An industrial sprocket is a thin wheel with deep, uniformly spaced teeth ringing its circumference. The distance from the peak of one tooth to the next is called the pitch. The sprocket transfers power and motion by a roller chain that is threaded over the teeth of the sprocket. The alignment of the chain with the sprocket's pitch prevents the chain from slipping so that no power is lost. In the center of the sprocket is the bore (hole) for sliding the sprocket onto a shaft, and a bushing or bearing is often fitted to the sprocket’s hub to custom-fit the sprocket onto a shaft to hold it firmly in place.

Sprockets are used in a broad range of applications where the drive power of an engine needs to be transferred into motion, such as in motor vehicles, conveyors, escalators, agricultural, forestry, and mining equipment, aeronautics, robotics, and space exploration, among others.