0.000001
F
0.001
mF
1
μF
1,000
nF
1,000,000
pF
0.000001
F
0.000001
F
0.001
mF
1
μF
1,000
nF
1,000,000
pF
0.000001
F
The Capacitance Conversion Calculator converts capacitance values between farads (F), millifarads (mF), microfarads (μF), nanofarads (nF), and picofarads (pF). Capacitance measures a component's ability to store electric charge per unit voltage: $$C = \frac{Q}{V}$$ where Q is the stored charge in coulombs and V is the voltage across the capacitor. One farad stores one coulomb at one volt — an enormously large capacitance in practice.
The metric prefixes span the practical range of capacitance values: $$1\ \text{F} = 10^{3}\ \text{mF} = 10^{6}\ \mu\text{F} = 10^{9}\ \text{nF} = 10^{12}\ \text{pF}$$
Farad-level capacitances appear in supercapacitors (1–3000 F) used for energy storage, regenerative braking, and power backup. Millifarad capacitors are found in large electrolytic capacitors for power supply filtering (1–100 mF). Microfarads are the most common scale in electronics: decoupling capacitors (0.1–100 μF), timing circuits, audio coupling, and motor-start capacitors. Nanofarads appear in ceramic capacitors for signal filtering, RF bypass, and EMI suppression. Picofarads characterize RF tuning circuits, parasitic capacitance of PCB traces (0.5–5 pF), semiconductor junction capacitance, and oscilloscope probe compensation.
Capacitor datasheets and schematics frequently mix notation systems. European practice favors nanofarads (nF), while American practice historically preferred microfarads (μF) and picofarads (pF), skipping nanofarads entirely — so a 4700 pF American capacitor equals a 4.7 nF European one. This inconsistency makes conversion essential when working with international component libraries.
The energy stored in a capacitor is $$E = \frac{1}{2}CV^{2}$$ and the RC time constant is $$\tau = RC$$ Both formulas require capacitance in farads for SI-consistent results. This calculator ensures accurate unit translation across all five scales for circuit design, filter calculations, and component selection.
The calculator normalizes the input to farads (the SI unit), then converts to all target units:
Step 1 — Convert to Farads:
$$C_{\text{F}} = C_{\text{input}} \times 10^{n}$$
where n is the prefix exponent: F (n = 0), mF (n = −3), μF (n = −6), nF (n = −9), pF (n = −12).
Step 2 — Convert from Farads to all units:
$$C_{\text{mF}} = C_{\text{F}} \times 10^{3}, \quad C_{\mu\text{F}} = C_{\text{F}} \times 10^{6}$$
$$C_{\text{nF}} = C_{\text{F}} \times 10^{9}, \quad C_{\text{pF}} = C_{\text{F}} \times 10^{12}$$
All conversions are exact powers of 10.
All outputs represent the same capacitance at different scales. Use farads for supercapacitors and energy storage calculations. Use millifarads for large electrolytic capacitors in power supplies. Use microfarads for most circuit design — decoupling, timing, filtering, and coupling capacitors. Use nanofarads for ceramic capacitors in RF and signal-level filtering (this is the preferred unit in European datasheets). Use picofarads for RF tuning, parasitic capacitance analysis, and high-frequency circuit design. When calculating RC time constants or cutoff frequencies, always convert to farads first: τ = R(Ω) × C(F) gives time in seconds, and f_c = 1/(2πRC) gives frequency in hertz.
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A 100 nF ceramic capacitor — the ubiquitous '104' marking — equals 0.1 μF or 100,000 pF. This is the standard decoupling capacitor placed near every IC power pin to filter high-frequency noise.
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A 2.5 F supercapacitor equals 2,500,000 μF — millions of times larger than typical circuit capacitors. At 2.7 V, it stores E = ½CV² = 9.1 J, enough to power a low-power MCU for minutes during a power outage.
One farad stores one coulomb at one volt. Since one coulomb is about 6.24 × 10¹⁸ electrons — an enormous amount of charge — a one-farad capacitor at practical voltages stores substantial energy. A parallel-plate capacitor with 1 F capacitance using air dielectric would need plates roughly 100 km² in area separated by 1 mm. Practical farad-scale capacitance requires special technologies: supercapacitors use activated carbon electrodes with surface areas of 1000–2000 m²/g and nanometer-scale charge separation.
The three-digit code on ceramic capacitors gives the value in picofarads: the first two digits are significant figures and the third is the power-of-10 multiplier. So '104' = 10 × 10⁴ = 100,000 pF = 100 nF = 0.1 μF. Similarly, '472' = 47 × 10² = 4700 pF = 4.7 nF. This coding system avoids decimal points that could be lost on small components.
Historically, American electronics practice used only μF and pF, converting between them directly (1 μF = 1,000,000 pF). A 4.7 nF capacitor would be listed as '4700 pF' or '0.0047 μF' in American datasheets. European practice adopted nanofarads as a convenient middle unit. Modern international datasheets increasingly use nF, but many American engineers and older component catalogs still prefer the μF/pF convention. This calculator helps bridge both systems.
A capacitor's impedance decreases with frequency: Z_C = 1/(2πfC). In an RC low-pass filter, the cutoff frequency is f_c = 1/(2πRC). Larger capacitance means lower cutoff frequency — a 10 nF capacitor with 10 kΩ gives f_c ≈ 1.6 kHz, while 100 nF gives f_c ≈ 160 Hz. This frequency-dependent behavior makes capacitors essential for filtering, coupling, decoupling, and frequency-selective circuits. Correct unit conversion ensures accurate frequency calculations.
Parasitic capacitance is unintended capacitance between conductors in a circuit — PCB traces (0.5–2 pF/cm), IC pins (1–5 pF), connector contacts (1–3 pF), and wire-to-wire coupling. At low frequencies these are negligible, but at RF frequencies (MHz–GHz) even 1 pF creates significant reactive paths. For example, 1 pF at 1 GHz has an impedance of only 159 Ω. Understanding parasitic capacitance in picofarads is critical for high-speed digital and RF circuit design.
Energy stored is E = ½CV², where C must be in farads and V in volts to get energy in joules. For a 100 μF capacitor at 50 V: C = 100 × 10⁻⁶ F, so E = 0.5 × 10⁻⁴ × 2500 = 0.125 J. For a 1 F supercapacitor at 2.7 V: E = 0.5 × 1 × 7.29 = 3.645 J. Always convert to farads before computing — using μF directly gives energy in microjoules, which is easy to misinterpret. This calculator ensures you start with the correct farad value.
Roboculator Team
The Roboculator Team explains calculations, planning tools, and practical formulas in clear language for real-life situations.
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