An equivalent-circuit model for noncontact surface-wave electromagnetic Lorentz-force transducers has been developed from expressions describing the dynamic magnetic fields surrounding a transducer meander array of conductors. Both electrical and acoustical properties of the transducer are included in the model and agree well with experimental measurements. Simple shunt capacitive matching improved the double transduction efficiency by 13 dB for a pair of transducers fabricated from multiconductor flat cable whereas series matching had a negligible effect. Included in the model is a new loss term, the eddy-current resistance, that depends both on the gap between the transducer and metal sample and the conductivity of the sample. The excellent reproducibility and predictable frequency response characteristics of these devices should prove useful especially in nondestructive evaluation applications.