Ceramic capacitors use ceramic materials as dielectric and metallic materials as electrodes. Ceramic multilayer capacitors have multiple (typically 500 or more) alternating ceramic and metallic layers. All stacked (metallic-ceramic-metallic) capacitors inside the capacitor packaging are connected in parallel. The resultant capacitance of parallel connected capacitors is the sum of individual capacitance values. This multilayer arrangement is carried out in order to provide the possibility of achieving large capacitance values in a small package, with typical values ranging from 1 picofarad (pF) up to 100 microfarads (µF).

Ceramic multilayer capacitors are non-polarized so they may be connected either to positive or to negative voltage.

Capacitors are available with a variety of capacitance values, voltage ratings, package sizes, and other parameters due to the use of different ceramic dielectric materials.  This allows ceramic multilayer capacitors to be used in multiple applications and for various purposes, and has led to them being the most commonly used type of capacitor.

To provide an easier selection of ceramic capacitor suitable for a particular application, a standard classification system is used. They are classified according to the standard requirements they fulfill. For example Class 1 ceramic capacitors offer high stability and low losses for resonant circuit application.