Convert capacitance units, calculate energy storage, time constants, and reactance
Capacitors store electrical energy in an electric field between conductive plates
| Unit | Symbol | Farad Equivalent | Scientific Notation | Common Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attofarad | aF | 0.000000000000000001 | 10⁻¹⁸ F | Parasitic capacitance |
| Femtofarad | fF | 0.000000000000001 | 10⁻¹⁵ F | IC design, stray capacitance |
| Picofarad | pF | 0.000000000001 | 10⁻¹² F | RF circuits, tuning |
| Nanofarad | nF | 0.000000001 | 10⁻⁹ F | Bypass, coupling |
| Microfarad | µF | 0.000001 | 10⁻⁶ F | General electronics |
| Millifarad | mF | 0.001 | 10⁻³ F | Power electronics |
| Farad | F | 1.0 | 10⁰ F | SI base unit, supercaps |
| Statfarad | statF | 1.112×10⁻¹² | ~pF | CGS electrostatic unit |
| Abfarad | abF | 1×10⁹ | 10⁹ F | CGS electromagnetic unit |
| Type | Typical Range | Voltage Range | Tolerance | Advantages | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceramic (NPO/C0G) | 1 pF - 47 nF | 25V - 3kV | ±5% to ±1% | Temperature stable, low loss | RF circuits, precision timing |
| Ceramic (X7R/X5R) | 10 pF - 100 µF | 6.3V - 1kV | ±10% to ±20% | High capacitance density | Decoupling, bypass |
| Film (Polyester) | 1 nF - 100 µF | 50V - 2kV | ±5% to ±20% | Low loss, self-healing | Audio, power supplies |
| Aluminum Electrolytic | 1 µF - 1 F | 6.3V - 500V | ±20% | High capacitance, low cost | Power filtering, energy storage |
| Tantalum | 100 nF - 1000 µF | 2V - 50V | ±10% to ±20% | Stable, compact size | Mobile devices, computers |
| Supercapacitor | 0.1 F - 1000 F | 2.5V - 5.5V | ±20% | Ultra-high capacitance | Energy storage, backup power |