---
title: "What is a Touchscreen made of?"
description: "A grid of transparent electrodes measuring the tiny capacitance your finger adds — which is why gloves fail. Every component, the material it uses, and the constrain"
url: https://atoneplace.net/made-of/touchscreen/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What is a Touchscreen made of?

**What is a Touchscreen made of?: A grid of transparent electrodes measuring the tiny capacitance your finger adds — which is why gloves fail.**

Projected capacitive screens do not sense pressure or heat; they sense the change in an electric field caused by something conductive and earthed nearby. That is why a gloved finger does nothing — the glove is an insulator and holds the conductive hand too far away — and why touchscreen gloves have conductive thread woven into the fingertips. It is also why water on the screen causes phantom touches: droplets are conductive enough to look like fingers. A passive stylus works only if it presents a large enough conductive contact patch coupled to your hand, which is why they have fat rubbery tips, while an active stylus contains its own electronics and can be a fine point.

## Component by component

*Every material is a choice, and the third column is the constraint that drove it.*

| Part | Material | Why that material |
| --- | --- | --- |
| electrode grid | indium tin oxide, or fine metal mesh, in rows and columns | It has to be conductive and invisible at the same time; ITO is the long-standing compromise, metal mesh the cheaper newer one. |
| controller | a dedicated chip driving each row and reading each column | It measures capacitance at every intersection tens of times a second, which is what makes multi-touch possible. |
| cover glass | strengthened glass, acting as the dielectric | The finger never touches the electrodes; it changes the electric field through the glass, so the sensor can be fully sealed. |
| resistive alternative | two conductive films separated by tiny spacer dots | It works with a stylus, a fingernail or a glove because it senses pressure, which is why it survives in industrial and medical kit. |

## Other electronics objects

- [Alkaline battery](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/alkaline-battery/) — Zinc powder and manganese dioxide either side of a potassium hydroxide paste, in a steel can.
- [Smartphone screen](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/smartphone-screen/) — Chemically strengthened aluminosilicate glass over a touch layer and an OLED or LCD panel, with an oil-shedding coating on top.
- [Solar panel](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/solar-panel/) — Doped silicon wafers with silver contacts, sealed between low-iron glass and a plastic backsheet in an aluminium frame.
- [LED bulb](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/led-bulb/) — Blue LED chips under a yellow phosphor, plus a driver circuit and a heat sink — and it is the driver that dies.
- [Computer keyboard](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/keyboard/) — ABS or PBT keycaps over either a silicone rubber dome on printed film, or individual mechanical switches.
- [Headphones](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/headphone/) — A neodymium magnet, a coil of copper wire and a thin plastic diaphragm — a loudspeaker shrunk to fit an ear.
- [Loudspeaker](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/speaker/) — A paper or plastic cone hung on a rubber surround, driven by a coil in a magnet gap.
- [Computer mouse](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/computer-mouse/) — An ABS shell around a tiny camera taking thousands of pictures a second, plus two clicky microswitches and PTFE feet.

## Common questions

### What is a Touchscreen made of?

A grid of transparent electrodes measuring the tiny capacitance your finger adds — which is why gloves fail.

### What is the electrode grid of a Touchscreen made of?

Indium tin oxide, or fine metal mesh, in rows and columns. It has to be conductive and invisible at the same time; ITO is the long-standing compromise, metal mesh the cheaper newer one.

### What is the controller of a Touchscreen made of?

A dedicated chip driving each row and reading each column. It measures capacitance at every intersection tens of times a second, which is what makes multi-touch possible.

## Related pages

- [Alkaline battery](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/alkaline-battery/)
- [Smartphone screen](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/smartphone-screen/)
- [Solar panel](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/solar-panel/)
- [LED bulb](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/led-bulb/)
- [Computer keyboard](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/keyboard/)
- [Headphones](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/headphone/)
- [Loudspeaker](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/speaker/)
- [Computer mouse](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/computer-mouse/)
- [Pencil](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/pencil/)
- [Tennis ball](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/tennis-ball/)
- [Banknote](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/banknote/)
- [Golf ball](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/golf-ball/)
- [Paper](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/paper/)
- [Glass](https://atoneplace.net/made-of/glass/)

## Sources

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)