A real-world capacitor is almost never specified in whole farads, the unit is simply too large, this converter switches between the practical metric-prefix units actually printed on capacitor datasheets and packaging.

How to use this capacitance converter

1. Enter a value and select your From unit.
2. Select your To unit.
3. Read the converted result instantly, or tap Swap Units to reverse the direction.

What this converter does

Capacitance is measured in the SI unit farad (F), the capacitance of a capacitor that stores 1 coulomb of charge per volt applied. A farad is a very large unit for practical electronics, so real-world capacitors are usually specified in millifarads (mF), microfarads (µF), nanofarads (nF), or picofarads (pF) instead.

Why farads are rarely used directly

Most everyday capacitors, the ceramic and electrolytic types used in circuit boards, have capacitance values in the microfarad, nanofarad, or picofarad range, a whole farad would represent an enormous, physically impractical capacitor for most common applications, which is why datasheets and component markings almost always use one of the smaller prefix units instead.

Frequently asked questions