Electronics calculators

Capacitor code calculator

Pick the three digits printed on a capacitor, plus any tolerance letter, voltage code or dielectric, to get the value in pF, nF and µF. Or enter a value to find its code.

Calculated with electrician.wiki · https://electrician.wiki/calculators/capacitor-code/

I want to

Capacitor type

Electrolytic part numbers count in µF; every other code counts in pF.

First figure

Second figure

Multiplier digit

Tolerance letter

Voltage code

Dielectric code

Result

104K = 100 nF ±10 %

104 is 10 followed by 4 zeros in picofarads: 100,000 pF · 100 nF · 0.1 µF, and K means ±10 % (90 nF to 110 nF).

Capacitance: 100 nF
Also written: 100,000 pF · 0.1 µF
Tolerance: ±10 % (K)
Range: 90 nF – 110 nF
Rated voltage: Not printed
Dielectric: Not given

Read as a ceramic, film or mlcc code this is in picofarads. The same digits in an aluminium electrolytic part number are in microfarads: 104 would be 100,000 µF there.

Show the work

1. Two significant figures, then the number of zeros (in picofarads)
$C = 10 \times 10^{4} = 100,000 pF$
2. The same value in other units
100,000 pF · 100 nF · 0.1 µF
3. Tolerance letter K: ±10 %
90 nF to 110 nF

References: IEC 60062:2016: marking codes for resistors and capacitors

Ceramic, film or MLCC: the value code is read in picofarads.
Standard series: E24 (also E12, E6, E3).

Report a problem with this result

How to use the capacitor code calculator

Choose the type of capacitor first, because it decides the unit: ceramic, film and tantalum codes count in picofarads, while the codes inside aluminium electrolytic part numbers count in microfarads. Pick the three characters of the value code, then add the tolerance letter, the voltage code and, for ceramics, the dielectric code if the part or its part number shows them. The result gives the capacitance in pF, nF and µF, the tolerance band, the rated voltage, and a warning wherever a letter rests on a single maker’s documents. Find the code reverses it: type a value such as 100n, 4.7u or 22p and get the code, with the tolerance and voltage letters if you choose them.

How the 3-digit capacitor code works

The code is written in picofarads. The first two digits are the significant figures and the third says how many zeros follow. 104 is 10 followed by four zeros: 100,000 pF, which is 100 nF or 0.1 µF, the bypass capacitor that IC datasheets ask for at each supply pin. 102 is 1 nF, 473 is 47 nF and 105 is 1 µF. A code ending in 0 has no zeros to add, so 470 is simply 47 pF.

Below 10 pF the makers part ways. KYOCERA AVX and Vishay write R for the decimal point, so 9R1 is 9.1 pF and 1R8 is 1.8 pF. KEMET instead uses a third digit of 9 to multiply by 0.1 and 8 to multiply by 0.01: 229 is 2.2 pF and 508 is 0.5 pF. The R form is the one two makers share, so the calculator suggests it first and decodes KEMET’s form with a note. At the other end, large tantalum parts use 7: AVX’s 227 is 220 µF.

Third digit of the capacitor code and what it multiplies by
Third digit	Multiply the figures by (pF)	Example, decoded by the calculator
0	× 1	470 = 47 pF
1	× 10	101 = 100 pF
2	× 100	102 = 1 nF
3	× 1,000	103 = 10 nF
4	× 10,000	104 = 100 nF
5	× 100,000	105 = 1 µF
6	× 1,000,000	106 = 10 µF
7	× 10,000,000	227 = 220 µF (large tantalums)
8	× 0.01	508 = 0.5 pF (KEMET)
9	× 0.1	229 = 2.2 pF (KEMET)

Capacitor code chart

Every E12 value from 10 pF to 8.2 µF with its code, generated by the same encoder as the calculator. The E12 and E24 series are the values makers actually offer; KEMET, for example, sells its C0G and X7R ranges in E24 or E12 decade values. A value that needs a third significant figure, such as 4.75 nF, can only be approximated: it would be printed 482, which stands for 4.8 nF.

