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Convert Capacitance

Here you can convert units like farad, millifarad, microfarad, nanofarad, etc. within the capacitance category.

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Unit Value Actions
farad F SI derived unit of capacitance. One coulomb per volt. Read more
millifarad mF
microfarad µF
nanofarad nF
picofarad pF
femtofarad fF

Common capacitance conversion mistakes

  • The µ prefix is often written u in datasheets and on components, because the character is missing from ordinary keyboards. uF and µF are the same unit, the microfarad. The older American form mfd also means microfarad, despite the m.
  • The picofarad and the nanofarad sit a factor of 1000 apart and are constantly mixed up in circuit diagrams: 100 nF is 100,000 pF. A ceramic capacitor marked 104 is exactly that 100 nF.
  • The millifarad is almost never used in practice. A component marked mF is usually a microfarad in an older spelling, not a millifarad, which would be a thousand times larger.

Quick conversion quiz

Score: 0

4.8 picofarad equals 7.2e+3 femtofarad.

Correct answer: 4.8 picofarad = 4.8e+3 femtofarad.

3.8 picofarad equals 3.8e+3 femtofarad.

Correct answer: 3.8 picofarad = 3.8e+3 femtofarad.

69 farad equals 4.14e+4 millifarad.

Correct answer: 69 farad = 6.9e+4 millifarad.

11.8 picofarad equals 2.36e+4 femtofarad.

Correct answer: 11.8 picofarad = 1.18e+4 femtofarad.

Definitions

farad (F)

SI derived unit of capacitance. One coulomb per volt.

The farad (F) is the SI unit of capacitance, defined as one coulomb per volt. It is named after Michael Faraday. One farad is a very large capacitance, so real components are labelled in microfarad, nanofarad and picofarad.

Read more about farad at bipm.org

Frequently asked questions

How many nanofarads are in a microfarad?

1000. Every prefix step in capacitance is a factor of 1000: 1 µF = 1000 nF = 1,000,000 pF.

Why are capacitors almost never rated in farads?

Because one farad is enormous. Ordinary capacitors run from a few picofarads to a few hundred microfarads, so the unit is used with a prefix in practice.

What does 104 mean on a ceramic capacitor?

10 followed by four zeros picofarads, that is 100,000 pF = 100 nF = 0.1 µF. The first two digits are the value and the third is the number of zeros.

How much is 470 nF in microfarads?

0.47 µF. The same component is labelled differently in different datasheets, which is the whole reason to convert between nF and µF.

Why is the microfarad sometimes written uF or mfd?

Because the µ character is missing from many keyboards, and because mfd is an older American spelling. Both mean microfarad, never millifarad.

How do I use the capacitance converter on konvertera.nu?

Enter your capacitance value (like µF), choose the target unit (like nF), and konvertera.nu converts it instantly.