Electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) is a non destructive technique for obtaining the distribution of some physical quantity in a closed pipe by measuring the permittivity distribution. Several conducting plates are fixed around the circumference of the pipe so they do not disturb the flow or movement of materials. The imaging quality of an electrical capacitance tomography system depends upon many co-influential parameters such as number of electrodes, length and width of electrodes, axial guard electrodes, radial guard electrodes, and screen guard. Optimum selection of these variables coupled with advancements in sensing electronics and imaging algorithm provides the best inside view of a closed vessel/pipe. This, in turn, provides better process information for control. This article is intended to summarize such design rules for ECT electrodes and sensors. Numerical simulations were performed using commercially available finite element method (FEM) software to help verify the optimality of the design parameters chosen. Experimental verification was conducted using a fabricated capacitance sensing circuit that could measure capacitance in the range of 1 fF to 7999 femtofarads with a root means square noise level of 0.07 fF. Some parameters such as the thickness of the pipe are chosen as demanded by the process. This article will be useful for researchers to design the ECT Sensors with ease. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.