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Capacitance Converter

Science

Convert capacitance units: farads, microfarads, nanofarads, and picofarads. Essential for circuit design, electronics hobbyists, and electrical engineers.

Reviewed by the thecalcu.com team · Last updated June 24, 2026

From
To
All conversionsfor 1 Microfarad (μF)
Farad (F)0.000001
Millifarad (mF)0.001
Microfarad (μF)1
Nanofarad (nF)1000
Picofarad (pF)1000000
Abfarad (abF)1.0000e-15

What is a Capacitance?

A Capacitance Converter converts between units that measure a capacitor's ability to store electric charge. Capacitance quantifies how much charge a component accumulates per unit of applied voltage, it is the "storage tank" property of capacitors in electronic circuits.

The SI unit is the farad (F), defined as one coulomb per volt (C = Q/V). A one-farad capacitor is enormous by component standards, the size of a large tin can at best, and commercially available only as supercapacitors. This is why the farad's subdivisions are the practical everyday units:

Unit Value Common use
Millifarad (mF) 10⁻³ F Large supercapacitors
Microfarad (μF) 10⁻⁶ F Power supply filtering, electrolytic capacitors
Nanofarad (nF) 10⁻⁹ F Ceramic bypass, decoupling capacitors
Picofarad (pF) 10⁻¹² F RF circuits, crystal oscillators, stray capacitance

For Indian electronics students, hobbyists, and engineers, capacitance conversion is a routine task when translating component values between different notations. A schematic may show "0.1 μF" while a parts catalogue shows "100 nF", both are the same value. This converter makes that equivalence immediately visible.

The capacitance-voltage-charge relationship (Q = C × V) connects this converter directly to the Electric Charge Converter. For RC circuit timing calculations (τ = RC), also see the Electric Resistance Converter.

Why Use a Capacitance Converter?

Capacitor values are written inconsistently across manufacturers, schematics, and datasheets. A 0.1 μF ceramic capacitor may be labelled "104" (10 × 10⁴ pF = 100,000 pF = 0.1 μF) on the component body, "100n" in a schematic, and "100 nF" in a BOM. Reading all three as the same value requires quick unit conversions.

Two concrete Indian use cases:

  1. Arduino decoupling capacitor: A student in Kolkata adds decoupling capacitors to an Arduino project. The application note says "100 nF per IC". The student's component bin is labelled in μF. Converting: 100 nF = 0.1 μF, they reach for the small yellow "0.1" ceramic capacitor.

  2. RF circuit filter design: A Ham radio operator in Pune designs a bandpass filter for 7 MHz (40m band). The design calls for 68 pF capacitors. The local supplier lists capacitors in nF. Converting: 68 pF = 0.068 nF, they order the "0.068 nF" (or "68p") ceramic capacitors.

Who Should Use This Converter?

Electronics students and hobbyists who work with capacitors across a range of values and need to quickly verify that a capacitor in μF notation is the same as one in nF notation, or determine the farad equivalent for charging calculations.

Circuit designers and PCB engineers who translate values between schematic tools (which may display in different units), datasheets, and component ordering systems.

Power electronics engineers sizing filter capacitors for SMPS, inverters, and motor drives, where capacitance values range from microfarads in high-frequency filters to thousands of microfarads in bulk energy storage.

RF engineers and amateur radio operators working with picofarad-range capacitors in tuned circuits, matching networks, and antenna systems where small changes in pF produce significant frequency shifts.

Physics students studying capacitance, RC circuits, dielectrics, and electrostatics, where capacitance values must be converted to farads before applying the fundamental formula Q = CV. See the Energy Converter for calculating energy stored in a capacitor (E = ½CV²).

What Insights Does the Capacitance Converter Give You?

The converted value gives you the precise equivalent in your target unit, useful when you need to plug a value into a formula that requires farads while your datasheet lists μF.

The reference table shows your capacitance in all 6 units simultaneously. This instantly resolves the common confusion between "0.1 μF", "100 nF", and "100,000 pF", all displayed as equal values in the table.

