Capacitance Converter
Convert a capacitance value between farads, millifarads, microfarads, nanofarads, and picofarads.
Covers the five common SI submultiples of the farad with bidirectional conversion.
Updated August 13, 2026
Introduction / overview
The Capacitance Converter switches a capacitance value between the five units you actually meet in electronics: farads (F), millifarads (mF), microfarads (μF), nanofarads (nF), and picofarads (pF). Every field is editable — type a value into any one of them and the other four update instantly, so you never have to count decimal places by hand.
The farad is the SI unit of capacitance, but real components span twelve orders of magnitude below it — from picofarad ceramic capacitors to farad-scale supercapacitors. That is exactly why the converter carries all five rows.
It is the tool to reach for when you are reading a capacitor marking or datasheet, comparing values between a parts list and a schematic, or checking whether the cap on your bench really is the same as a one. Because every conversion is an exact power of ten, the answer is never rounded — a value that starts precise stays precise.
How to use / quick start
Type the value you have into the matching field
Put the number in the row whose unit matches what you are reading — for example 0.1 in Capacitance in microfarads. Plain numbers work, and comma-grouped input such as 100,000 is accepted too.
Read the equivalents in the other rows
The remaining fields fill in automatically, so the same capacitance appears in farads, millifarads, nanofarads, and picofarads at once. Keep the number and pick whichever unit your answer needs.
Interpret the result
A value like reads as 100 nF and 100,000 pF — the same part, three different labels. Use whichever label the circuit, datasheet, or supplier expects.
Example — the classic 0.1 μF decoupling capacitor
Type in the Capacitance in microfarads field. Because each row is one thousand times the one below it, the same part is written differently in each unit:
The calculator reports exactly that: 100 nanofarads and 100,000 picofarads. If you ever see “0.1 μF” and “100 nF” used for the same capacitor, they are the same value, not a mismatch.
Calculation method
The farad is the SI unit of capacitance: one farad stores one coulomb of charge per volt of applied potential difference, . The four other units are the same farad scaled by the standard SI prefixes — each prefix is an exact power of ten:
To convert, the value is first carried to farads, then divided by the target unit’s factor — call each unit’s factor :
Because every factor is an exact power of ten, the conversion is exact at any scale. The definitions above come from the International System of Units; the NIST SI Units reference lists the farad among the derived units with special names and defines the prefix values this calculator applies.
Variables
- — the numeric value in the source unit
- — the numeric value in the target unit
- — farads per source unit
- — farads per target unit
- — the value carried through to farads
Every row is a valid starting point. Enter a value in the picofarads field and the others re-derive from it, so the conversion runs just as well in either direction.
Which unit for which capacitor
No single unit fits every capacitor, which is why all five rows exist. Knowing where each one tends to show up makes the converter faster to use and harder to misread.
Picofarads and nanofarads — small ceramics and RF
Tiny ceramic capacitors, timing components, and RF/tuning circuits are usually quoted in pF and nF — values like 470 pF, 10 nF, or 100 nF. A part entered here reads as and .
Microfarads — electrolytic and film
Power-supply filtering and larger coupling capacitors are almost always rated in μF — think 10 μF, 100 μF, or 1,000 μF electrolytics. One microfarad is or .
Farads and millifarads — supercapacitors
Supercapacitors and energy-storage cells reach the farad scale, so their ratings live in F and mF — for example 1 F or 500 mF. One farad is , a reminder of how far above ordinary capacitors this range sits.
The 1,000× step rule
The rows are spaced by factors of one thousand, not ten. Moving down one row multiplies by ; moving up divides by . That single fact prevents the most common mistake with these units:
Because the step is one thousand, is 100 nF — not 1 nF. If a part is labeled one way in a schematic and another way in a datasheet, run it through the converter once and read all five rows to be sure.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between μF and nF?
Exactly one thousand: . Microfarads are one thousand times larger than nanofarads, so a smaller number in μF becomes a larger number in nF. This converter shows both side by side, which is the fastest way to check a marking against a schematic.
Why are capacitor values spread across so many units?
Because real capacitance spans about twelve orders of magnitude. The smallest common parts are a few picofarads, while supercapacitors reach whole farads. Nobody wants to write when is cleaner, so each technology settled on the prefix that keeps its typical values short and readable.
Is one farad a large amount of capacitance?
Yes — unusually large for everyday electronics. One farad stores one coulomb of charge at one volt, , which is far beyond a typical discrete capacitor. Ordinary ceramics sit in the pF–nF range and electrolytics in the μF range; the farad scale is the home of supercapacitors and backup-energy cells.
Limitations
This calculator accepts non-negative values only; a negative capacitance shows a “Capacitance cannot be negative.” message and is not converted. The unit conversion itself is exact — every factor is a precise power of ten — but very large or very small results are shown in scientific notation (for example ) to keep them readable. The tool converts between units; it does not compute stored charge or energy, measure a capacitor, or account for the tolerance a real component carries, so always match the value to the unit a schematic or datasheet actually specifies.
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