Convert between picofarads, nanofarads, microfarads, millifarads, and farads for electrical circuits.
2026-03-28T00:00:00Z
Capacitance is the ability of a component or circuit to collect and store electrical energy in the form of an electrical charge. Capacitors are passive electrical components that store energy temporarily in an electric field between two conductive plates separated by an insulating material (dielectric).
The unit of capacitance is the Farad (F), named after Michael Faraday. One farad is an extremely large amount of capacitance, so capacitors are typically measured in smaller units: microfarads (μF, 10⊃−6; F), nanofarads (nF, 10⊃−9; F), and picofarads (pF, 10⊃−12; F). A 1 Farad capacitor at 1 Volt stores 1 Coulomb of electrical charge.
Capacitors are fundamental components in electronics, used for filtering, coupling, decoupling, timing circuits, energy storage, and power supply smoothing. Understanding capacitance units is essential for circuit design, component selection, and troubleshooting. The capacitance value needed depends on the application–audio circuits might use microfarads, while high-frequency RF circuits often require picofarads.
Type the capacitance value you want to convert. The converter handles very small values (picofarads) to very large values (kilofarads) and displays results in scientific notation when appropriate.
Choose your source unit from the "From" dropdown and target unit from the "To" dropdown. The converter supports pF, nF, µF, mF, F, and kF conversions.
The converted value appears instantly with up to 6 decimal places for precision. The quick reference panel shows the relationship between all capacitance units.
Use the swap button to quickly reverse the conversion direction. Save conversions to history for reference, and use Reset to clear inputs.
An engineer is designing a microcontroller circuit and needs to select decoupling capacitors. The datasheet recommends 0.1µF ceramic capacitors near each IC, but the available capacitors are marked in nanofarads.
Calculation: 0.1 µF × 1,000 = 100 nF
The engineer orders 100nF ceramic capacitors, which are identical to the recommended 0.1µF capacitors. This conversion knowledge ensures proper component selection and circuit performance.
One Farad is an enormous amount of capacitance. Most practical capacitors are measured in microfarads (µF), nanofarads (nF), or picofarads (pF). Supercapacitors can reach several Farads, but typical capacitors are much smaller.
Power supply filtering typically uses µF (10-1000µF), audio coupling uses µF (0.1-10µF), RF circuits use nF or pF (1-1000pF), and decoupling capacitors are usually 0.1µF (100nF). Check your specific application requirements.
Small capacitors often use codes: 104 = 10 × 10⁴ pF = 100,000pF = 100nF = 0.1µF. The first two digits are the value, the third is the multiplier (number of zeros). Letter suffixes indicate tolerance.
µF (microfarad) and uF are the same (µ = micro). MFD (microfarad) is an older notation sometimes seen on capacitors. All three mean 10⁻⁶ Farads. Modern notation uses µF.
Capacitors follow E-series standard values (E6, E12, E24) based on logarithmic spacing. Common values: 10, 22, 47, 100, 220, 470, 1000, etc. This allows covering a wide range with manageable inventory.
Depends on the application. Power supply filtering allows 20-50% variation. Timing circuits require exact values. Decoupling capacitors can vary within the same order of magnitude. Always consult the circuit design or datasheet.
Too small: insufficient filtering, timing errors, inadequate energy storage. Too large: slower response, physical size issues, potential inrush current problems. Always calculate or measure the required capacitance for your application.
No, all capacitors use the same units (F, µF, nF, pF). However, ceramic capacitors are typically pF-nF range, while electrolytic capacitors are usually µF-mF range due to their construction and typical applications.
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