Capacitor Calculator

Calculate capacitance, voltage, charge, and decode capacitor codes with tolerance analysis

Capacitor Code Converter

Code to CapacitanceCapacitance to Code

Capacitor Code

Enter 1-3 digit capacitor code

Tolerance Code (Optional)

Letter after the numeric code

Capacitor Parameters

Calculate

Charge (Q)Voltage (V)Capacitance (C)

Capacitance (C)

Voltage (V)

Voltage across capacitor

Charge (Q) → Calculate

Charge in nanocoulombs (nC)

Calculation Results

Capacitance

0 pF

Voltage

0.000 V

Stored Charge

0.000 nC

Stored Energy

0.000 µJ

Key Formulas:

Capacitance: C = Q / V

Energy: E = ½CV²

Charge: Q = CV

Capacitor Code Examples

Code: 104

• First two digits: 10

• Multiplier: 10⁴

• Result: 10 × 10,000 = 100,000 pF

= 100 nF = 0.1 µF

Code: 22

• Direct value in pF

= 22 pF

Code: 471

• First two digits: 47

• Multiplier: 10¹

• Result: 47 × 10 = 470 pF

= 0.47 nF

Code: 125

• First two digits: 12

• Multiplier: 10⁵

• Result: 12 × 100,000 = 1,200,000 pF

= 1.2 µF

Tolerance Codes

B±0.1 pF

C±0.25 pF

D±0.5 pF

F±1%

G±2%

J±5%

K±10%

M±20%

Z+80%, -20%

Unit Conversions

1 F = 1,000 mF = 10⁶ µF

1 µF = 1,000 nF = 10⁶ pF

1 nF = 1,000 pF

1 pF = 10⁻¹² F

Common Values

Ceramic Capacitors

• 1 pF - 1000 pF

• 1 nF - 100 nF

• High frequency applications

Electrolytic

• 1 µF - 10,000 µF

• Power supply filtering

• Polarized

Film Capacitors

• 1 nF - 10 µF

• Audio applications

• Non-polarized

Applications

• Power supply filtering

• Signal coupling/decoupling

• Timing circuits

• Energy storage

• Motor starting

• Audio crossovers

• RF tuning circuits

• Flash photography

Understanding Capacitors

What is a Capacitor?

A capacitor is a passive electronic component that stores electrical energy in an electric field. It consists of two conductive plates separated by an insulating material called a dielectric.

Basic Principle

When voltage is applied across a capacitor, positive charges accumulate on one plate and negative charges on the other, creating an electric field between them. The amount of charge stored is proportional to the applied voltage.

Capacitor Codes

Small capacitors use a 3-digit code system. The first two digits represent the significant figures, and the third digit is the multiplier (power of 10). The result is always in picofarads (pF).

Key Formulas

Basic Capacitance

C = Q / V

Capacitance equals charge divided by voltage

Energy Storage

E = ½CV²

Energy stored in the electric field

Parallel Plate

C = ε₀εᵣA / d

For parallel plate capacitors

Example Calculations

Example 1: Charge Calculation

Given: C = 100 µF, V = 12 V

Find: Charge (Q)

Solution: Q = CV = 100×10⁻⁶ × 12 = 1.2×10⁻³ C = 1200 µC

Energy: E = ½CV² = ½ × 100×10⁻⁶ × 12² = 7.2 mJ

Example 2: Code Decoding

Given: Capacitor code 224K

Numeric part: 224

Value: 22 × 10⁴ = 220,000 pF = 220 nF = 0.22 µF

Tolerance: K = ±10%

Range: 0.198 µF to 0.242 µF