This family is commonly known as the “top snails”, because in many species the shell is shaped like a toy top. The internal shell is nacreous. They have a brown, entirely corneous, circular, multispiral operculum which fits the aperture snugly. The operculum is formed of numerous gradually increasing whorls with a central nucleus. The aperture may be entire, tetragonal or rounded and has no reflected lip. The peristome is generally not continuous. These shells are often brightly coloured and adorned with darker bands.

The Trochidae differ from the Turbinidae in having a corneous, never calcareous, operculum, which is always multispiral.