This paper presents a novel type of a semiactive damper featuring an electro-rheological(ER) fluid. Unlike conventional cylindrical ER damper, the proposed one has controllable orifices by the intensity of electric fields (We call it orifice type). The dynamic model of the orifice type ER damper is formulated by incorporating field-dependent Bingham properties of an arabic gum-based ER fluid. Design parameters such as electrode gap are subsequently determined on the basis of the dynamic model. After manufacturing the orifice type ER damper, field-dependent damping forces and damping force controllability are empirically evaluated. In the evaluation procedure, conventional cylindrical ER damper is adopted and its performance characteristics are compared with those of the orifice type ER damper. In addition, the proposed one is installed with a full-car model and its vibration control performance associated with a skyhook controller is investigated