Practical capacitance reference:

Application Typical Capacitance
Crystal oscillator load 12–33 pF
PCB trace stray capacitance 0.5–5 pF
RF bypass capacitor 10–100 pF
Ceramic decoupling 10–100 nF
Film signal coupling 100 nF – 10 μF
Power supply filter 100–10,000 μF
Supercapacitor 1–3000 F

How to use this Capacitance calculator

  1. The converter loads with Microfarad (μF) as the FROM unit and Nanofarad (nF) as the TO unit, the most common conversion for working between component notation and schematic values.
  2. Select your source unit from the FROM dropdown: F, mF, μF, nF, pF, or abF.
  3. Enter the capacitance value in the input field. Results update immediately as you type.
  4. Select your target unit from the TO dropdown.
  5. Use the ⇅ swap button to reverse the conversion, useful when converting nF values back to μF for a power supply calculation.
  6. Scroll to the reference table to see your capacitance in all 6 units simultaneously, particularly useful for confirming that different component labels represent the same value.
  7. For timing circuit design, use the converted farad value in the RC time constant formula: τ = R (in ohms) × C (in farads).

Formula & Methodology

This is a linear converter using the farad (F) as the common base unit. All conversions follow:

Result = Input × (toBase_from ÷ toBase_to)

Key toBase values (farads):

| Unit | Farads |
|---|---|
| Farad (F) | 1 |
| Millifarad (mF) | 1 × 10⁻³ |
| Microfarad (μF) | 1 × 10⁻⁶ |
| Nanofarad (nF) | 1 × 10⁻⁹ |
| Picofarad (pF) | 1 × 10⁻¹² |
| Abfarad (abF) | 1 × 10⁹ |

All prefix multipliers are exact per SI definitions. The abfarad is the CGS electromagnetic unit equal to 10⁹ farads.

Worked example, RC timer in Pune:
Design a 555 timer astable circuit with a 1-second period (1 Hz). Using a 10 kΩ resistor (approximately), what capacitance is needed?

τ = R × C  →  C = τ ÷ R C = 1 ÷ 10,000 = 0.0001 F = 100 μF

In practice, use a 100 μF electrolytic capacitor. In nanofarads: 100 μF = 100,000 nF. In picofarads: 100 μF = 100,000,000 pF = 10⁸ pF.

Common RC time constant reference:

| R | C | τ (= R × C) | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 kΩ | 100 nF | 0.1 ms | Audio filter |
| 10 kΩ | 10 μF | 0.1 s | Switch debounce |
| 10 kΩ | 100 μF | 1 s | 555 timer 1 Hz |
| 1 MΩ | 1 μF | 1 s | Long-delay timer |

Energy stored in a capacitor: E = ½ × C × V² (joules). A 1000 μF capacitor at 12V stores ½ × 0.001 × 144 = 0.072 J = 72 mJ.

