CalcKit
Capacitance Converter
Capacitance (C) is how much electric charge a capacitor stores for each volt across it: C = Q / V. Its SI unit is the farad (F), one coulomb per volt.
A farad is very large, so capacitors are marked in microfarads (µF), nanofarads (nF) and picofarads (pF). Each step is a factor of 1,000: 1 µF = 1,000 nF = 1,000,000 pF. Supercapacitors reach whole farads.
How to convert capacitance units
Type a value into any field, and every other unit is calculated at once. For example, 4.7 µF:
-
In nanofarads: multiply by 1,000.
4.7 * 1,000 = 4,700 nF -
In farads: divide by 1,000,000.
4.7 / 1,000,000 = 4.7 × 10⁻⁶ F
Picofarads aren't a field of their own: 1 pF is 0.001 nF, so 100 pF is 0.1 nF.
Common conversions
| Value | Equals |
|---|---|
| 1 µF | 1,000 nF |
| 1 nF | 0.001 µF |
| 1 µF | 1 × 10⁻⁶ F |
| 1 mF | 1,000 µF |
| 1 F | 1,000,000 µF |
| 1 statF | 1.11265 × 10⁻¹² F |
Capacitance units
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Farad (F): The farad is the base unit of capacitance in the International System of Units (SI), defined as the capacitance of a capacitor that stores one coulomb of charge when a voltage of one volt is applied across its terminals.
Conversion Factor: 1 F = 1 F (Base Unit) -
Millifarad (mF): One millifarad is equal to 10^-3, or 0.001 farads.
Conversion Factor: 1 mF = 10^-3 F = 0.001 F -
Microfarad (μF): One microfarad is equal to 10^-6, or 0.000001 farads.
Conversion Factor: 1 μF = 10^-6 F = 0.000001 F -
Nanofarad (nF): One nanofarad is equal to 10^-9, or 0.000000001 farads.
Conversion Factor: 1 nF = 10^-9 F = 0.000000001 F -
Kilofarad (kF): 1 kilofarad is equal to 1,000 farads.
Conversion Factor: 1 kF = 1,000 F -
Coulomb / volt (C/V): The coulomb per volt is equivalent unit to farad.
Conversion Factor: 1 C/V = 1 F -
Abfarad (abF): The abfarad is an older unit used in the CGS (centimeter-gram-second) system. It is equivalent to 10^9, or 1,000,000,000 farad.
Conversion Factor: 1 abF = 10^9 F = 1,000,000,000 F -
EMU of capacitance (emu): The electromagnetic unit of capacitance is equivalent to the abfarad.
Conversion Factor: 1 emu = 1 abF -
Statfarad (statF): The statfarad is another unit of capacitance in the CGS system, rarely used today.
Conversion Factor: 1 statF = 1 / 898755178737 F = 1.11265 * 10^-12 F -
ESU of capacitance (esu): The electrostatic unit of capacitance is equivalent to the statfarad.
Conversion Factor: 1 esu = 1 statF
Frequently asked questions
What do capacitor codes like 104 mean?
Small ceramic capacitors are marked with three digits, in picofarads: two figures, then the number of zeros. 104 is 10 followed by four zeros, 100,000 pF, which is 100 nF or 0.1 µF. 473 is 47,000 pF, or 47 nF.