Unit Conversion

Convert numbers between two units quickly and precisely

Capacitance

Unit Conversion

Convert electrical capacitance: farad, microfarad, and picofarad

The electrical capacitance of a capacitor is stated in farad (F), the SI unit. Since 1 farad is a very large capacitance in practice, millifarad (mF), microfarad (µF), nanofarad (nF), and picofarad (pF) are much more common in electronics.

Key conversion factors:

  • 1 farad (F) = 1,000 millifarad (mF) = 1,000,000 microfarad (µF)
  • 1 microfarad (µF) = 1,000 nanofarad (nF) = 1,000,000 picofarad (pF)

Applications:

  • Circuit design: selecting capacitors in the micro- and nanofarad range
  • Filter design: designing high-pass and low-pass filters
  • Energy storage: capacitance ratings of supercapacitors in farad

The capacitance converter supports comparing electronic components and designing circuits.

Frequently asked questions about converting capacitance

1 farad is a very large capacitance that practically never occurs in ordinary electronic components – typical capacitors are in the micro-, nano-, or picofarad range. Only supercapacitors reach values in the farad range.

1 nanofarad (nF) equals 1,000 picofarad (pF). Both units are common in electronics, with pF used for very small capacitances (e.g. parasitic capacitance of PCB traces) and nF for small filter capacitors.

1 millifarad (mF) equals 1,000 microfarad (µF) – so millifarad is 1,000 times larger. In practice, µF is usually used instead of mF, since mF would be an unusually large value for most electronic applications.