CD4081 (CD4081B): the quad 2-input AND gate chip, live
The CD4081 is a 4000-series CMOS chip with four 2-input AND gates: J = A AND B, K = C AND D, L = E AND F and M = G AND H. It runs from 3 V to 18 V and shares its pinout with the CD4011 and CD4001, not the 7408. This live chip has all four gates.
TI's datasheet (from Harris Semiconductor) groups the CD4081B with the triple 3-input CD4073B and the dual 4-input CD4082B: AND gates that "provide the system designer with direct implementation of the AND function and supplement the existing family of CMOS gates", for supplies from 3 V to 18 V. CMOS has no single-stage AND: the natural gate is NAND, so an AND is a NAND followed by an inverter, the CMOS AND each gate here is built from. The pins follow the 4000-series quad layout of the CD4011 and CD4001; the TTL-family 7408 puts its outputs on pins 3, 6, 8 and 11 instead, so check which chip you have. An AND gate passes a signal only while an enable is high, which is the everyday use: gating a clock, or switching a signal on with a control line. All 256 combinations of the eight inputs are checked before the page is built.
Open this circuit in the lab →
What you need
- 4× 2-input AND: J from A, B; K from C, D; L from E, F; M from G, H
Step by step
- Power the chip:
VDDon pin 14 andVSSon pin 7, anywhere from 3 V to 18 V. - Each gate has two inputs and one output; find their pins in the pinout below.
- Tie every unused input to VCC or GND: a floating CMOS input can drift and draw current.
- Set all two inputs of one gate to 1: its output goes to 1. Any 0 on an input gives 0.
CD4081 pinout
| Pin | Name | Pin | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 14 | VDD |
| 2 | B | 13 | H |
| 3 | J | 12 | G |
| 4 | K | 11 | M |
| 5 | C | 10 | L |
| 6 | D | 9 | F |
| 7 | VSS | 8 | E |
2-input AND truth table (each gate)
| A | B | Y |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
Pin numbers and names are from TI's CD4081B (SCHS057C) datasheet, checked 2026-10-25. Each gate is independent; the chip only shares the power pins.
You can also read the full theory in the lesson on the AND gate. Prefer to build it yourself from scratch? Open the digiwleea lab and place the gates on the canvas, or start from the logic gate simulator.
Build more parts from gates
Each of these is one step from a transistor to a working CPU. Build every gate from CMOS transistors and work all the way up in the free digiwleea lab, with the free theory reference alongside.
Open the CD4081 quad 2-input AND chip in the lab →Frequently asked
What is the CD4081?
A 4000-series CMOS chip with four 2-input AND gates, for supplies from 3 V to 18 V. Each output is HIGH only when both of its inputs are HIGH.
What is the CD4081 pinout?
Pin 1 A, 2 B, 3 J, 4 K, 5 C, 6 D, 7 VSS, 8 E, 9 F, 10 L, 11 M, 12 G, 13 H, 14 VDD, with J = A AND B, K = C AND D, L = E AND F and M = G AND H.
Is the CD4081 the same as the 7408?
Same logic, different pinout and supply range. The CD4081's outputs are on pins 3, 4, 10 and 11, the 7408's (and 74HC08's) on 3, 6, 8 and 11, so one cannot replace the other in a socket. The CD4081 runs from 3 V to 18 V.
How is a CMOS AND gate built?
As a NAND gate followed by an inverter. In CMOS the inverting gates (NOT, NAND, NOR) are the single-stage ones, so a non-inverting AND needs the extra stage.