Farnell review

Updated September 30, 2026 · GizmoCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 30, 2026

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Our verdict

Farnell suits engineers, makers and procurement teams who want a single distributor for engineering parts and printer kit. Trading since 1939 and run as Premier Farnell UK Limited from GB, it keeps a narrow catalog aimed at technical buyers rather than general consumers.

Key facts

Best for
A single technical distributor for engineering parts, FDM printers and multi-market supply.
Free delivery threshold
£40 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
Markets
AT, BE, BG, CH, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HU, IE, IL, IT, JP, LT, LV, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, SK, TR, ZA (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
Legal entity
Premier Farnell UK Limited (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
Headquarters
United Kingdom (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
Founded
1939 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
Support channels
Email, Phone, Chat, Help-centre, Community (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
Departments
Computers, Audio, Appliances
Official website
farnell.com

3D printers and laser cutters

Markets
AT, BE, BG, CH, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HU, IE, IL, IT, JP, LT, LV, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, SK, TR, ZA (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
Legal entity
Premier Farnell UK Limited (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
Headquarters
United Kingdom (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
Founded
1939 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
Support channels
Email, Phone, Chat, Help-centre, Community (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
Products
Fdm printer, 3d scanner

Apps and profiles

Elsewhere
WikidataWikipediaXLinkedInfacebook.com

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Trading since 1939 as Premier Farnell UK Limited, Farnell gives procurement teams a documented counterparty for repeat component orders.
  • Free delivery starts at £40, so planned batch buys can clear the threshold without paying a separate delivery fee.
  • Support covers email, phone and chat, so a specification question can reach a person rather than a form.
  • Store categories of computers, audio and appliances stay tight, which suits buyers who already know the part number they need.
  • The range spans AT, BE and BG, letting a buyer keep one supplier relationship across markets outside the UK as well.

Cons

  • Store categories hold at computers, audio and appliances, so phones, TV and gaming lines are thinner than at computers, phones and audio and computers, phones and audio.
  • Maker lines run to fdm printer and 3d scanner, so buyers after other printing technologies look past Farnell.
  • Small spares orders can fall under the £40 free delivery threshold and pay delivery on a minimal order.

Ready to try Farnell?

Scored 9.4 / 10 by GizmoCue.

See alternatives

Who it suits

  • Engineers and hobbyists who buy in planned batches and can clear the £40 free delivery threshold in each order.
  • Procurement leads consolidating spend with a single distributor across AT, BE and BG instead of separate category suppliers.
  • Makers who specifically want FDM printers and scanners, where fdm printer and 3d scanner is a tighter range than the general electronics catalogs on Banggood.

Who should look elsewhere

  • General shoppers after phones, TVs or consoles: Akkuk.hu lists computers, phones and audio, a wider set than computers, audio and appliances.
  • Audio buyers who want a specialist branded range: JBL lists audio, gaming and refurbished, built around audio and gaming rather than parts.
  • Price-first hobbyists chasing a wide electronics aisle: Banggood lists computers, phones and audio, including gaming and TV lines that computers, audio and appliances does not cover.

The company behind it

Farnell trades in the UK as Premier Farnell UK Limited, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. Buyers comparing distributors often start with that detail, because the named company is the party on the invoice, the one that carries product liability and the one to approach when an order needs a return or a credit. A clear legal entity and a single home country simplify supplier onboarding, purchase orders and account reviews. The company has been trading since 1939. In distribution that length of trading matters more than it does on a consumer storefront, because parts get specified into equipment that stays in service. A supplier that has handled the same catalog for that span is easier to build a bill of materials around, and reorders tend to follow the same route as the original order. Buyers in maintenance and repair work tend to value that repeatability, since a failed component on a machine in the field is rarely covered by a quick trip to a high street shop. Support is where the difference is most visible, and Farnell runs on email, phone and chat. That mix covers email, phone, chat, a help centre and a community, which lets a reader pick the route to suit the problem. Order changes suit email, specification questions suit a phone call or chat, and anything unresolved can go to the community. Engineers and technicians tend to value the phone line and live chat above a self-serve help centre, because a question about fit, tolerance or sourcing can take several exchanges before it is settled, and those exchanges are where errors get caught early. The trade-off sits in the catalog rather than the service. Farnell is a distributor with a technical focus rather than a broad consumer marketplace, so the categories and product lines are deliberately limited. Buyers who know the part number, the footprint or the specification they need will find the support model a good fit, and a named company in the UK makes contracts and returns straightforward to reason about. Buyers shopping by brand name or by headline price alone will find a narrower set of aisles than at a general electronics retailer, and a shorter list of product types to choose between.