Frequently Asked Questions

Capacitance is the ability of a component or system to store electric charge for a given electric potential. The SI unit is the farad (F), named after Michael Faraday. One farad is defined as the capacitance of a capacitor that stores one coulomb of charge when one volt is applied across it (C = Q/V). In practice, one farad is an enormous amount of capacitance, most electronic components use microfarads (μF), nanofarads (nF), or picofarads (pF).
These are SI prefix variants of the farad: 1 μF (microfarad) = 1,000 nF (nanofarad) = 1,000,000 pF (picofarad). Electrolytic capacitors used in power supply filters are typically 10–10,000 μF; ceramic capacitors in decoupling and bypass applications are typically 10 nF to 100 nF (= 0.01–0.1 μF); RF resonant circuits and crystal oscillator circuits use capacitors in the 10–100 pF range; and stray capacitance on PCB traces is in the single-digit pF range.
The most common capacitor values in Indian hobbyist and student projects are: 100 nF (0.1 μF) ceramic for bypass decoupling on 5V and 3.3V power rails in Arduino and Raspberry Pi circuits; 10–100 μF electrolytic for power supply ripple filtering; 22 pF and 33 pF ceramic for crystal oscillator matching capacitors in microcontroller circuits; and 1000 μF electrolytic for audio amplifier power supply banks. All of these values are available in Indian electronics markets from Lamington Road (Mumbai) and Nehru Place (Delhi) retailers.
To convert microfarads (μF) to nanofarads (nF), multiply by 1000. For example, 0.1 μF = 100 nF. To convert nanofarads to picofarads, multiply by 1000: 100 nF = 100,000 pF. To convert nanofarads to microfarads, divide by 1000: 470 nF = 0.47 μF. This converter handles all these conversions instantly, select the source unit in FROM, enter the value, select the target in TO.
A 100 nF (0.1 μF) ceramic capacitor is most commonly used as a bypass or decoupling capacitor placed between the power supply and ground pins of integrated circuits. It suppresses high-frequency noise and voltage spikes on the power rail by providing a local reservoir of charge that can respond faster than the main power supply. This is why virtually every microcontroller, logic chip, and amplifier IC in a PCB has a 100 nF ceramic capacitor placed as close as possible to its VCC and GND pins.
Supercapacitors (also called ultracapacitors or electrochemical double-layer capacitors) have capacitances measured in farads, typically 1F to 3000F. This is 1 million to 3 billion times larger than a typical electrolytic capacitor. Supercapacitors are used for energy buffering in industrial UPS systems, regenerative braking in trains and EVs, and backup power for memory retention. In India, railway applications in the Delhi Metro and Vande Bharat trains use supercapacitors for energy recovery. A 100F supercapacitor at 2.7V stores 100 × 2.7²/2 = 364.5 joules.
The abfarad is a unit of capacitance in the CGS (centimetre-gram-second) electromagnetic system, equal to 10⁹ farads (one billion farads). It is an obsolete unit not used in modern electronics, the SI farad is the universal standard. The abfarad appears only in historical physics texts and conversion tables. One abfarad equals approximately 1,000 large supercapacitors, making it useful primarily as a demonstration of just how enormous one abfarad would be in practice.
Capacitance (C), charge (Q), and voltage (V) are related by: Q = C × V, or equivalently C = Q/V and V = Q/C. A 100 μF capacitor charged to 12V stores 100 × 10⁻⁶ × 12 = 0.0012 C = 1200 μC of charge. This relationship is fundamental to capacitor circuit analysis: to find how much charge a capacitor holds, multiply its capacitance (in farads) by the voltage across it. Use the Electric Charge Converter for converting between charge units.
Select your source unit from the FROM dropdown, for example, Microfarad (μF). Enter the capacitance value in the input field. Select your target unit from the TO dropdown, for example, Nanofarad (nF). The result appears immediately. Use the ⇅ swap button to reverse the conversion, and scroll to the reference table to see the capacitance in all available units simultaneously.
Power supply filter capacitor sizing depends on load current and acceptable ripple voltage. A rough rule of thumb is 1000 μF per ampere of output current at 50 Hz (India's mains frequency). For a 1A regulated 5V supply, this means approximately 1000–2200 μF of bulk filter capacitance. For switching power supplies (SMPS) common in Indian electronics manufacturing, the calculations use the switching frequency and inductor values rather than mains frequency, typically resulting in smaller capacitors (100–1000 μF at lower ESR).
The RC time constant (τ = R × C) is the time taken for a capacitor to charge to about 63.2% of the supply voltage through a resistor, or discharge to 36.8% of its initial voltage. After 5τ, the capacitor is considered fully charged or discharged. For example, a 10 kΩ resistor with a 100 μF capacitor gives τ = 10,000 × 0.0001 = 1 second. This is used in timer circuits (555 timer), RC filters, and delay circuits. Converting capacitance units correctly is essential for accurate RC timing calculations.
All capacitance units are linear multiples of the farad: Result = Input × (toBase_from ÷ toBase_to). Key relationships: 1 F = 1000 mF = 10⁶ μF = 10⁹ nF = 10¹² pF. One abfarad = 10⁹ F. For example, to convert 470 nF to μF: 470 × 10⁻⁹ ÷ 10⁻⁶ = 0.47 μF. To convert 47 pF to nF: 47 × 10⁻¹² ÷ 10⁻⁹ = 0.047 nF.
Also known as
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