Capacitance Calculator

Permittivity (A):

mm² ▾

Area (ε):

F/m

Capacitance (s):

mm ▾

Capacitance Calculator

Use our capacitance calculator to quickly determine the capacitance of a capacitor, especially a parallel plate capacitor. You can also observe how changing the plate distance, plate area, or dielectric material affects the overall capacitance. The calculator also provides results in multiple related units.

What is Capacitance?

Capacitance is the ability of a capacitor to store electrical charge.

It represents how much electric charge a capacitor can hold per unit voltage applied across its plates.

Mathematically, capacitance is defined as:

C = Q / V

Where:

C = Capacitance (Farads)
Q = Electric charge (Coulombs)
V = Voltage (Volts)

Parallel Plate Capacitor Formula

For a parallel plate capacitor, capacitance is calculated using:

C = εA / d

Where:

ε = Permittivity of the dielectric material (F/m)
A = Area of one plate (m²)
d = Distance between the plates (m)

If no dielectric material is specified, the permittivity of free space is used:

ε₀ = 8.854 × 10⁻¹² F/m

If a dielectric is present:

ε = k × ε₀

Where k is the dielectric constant (relative permittivity).

How to Calculate Capacitance – Example

Problem:
The plate area is 125 mm² and the plate separation is 7 mm. Calculate the capacitance (assume free space between plates).

Solution:

Step 1: Convert units to SI

Area = 125 mm² = 125 × 10⁻⁶ m²
Distance = 7 mm = 7 × 10⁻³ m

Step 2: Apply formula

C = (8.854 × 10⁻¹² × 125 × 10⁻⁶) / (7 × 10⁻³)

Final Answer: Capacitance will be in Farads (very small value, typically in picofarads).

What Affects Capacitance?

Increasing plate area (A) → Increases capacitance
Decreasing plate distance (d) → Increases capacitance
Using a dielectric with higher k → Increases capacitance

How to Use the Capacitance Calculator

Input:

Plate area
Distance between plates
Dielectric constant (optional)

Process: Click the Calculate button.

Output: Capacitance value in Farads and other common units such as µF, nF, and pF.

FAQs

What is the value of k (dielectric constant)?

For free space: k = 1
For other materials: k > 1

What is a typical capacitance value?

Common capacitors range from 1 pF to several microfarads (µF), depending on application.

Why does capacitance increase?

Capacitance increases when the plate area increases, plate spacing decreases, or a material with higher permittivity is inserted between the plates.

What is negative capacitance?

Negative capacitance is a special phenomenon observed in advanced materials where voltage and charge change in opposite directions. It is mainly studied in semiconductor and nanoelectronic research.

Capacitance Conversion Chart:

