Capacitance Converter
Same value in every unit
| Unit | Value |
|---|
Reading the code on the part
Small capacitors carry a three-digit number in picofarads, where the last digit is a zero count. 104 means 10 followed by four zeros — 100,000 pF = 100 nF = 0.1 µF. All three are the same component; only the habit of the person who drew the schematic differs.
Common values and where they sit
- 10–100 pF — radio frequency tuning, crystal loading
- 1–100 nF — decoupling, signal coupling, filters
- 0.1–10 µF — local supply smoothing
- 100–10,000 µF — power supply reservoirs
- 1 F and up — supercapacitors, backup and energy storage
Why the units get confusing
Because the range spans fifteen orders of magnitude and different industries settled on different prefixes for the same middle ground. A part marked 100n on a European board is marked .1 on an American one. Converting between them is not a calculation anyone should have to do in their head while reading a schematic.
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Frequently Asked Questions
A three-digit code is in picofarads: the first two digits are the value and the third is how many zeros follow. So 104 is 10 followed by four zeros — 100,000 pF, which is 100 nF or 0.1 µF. All three describe the same part.
Because it is enormous. Ordinary circuits work in millionths and million-millionths of a farad. Supercapacitors rated at whole farads exist and are used for backup power, but a one-farad film capacitor would be the size of a room.
Yes, exactly. European schematics tend to use nF, American ones µF, and the part is identical. That difference in habit is the reason this converter gets used.
It stores charge and resists a change in voltage. That makes it useful for smoothing a supply, coupling a signal while blocking DC, and setting timing along with a resistor.
No.