Capacitor Comparison Chart

TYPE	TYPICAL DIELECTRIC ABSORPTION	ADVANTAGES	DISADVANTAGES
NPO ceramic	<0.1%	Small case size Inexpensive Good stability Wide range of values Many vendors Low inductance	DA generally low, but may not be specified Limited to small values (10 nF)
Polystyrene	0.001% to 0.02%	Inexpensive Low DA available Wide range of values Good stability	Damaged by temperature > +85°C Large case size High inductance
Polypropylene	0.001% to 0.02%	Inexpensive Low DA available Wide range of values	Damaged by temperature > +105°C Large case size High inductance
Teflon	0.003% to 0.02%	Low DA available Good stability Operational above +125°C Wide range of values	Relatively expensive Large size High inductance
MOS	0.01%	Good DA Small Operational above +125°C Low inductance	Limited availability Available only in small capacitance values
Polycarbonate	0.1%	Good stability Low cost Wide temperature range	Large size DA limits to 8-bit applications High inductance
Polyester	0.3% to 0.5%	Moderate stability Low cost Wide temperature range Low inductance (stacked film)	Large size DA limits to 8-bit applications High inductance
Monolithic ceramic (High K)	>0.2%	Low inductance Wide range of values	Poor stability Poor DA High voltage coefficient
Mica	>0.003%	Low loss at HF Low inductance Very stable Available in 1% values or better	Quite large Low values (<10 nF) Expensive
Aluminum electrolytic	High	Large values High currents High voltages Small size	High leakage Usually polarized Poor stability Poor accuracy Inductive
Tantalum electrolytic	High	Small size Large values Medium inductance	Quite high leakage Usually polarized Expensive Poor stability Poor accuracy