Capacitance Calculator
Calculate capacitance of parallel plate capacitors with different dielectric materials
Calculate Parallel Plate Capacitance
Select the dielectric material between the plates
Area where the plates overlap
Distance between the parallel plates
Absolute permittivity of the dielectric material (εᵣ = 0.0)
Capacitance Results
Formula used: C = ε × A / d
Input values: A = 0.000e+0 m², d = 0.000e+0 m, ε = 8.854e-24 F/m
Dielectric: Vacuum (εᵣ = 0.00)
Capacitance Analysis
Example Calculations
Standard Air Capacitor
Plate Area: 100 cm² = 0.01 m²
Separation: 1 mm = 0.001 m
Dielectric: Air (ε = 8.859 × 10⁻¹² F/m)
Calculation: C = (8.859 × 10⁻¹² × 0.01) / 0.001 = 88.59 pF
Ceramic Capacitor
Plate Area: 25 mm² = 2.5 × 10⁻⁵ m²
Separation: 10 μm = 1 × 10⁻⁵ m
Dielectric: Ceramic (εᵣ = 10, ε = 8.854 × 10⁻¹¹ F/m)
Calculation: C = (8.854 × 10⁻¹¹ × 2.5 × 10⁻⁵) / (1 × 10⁻⁵) = 221 pF
Capacitance Units
Farad (F)
Base SI unit
1 F = 1 C/V
Microfarad (μF)
10⁻⁶ F
Common for electrolytic caps
Nanofarad (nF)
10⁻⁹ F
Film and ceramic capacitors
Picofarad (pF)
10⁻¹² F
Small, precision capacitors
Dielectric Materials
Relative Permittivity (εᵣ)
Higher εᵣ = higher capacitance
Breakdown Voltage
Maximum voltage before failure
Temperature Stability
How capacitance varies with temperature
Dielectric Loss
Energy loss in AC applications
Understanding Capacitance and Capacitors
What is Capacitance?
Capacitance is the ability of a device to store electric charge. In a parallel plate capacitor, it depends only on the geometry (plate area and separation) and the dielectric material between the plates. It does not depend on the voltage or charge stored.
Parallel Plate Capacitor
- •Two plates: Parallel conducting surfaces
- •Dielectric: Insulating material between plates
- •Electric field: Uniform field between plates
- •Charge storage: Opposite charges on each plate
Capacitance Formula
C = ε × A / d
C: Capacitance (farads)
ε: Absolute permittivity (F/m)
A: Plate area (m²)
d: Separation distance (m)
Key Relationships
Permittivity: ε = εᵣ × ε₀
Energy stored: E = ½CV²
Charge relation: Q = CV
Current relation: I = C(dV/dt)
Applications: Energy storage, filtering, timing circuits, power factor correction, flash photography