Inductor types by application, form factor, and construction principle

Inductor products come in a wide variety of lineups for different applications, such as for high frequency circuits, general circuits, decoupling circuits, power supply circuitry etc. Although there are also products with variable inductance, most inductors have fixed inductance.

These are usually categorized by shape and form factor into lead types (axial lead, radial lead) and SMD (surface mount device) types, and by construction principle into wire-wound inductors, layered inductors, and thin film inductors.

Inductor manufacturing methods

This section provides an overview of the three manufacturing methods most commonly used for inductors found in electronic equipment: wire-wound inductors, layered inductors, and thin film inductors.

Positioning of various inductor products