However, advantages often go hand-in-hand with disadvantages and this also applies to metallised film capacitors: a distinct sensitivity to harmonic distortion, currently a familiar and increasing problem in industrial networks.

Metallized film capacitors have "self-healing" properties, which are not available from film/foil configurations.

Metallized film capacitors offer self-healing properties.

The permissible pulse current capacity of a metallized film capacitor generally allows an internal temperature rise of 8 to 10 K.

Metallized film capacitors are made of two metallized films with plastic film as the dielectric.

For metallized film capacitors, which have layer thicknesses from 0.02 to 0.05 μm the current-carrying capacity is limited by these thin layers.

Pulse currents, especially in metallized film capacitors, heat the contact areas between end spray (schoopage) and metallized electrodes.

The self-healing capability of metallized films is used multiple times during the manufacturing process of metallized film capacitors.

For metallized film capacitors, so-called pulse tests simulate the pulse load that might occur during an application, according to a standard specification.

For metallized film capacitors, the maximum possible pulse voltage is limited because of the limited current-carrying capacity between contact of the electrodes and the electrodes themselves.

The dissipation factor for film/foil capacitors is lower than for metallized film capacitors, due to lower contact resistance to the foil electrode compared to the metallized film electrode.

In the case of metallized film capacitors, pulse load depends on the properties of the dielectric material, the thickness of the metallization and the capacitor's construction, especially the construction of the contact areas between the end spray and metallized electrodes.

The electrodes of film capacitors may be metallized aluminum or zinc, applied on one or both sides of the plastic film, resulting in metallized film capacitors or a separate metallic foil overlying the film, called film/foil capacitors.