards
• Display drivers and OLED/TFT add-ons
• Motor driver shields for robotics
• Audio DAC and amplifier modules
• GPIO expansion boards
• Educational kit assemblies

Whether you're soldering it onto an Adafruit Perma-Proto board, designing a custom PCB in KiCad or EAGLE, or repairing an existing add-on board, this 13x2 female header is a foundational component that every Raspberry Pi maker should have on hand.

Note: This header connects to the first 26 GPIO pins of any Raspberry Pi. For Pi models with 40-pin GPIO headers (Pi 2, 3, 4, Zero, Zero W, Zero 2 W), this header will only access the first 26 pins — sufficient for most general-purpose projects. For full 40-pin access, use a 20x2 (40-pin) female header instead.

Specifications

• Type: Female Header / Socket Header
• Configuration: 2 rows x 13 pins (26 pins total)
• Pitch (Spacing): 0.1" (2.54mm) — Standard
• Mounting Type: Through-Hole (PTH)
• Pin Material: Copper alloy
• Plating: Tin or gold-flash (typical)
• Insulator Material: Heat-resistant plastic
• Compatibility:
  • Raspberry Pi 26-pin GPIO header (Models A, B)
  • First 26 pins of 40-pin GPIO header (Models B+, 2, 3, 4, Zero, Zero W, Zero 2 W)
  • Standard 2.54mm male pin headers
  • 26-pin GPIO ribbon cables
• Polarity: Non-keyed (matches GPIO pin layout based on PCB design)

Applications

• Custom Raspberry Pi HAT and add-on board design
• Raspberry Pi prototyping shields
• Perma-Proto board assemblies
• Sensor breakout boards for Pi GPIO
• Display modules (OLED, TFT, e-ink) for Raspberry Pi
• Motor driver and robotics control boards
• Audio DAC and amplifier shields
• Custom GPIO expander modules
• Educational STEM kits and university projects
• Maker, hobbyist, and DIY electronics projects
• Industrial control prototypes based on Raspberry Pi
• IoT gateway and smart home hub boards
• Replacement headers for damaged or worn-out prototype boards
• Custom Raspberry Pi cases with internal expansion boards
• Test fixtures and development jigs
• Multi-board stacking project