The Electrostatic Capacitance Calculator is an online calculator tool that enables instant conversion between all major SI (International System of Units) and CGS (Centimetre-Gram-Second) capacitance units.
Calculator
Electrostatic Capacitance Calculator
Convert between all SI and CGS capacitance units instantly
Input Value & Unit
Target Unit
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The calculator covers the full range of practical capacitance values that all conversions pass through the Farad as the universal SI base unit ensuring accuracy and consistency.
Key Features
- Converts between 20 capacitance units including all SI prefixed farads, CGS units (abfarad and statfarad) and the equivalent Coulomb/volt.
- Bidirectional swap button which is instantly reverse the conversion direction with a single click.
- All-units grid which is every conversion result is displayed simultaneously for quick reference.
- Error handling that validates input & shows a clear error message for non-numeric entries.
Supported Capacitance Units
The calculator supports 20 units of capacitance spanning complete SI prefix scale and also CGS electromagnetic & electrostatic units.
| Unit Name | Symbol | Factor (to Farad) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farad | F | 1 | SI base unit |
| Exafarad | EF | 10¹⁸ | 10^18 farads |
| Petafarad | PF | 10¹⁵ | 10^15 farads |
| Terafarad | TF | 10¹² | 10^12 farads |
| Gigafarad | GF | 10⁹ | 10^9 farads |
| Megafarad | MF | 10⁶ | 10^6 farads |
| Kilofarad | kF | 10³ | 10^3 farads |
| Millifarad | mF | 10⁻³ | 0.001 farads |
| Microfarad | µF | 10⁻⁶ | Common in electronics |
| Nanofarad | nF | 10⁻⁹ | Common in electronics |
| Picofarad | pF | 10⁻¹² | RF/microwave circuits |
| Femtofarad | fF | 10⁻¹⁵ | VLSI design |
| Attofarad | aF | 10⁻¹⁸ | Nano-scale devices |
| Abfarad (EMU) | abF | 10⁹ | CGS electromagnetic unit |
| Statfarad (ESU) | stF | 1.11265×10⁻¹² | CGS electrostatic unit |
How to use the Calculator?
Basic Conversion
Enter a numeric value in Capacitance Value input field (e.g., 100, 0.047 or 2.2e-9).
Select the source unit from the input unit dropdown on the right side of the value field.
Select the target unit from the convert to dropdown below.
Click the convert button (or) press enter to calculate the result.
The result is displayed in the result panel that is showing the converted value and symbol.
The all unit equivalents grid below the result shows the value converted into every supported unit simultaneously.
Swapping Units
The circular arrow button (⇅) across the input & output sections swaps the selected From & To units.
This is useful when you want to reverse a conversion without manually changing both dropdowns.
The button rotates 180° on hover to visually confirm the swap action.
Calculation Method
All unit conversions use the Farad as the universal intermediate unit.
The algorithm applies a 2 step procedure.
Step 1 – Input to Farad: Multiply the input value by the conversion (or) calculation factor of the source unit (how many farads 1 unit of the source equals).
Step 2 – Farad to Target: Divide the farad value by the conversion (or) calculation factor of the target unit.
Formula
Result = (Input Value x Source Factor) / Target Factor
For example converting 100 µF to pF:
100 x 10⁻⁶ ÷ 10⁻¹² = 100000000 pF = 1 x 10⁸ pF
Primary Reference Values
The following reference are fundamental to capacitance unit conversion:
- 1 Farad (F) = 1000000 microfarads (µF)
- 1 Farad (F) = 1000000000 nanofarads (nF)
- 1 Farad (F) = 1 x 10¹² picofarads (pF)
- 1 Farad (F) = 10⁻⁹ abfarad (abF) – CGS electromagnetic unit
- 1 Farad (F) = 8.9875 x 10¹¹ statfarad (stF) – CGS electrostatic unit
- 1 Coulomb/volt (C/V) = 1 Farad (F) – equivalent definition
- 1 Microfarad (µF) = 1000000 picofarads (pF)
- 1 Nanofarad (nF) = 1000 picofarads (pF)
Applications
Electronic Engineering
Microfarad and picofarad values dominate practical electronics.
Electrolytic capacitors for power supply filtering typically range from 100 µF to 10,000 µF while ceramic capacitors for signal decoupling range from 1 pF to 100 nF.
RF & Microwave Engineering
At radio frequencies capacitances in the picofarad (pF) and femtofarad (fF) range are common.
Impedance matching networks and filter design and transmission line stubs all needs accurate unit values.
Semiconductor & VLSI Design
Gate capacitances in the modern transistors are measured in femtofarads & attofarads.
Parasitic capacitance extraction in the VLSI design needs conversion across simulation units (often femtofarads) & SPICE model parameters.
The CGS unit support (statfarad) is also relevant for some legacy simulation tools.
Physics and Research
The statfarad (ESU) unit arises naturally in Gaussian CGS equations used in electrostatics and classical electrodynamics.
The abfarad (EMU) appears in the CGS-Gaussian system’s magnetic formulations.
Researchers working across systems of units will find the simultaneous display of all units especially helpful.