Table 1.

Characteristics of temperature sensor types.

Characteristic	Thermistor	Thermocouple	RTD	Silicon	IR Thermometer
Range	−100 to 300 °C	−270 to 2300 °C	−200 to 850 °C	−45 to 125 °C	−40 to 3000 °C
Signal Output	Resistance	Voltage	Resistance	Resistance	Voltage
Linearity	Poor	Moderate	Best	Best	Moderate
Accuracy	Moderate (0.1 to 1.5 °C)	Low (0.5 to 5 °C)	High (0.03 to 1 °C)	Moderate (0.5 to 2 °C)	Low (±2 °C)
Sensitivity	Best	Low	Moderate	High	Moderate
Size (diameter)	0.4 to 2.5 mm	0.5 to 8 mm	3.17 to 6.35 mm	0.8 to 1 mm	Non-contact
Response Time	Moderate (0.1 to 10 s)	Moderate (0.1 to 10 s)	Slow (1 to 50 s)	Slow (5 to 50 s)	Fast (0.1 to 1 s)
Sensor/System Cost	Low/Moderate	Low/moderate	Moderate/high	Low/moderate	High/high
Advantages	High sensitivity; Small size; Copper/nickel wires; Low cost.	Self-powered; rugged; wide temperature range; interchangeable; no lead wire resistance problems.	Accuracy and stability; High repeatability; Interchangeable; Corrosion resistant.	Linearity and sensitivity; Low weight; very long operation life; energy efficiency.	No contact required; fast response; good stability; repeatability; no oxidation impact.
Disadvantages	Non-linear; Limited range; Self-heating; Current source required; Fragile; Specs and calibration vary by manufacturer; Lock-in due to lack of standards.	Non-linear; low output voltage; reference junction compensation required; lower accuracy; wire shielding is required; least sensitivity and stability.	High cost; slow response; low sensitivity; current source required; fragile.	Limited temperature range; highly non-linear at low/high temperatures; limited sizes; slow response time	High cost; complex electronics; view size restrictions; accuracy affected by object emissivity and background “noise” (smoke, dust, radiation).