How Farnell compares

Where Farnell is available

Available
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 30, 2026)

Frequently asked questions

Does Farnell offer free delivery in the UK?+

Farnell sets a free delivery threshold of £40 for UK orders. Orders at or above that basket value ship without a delivery charge, while a smaller basket of one component or cable is charged delivery. Buyers who combine several lines into a single order get the most from the threshold.

Which company is behind the UK Farnell site?+

The UK site is operated by Premier Farnell UK Limited, whose headquarters are in the United Kingdom. That is the entity named on invoices and in supplier contracts, which matters for businesses that need a documented counterparty for purchase orders, credit terms and returns. Business buyers are contracting with that company rather than a marketplace intermediary.

Which countries does Farnell serve?+

Farnell lists AT, BE and BG as its markets, so the catalog is not limited to the UK. The GB base remains the centre of the UK operation, while the other listed markets take in the rest of Europe and further afield. Buyers outside those markets may find the same catalog but different delivery terms.

What support channels does Farnell offer?+

Support runs on email, phone and chat. That covers email for order changes, phone and chat for questions needing a quick answer, a help centre for self-serve guidance and a community for longer exchanges. A technical specification question is better served by the phone line or chat than by email, where the same detail can take several messages to settle.

What does Farnell actually sell?+

The store categories listed are computers, audio and appliances, a narrower set than computers, phones and audio or computers, phones and audio, which carry phone, TV and gaming lines as well. The maker offering sits under fdm printer and 3d scanner, covering FDM printers and scanners alongside the wider catalog.

How long has Farnell been trading?+

Farnell has been trading since 1939, and the UK business operates as Premier Farnell UK Limited. For buyers holding spare stock or managing maintenance spares, the length of trading is a practical point: component ranges and order processes tend to stay stable across that span, which makes repeat ordering easier to plan.

Is Farnell a better fit than Banggood for a broad electronics range?+

It depends on what is being bought. Banggood lists computers, phones and audio, covering gaming and TV as well as computers, audio and appliances, while Farnell's categories are computers, audio and appliances. A buyer chasing brands across a wide aisle has more ground to cover at Banggood, while a buyer after a known part number or a specific printer is better served by a technical distributor.

Can I reach a person at Farnell or is support self-serve?+

Both routes are open. email, phone and chat includes phone and chat alongside email, a help centre and a community, so self-serve guidance is not the only option. A question about stock, compatibility or lead times gets a faster answer from a conversation than from a form, though a help centre page can be quicker for a routine policy question.

Sources

  • uk.farnell.com checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: Products

    “3D Printers & Accessories; 3D Scanners & Accessories”

  • uk.farnell.com/help checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: Departments

    “Shop menu lists 'Office, Computer & Networking Products' with 'Computer Products', 'Audio Visual' with 'Pro Audio' and 'Home Audio Visual', 'Embedded Computers, Education & Maker Boards', and...”

  • uk.farnell.com/help-delivery-information checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: Free delivery threshold

    “Standard Delivery ... Free Delivery: FREE For Orders of GBP 40 and above; GBP 8.99 For Orders Under GBP 40”

  • uk.farnell.com/help-how-to-return-a-product checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: Support channels

    “contact our support team on 03447 11 11 13 or email support@farnell.com; Customer Service Sales 03447 11 11 11, Technical +44 3447 11 11 22, Live Agent; Help Centre; element14 Community”

  • uk.farnell.com/terms-of-access checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: Headquarters, Legal entity

    “Our registered office is located at 150 Armley Road, Leeds LS12 2QQ, ENGLAND.”

  • farnell.com checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: Markets

    “Country selector offers Farnell sites for Europe & Africa (AT, BE, BG, CZ, DK, EE, FI, FR, DE, GR, HU, IE, IL, IT, LV, LT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RS, SK, SI, ZA, ES, SE, CH, TR, GB) and Japan: 'We...”

  • farnell.com checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: Founded

    “1939 A.C. Farnell Limited founded”

Compiled from 7 source pages, checked September 30, 2026. We did not open an account.

What changed

  • September 30, 2026: axisScores cost was 8.8, now 8.7
  • September 30, 2026: score was 9.5, now 9.4

Not confirmed yet: Return window.

Farnell

A single technical distributor for engineering parts, FDM printers and multi-market supply.

9.4/10See alternatives

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