Toroidal inductors and transformers

Medium power toroidal mains transformer with laminated iron core.
Small toroidal inductors with ferrite core
Traditional transformers wound on rectangular-shaped cores.
Interior of a linear power supply with toroidal mains transformer.

Toroidal inductors and transformers are inductors and transformers which use magnetic cores with a toroidal (ring or donut) shape. They are passive electronic components, consisting of a circular ring or donut shaped magnetic core of ferromagnetic material such as laminated iron, iron powder, or ferrite, around which wire is wound.

Although closed-core inductors and transformers often use cores with a rectangular shape, the use of toroidal-shaped cores sometimes provides superior electrical performance. The advantage of the toroidal shape is that, due to its symmetry, the amount of magnetic flux that escapes outside the core (leakage flux) can be made low, potentially making it more efficient and making it emit less electromagnetic interference (EMI).

Toroidal inductors and transformers are used in a wide range of electronic circuits: power supplies, inverters, and amplifiers, which in turn are used in the vast majority of electrical equipment: TVs, radios, computers, and audio systems.