uF/ MFD	nF	pF/ MMFD
1uF / MFD	1000nF	1000000pF(MMFD)
0.82uF / MFD	820nF	820000pF (MMFD)
0.8uF / MFD	800nF	800000pF (MMFD)
0.7uF / MFD	700nF	700000pF (MMFD)
0.68uF / MFD	680nF	680000pF (MMFD)
0.6uF / MFD	600nF	600000pF (MMFD)
0.56uF / MFD	560nF	560000pF (MMFD)
0.5uF / MFD	500nF	500000pF (MMFD)
0.47uF / MFD	470nF	470000pF (MMFD)
0.4uF / MFD	400nF	400000pF (MMFD)
0.39uF / MFD	390nF	390000pF (MMFD)
0.33uF / MFD	330nF	330000pF (MMFD)
0.3uF / MFD	300nF	300000pF (MMFD)
0.27uF / MFD	270nF	270000pF (MMFD)
0.25uF / MFD	250nF	250000pF (MMFD)
0.22uF / MFD	220nF	220000pF (MMFD)
0.2uF / MFD	200nF	200000pF (MMFD)
0.18uF / MFD	180nF	180000pF (MMFD)
0.02uF / MFD	20nF	20000pF (MMFD)
0.018uF / MFD	18nF	18000pF (MMFD)
0.015uF / MFD	15nF	15000pF (MMFD)
0.012uF / MFD	12nF	12000pF (MMFD)
0.01uF / MFD	10nF	10000pF (MMFD)
0.0082uF / MFD	8.2nF	8200pF (MMFD)
0.008uF / MFD	8nF	8000pF (MMFD)
0.007uF / MFD	7nF	7000pF (MMFD)
0.0068uF / MFD	6.8nF	6800pF (MMFD)
0.006uF / MFD	6nF	6000pF (MMFD)
0.0056uF / MFD	5.6nF	5600pF (MMFD)
0.005uF / MFD	5nF	5000pF (MMFD)
0.0047uF / MFD	4.7nF	4700pF (MMFD)
0.004uF / MFD	4nF	4000pF (MMFD)
0.0039uF / MFD	3.9nF	3900pF (MMFD)
0.0033uF / MFD	3.3nF	3300pF (MMFD)
0.003uF / MFD	3nF	3000pF (MMFD)
0.0027uF / MFD	2.7nF	2700pF (MMFD)
0.0025uF / MFD	2.5nF	2500pF (MMFD)
0.0022uF / MFD	2.2nF	2200pF (MMFD)
0.002uF / MFD	2nF	2000pF (MMFD)
0.0018uF / MFD	1.8nF	1800pF (MMFD)
0.0015uF / MFD	1.5nF	1500pF (MMFD)
0.0012uF / MFD	1.2nF	1200pF (MMFD)
0.001uF / MFD	1nF	1000pF (MMFD)
0.00082uF / MFD	0.82nF	820pF (MMFD)
0.0008uF / MFD	0.8nF	800pF (MMFD)
0.0007uF / MFD	0.7nF	700pF (MMFD)
0.00068uF / MFD	0.68nF	680pF (MMFD)
0.0006uF / MFD	0.6nF	600pF (MMFD)
0.00056uF / MFD	0.56nF	560pF (MMFD)
0.0005uF / MFD	0.5nF	500pF (MMFD)
0.00047uF / MFD	0.47nF	470pF (MMFD)
0.0004uF / MFD	0.4nF	400pF (MMFD)
0.00039uF / MFD	0.39nF	390pF (MMFD)
0.00033uF / MFD	0.33nF	330pF (MMFD)
0.0003uF / MFD	0.3nF	300pF (MMFD)
0.00027uF / MFD	0.27nF	270pF (MMFD)
0.00025uF / MFD	0.25nF	250pF (MMFD)
0.00022uF / MFD	0.22nF	220pF (MMFD)
0.0002uF / MFD	0.2nF	200pF (MMFD)
0.00018uF / MFD	0.18nF	180pF (MMFD)
0.00015uF / MFD	0.15nF	150pF (MMFD)
0.00012uF / MFD	0.12nF	120pF (MMFD)
0.0001uF / MFD	0.1nF	100pF (MMFD)
0.000082uF / MFD	0.082nF	82pF (MMFD)
0.00008uF / MFD	0.08nF	80pF (MMFD)
0.00007uF / MFD	0.07nF	70pF (MMFD)
0.000068uF / MFD	0.068nF	68pF (MMFD)
0.00006uF / MFD	0.06nF	60pF (MMFD)
0.000056uF / MFD	0.056nF	56pF (MMFD)
0.00005uF / MFD	0.05nF	50pF (MMFD)
0.000047uF / MFD	0.047nF	47pF (MMFD)
0.00004uF / MFD	0.04nF	40pF (MMFD)
0.000039uF / MFD	0.039nF	39pF (MMFD)
0.000033uF / MFD	0.033nF	33pF (MMFD)
0.0000047uF / MFD	0.0047nF	4.7pF (MMFD)
0.000004uF / MFD	0.004nF	4pF (MMFD)
0.0000039uF / MFD	0.0039nF	3.9pF (MMFD)
0.0000033uF / MFD	0.0033nF	3.3pF (MMFD)
0.000003uF / MFD	0.003nF	3pF (MMFD)
0.0000027uF / MFD	0.0027nF	2.7pF (MMFD)
0.0000025uF / MFD	0.0025nF	2.5pF (MMFD)
0.0000022uF / MFD	0.0022nF	2.2pF (MMFD)
0.000002uF / MFD	0.002nF	2pF (MMFD)
0.0000018uF / MFD	0.0018nF	1.8pF (MMFD)
0.0000015uF / MFD	0.0015nF	1.5pF (MMFD)
0.0000012uF / MFD	0.0012nF	1.2pF (MMFD)
0.000001uF / MFD	0.001nF	1pF (MMFD)

References:

From Wikipedia: Capacitance – Including topics such as self-capacitance, mutual capacitance, capacitance matrix, stray capacitance, capacitance of conductors with simple shapes, and energy storage.

From Khan Academy: Capacitors and Capacitance