Multi-turn potentiometers are utilized where a higher accuracy in adjustment, control and measuring is required, or where the measurement requires multiple revolutions. The multi-turn potentiometer is available with either a wire-wound element or hybrid element. Turns counting dials are often combined with multi-turn potentiometers providing a precision setting reference that is easy to read.

The single-turn potentiometer is often used as an angle position sensor (transducer) or as a panel controller where the rotation is less than one full revolution. Conductive plastic and wire-wound elements as well as contactless (hall effect and inductive) versions are available. Non-linear potentiometers with a variety of function curves such as; sine, sine-cosine, 20db log, 1/X, etc., are also available.