Convert capacitance between picofarads, nanofarads, microfarads, millifarads, and farads. Common capacitor presets, charge estimation, and reference table for electronic components.
Capacitance describes the ability of an electronic component to store electrical charge. The farad (F) is the SI unit, but most real-world capacitors are measured in picofarads (pF), nanofarads (nF), or microfarads (µF) because one farad represents an enormous amount of capacitance. Converting between these sub-units is a daily task for electronics engineers, hobbyists, and students in practical circuit work.
This capacitance conversion calculator lets you instantly convert between picofarads, nanofarads, microfarads, millifarads, and farads. Enter your value, select the source unit, and see all equivalent values at once. The tool also estimates the charge stored at 5 volts using Q = CV, making it practical for circuit design.
Whether you are reading datasheets, selecting replacement capacitors, designing filter circuits, or studying for an electronics exam, this converter eliminates mental math and unit errors. Use the built-in presets for common capacitor values and the reference table to quickly identify standard component ratings.
Capacitance spans many orders of magnitude — from single-digit picofarads in RF circuits to thousands of microfarads in power supplies and full farads in supercapacitors. Converting between pF, nF, µF, mF, and F involves moving the decimal point by factors of 1000, which is error-prone under time pressure. This calculator removes guesswork and provides instant, accurate conversions with common presets.
Conversion Factors: 1 F = 1000 mF = 1,000,000 µF = 10⁹ nF = 10¹² pF 1 pF = 10⁻¹² F 1 nF = 10⁻⁹ F = 1000 pF 1 µF = 10⁻⁶ F = 1000 nF 1 mF = 10⁻³ F = 1000 µF Charge: Q = C × V (coulombs = farads × volts)
Result: 0.1 mF / 100,000 nF / 100,000,000 pF
100 µF equals 0.1 mF (divide by 1000), 100,000 nF (multiply by 1000), and 100,000,000 pF (multiply by 1,000,000). At 5V, it stores Q = 100×10⁻⁶ × 5 = 0.0005 coulombs.
The farad is named after Michael Faraday. Because one farad is a very large amount of capacitance, engineers use metric sub-multiples: picofarads (10⁻¹²), nanofarads (10⁻⁹), microfarads (10⁻⁶), and millifarads (10⁻³). Moving between adjacent units always involves a factor of 1000.
Ceramic capacitors: 1 pF to 100 µF — used in decoupling, filtering, and RF circuits. Electrolytic capacitors: 0.1 µF to 10,000+ µF — polarized, used in power supply smoothing. Film capacitors: 100 pF to 100 µF — stable, used in audio and precision circuits. Supercapacitors: 0.1 F to 3000 F — used for energy storage and backup power.
Small capacitors often use a 3-digit code stamped on the body. The code represents picofarads: the first two digits are the value, the third is the multiplier (number of zeros). Example: 104 = 10 × 10⁴ pF = 100,000 pF = 100 nF = 0.1 µF. A letter suffix indicates tolerance: J = ±5%, K = ±10%, M = ±20%.
1 µF = 1000 nF. To convert µF to nF, multiply by 1000. To go from nF to µF, divide by 1000.
1 nF = 1000 pF. These units each differ by a factor of 1000.
A farad is the SI unit of capacitance. One farad stores one coulomb of charge per volt of potential. It is an extremely large unit; most capacitors are rated in µF or smaller.
The first two digits are significant figures and the third digit is the number of trailing zeros, all in picofarads. For example, 473 = 47 × 10³ pF = 47,000 pF = 47 nF.
They are the same unit — microfarads. "µF" uses the Greek letter mu, while "uF" is the ASCII approximation used in datasheets and PCB markings.
Energy stored is E = ½CV², where C is capacitance in farads and V is voltage. A 1000 µF capacitor at 50V stores E = 0.5 × 0.001 × 2500 = 1.25 joules.