Three-digit codes for the E12 values, 10 pF to 8.2 µF. Each column is one decade; the third digit is the column’s number of zeros.
Ends in 0	Ends in 1	Ends in 2	Ends in 3	Ends in 4	Ends in 5
100 10 pF	101 100 pF	102 1 nF	103 10 nF	104 100 nF	105 1 µF
120 12 pF	121 120 pF	122 1.2 nF	123 12 nF	124 120 nF	125 1.2 µF
150 15 pF	151 150 pF	152 1.5 nF	153 15 nF	154 150 nF	155 1.5 µF
180 18 pF	181 180 pF	182 1.8 nF	183 18 nF	184 180 nF	185 1.8 µF
220 22 pF	221 220 pF	222 2.2 nF	223 22 nF	224 220 nF	225 2.2 µF
270 27 pF	271 270 pF	272 2.7 nF	273 27 nF	274 270 nF	275 2.7 µF
330 33 pF	331 330 pF	332 3.3 nF	333 33 nF	334 330 nF	335 3.3 µF
390 39 pF	391 390 pF	392 3.9 nF	393 39 nF	394 390 nF	395 3.9 µF
470 47 pF	471 470 pF	472 4.7 nF	473 47 nF	474 470 nF	475 4.7 µF
560 56 pF	561 560 pF	562 5.6 nF	563 56 nF	564 560 nF	565 5.6 µF
680 68 pF	681 680 pF	682 6.8 nF	683 68 nF	684 680 nF	685 6.8 µF
820 82 pF	821 820 pF	822 8.2 nF	823 82 nF	824 820 nF	825 8.2 µF

Tolerance letters

A letter after the value code gives the tolerance. Most are percentages: J is ±5 %, K ±10 % and M ±20 %, so 104K can measure anywhere from 90 nF to 110 nF. B, C and D are absolute tolerances in picofarads, used on small capacitors where a percentage would be meaninglessly tight. Z is lopsided, +80 % and −20 %: a 10 µF Y5V part marked Z can be anything from 8 µF to 18 µF. The same letters appear on resistor part numbers with different meanings for B, C and D, so read them in context.

Capacitor tolerance letters
Letter	Tolerance	On 100 nF	Sources
B	±0.1 pF	small values only	KEMET, Vishay, AVX
C	±0.25 pF	small values only	KEMET, Wikipedia (cross-check), Vishay, AVX
D	±0.5 pF	small values only	KEMET, Wikipedia (cross-check), Vishay, AVX
F	±1 %	99 nF – 101 nF	KEMET, Wikipedia (cross-check), Vishay, AVX
G	±2 %	98 nF – 102 nF	KEMET, Wikipedia (cross-check), Vishay, AVX
J	±5 %	95 nF – 105 nF	KEMET, Wikipedia (cross-check), Vishay, AVX
K	±10 %	90 nF – 110 nF	KEMET, AVX, Vishay
M	±20 %	80 nF – 120 nF	KEMET, AVX, Vishay
Z	+80 / −20 %	80 nF – 180 nF	KEMET, Wikipedia (cross-check), AVX
P	+100 / −0 %	100 nF – 200 nF	AVX (single source)
Q	+30 / −10 %	90 nF – 130 nF	Wikipedia (cross-check) (single source)
T	+50 / −10 %	90 nF – 150 nF	Wikipedia (cross-check) (single source)
S	+50 / −20 %	80 nF – 150 nF	Wikipedia (cross-check) (single source)

Voltage codes

Many part numbers, and some film and ceramic parts, give the rated voltage as a digit and a letter. The digit is a power of ten and the letter stands for the leading figures: A is 1.0, C is 1.6, E is 2.5, H is 5.0, J is 6.3. So 1H is 5.0 × 10 = 50 V, 2A is 1.0 × 100 = 100 V and 0J is 6.3 V. Small tantalum chips have room for one letter only, and that code mostly reuses the same letters for the same voltages (A = 10 V, C = 16 V, E = 25 V, V = 35 V) but uses T for 50 V; Vishay and AVX both print it that way. Nichicon and Panasonic use the same two-character codes from 0J to 2W in their electrolytic part numbers; a few codes appear only in Nichicon’s catalogue, and three we know only from the pattern, so the calculator flags those. MLCC part numbers are different again: KEMET uses single digits (5 = 50 V, 3 = 25 V) and Vishay uses letters (A = 50 V, B = 100 V).

Two-character codes (part numbers, film and ceramic parts)
Code	Rated V	Code	Rated V
0E †	2.5 V	2C	160 V
0G †	4 V	2Z †	180 V
0J	6.3 V	2D	200 V
1A	10 V	2P †	220 V
1C	16 V	2E	250 V
1D †	20 V	2F †	315 V
1E	25 V	2V	350 V
1V	35 V	2G	400 V
1H	50 V	2W	450 V
1J	63 V	2H †	500 V
1K †	80 V	2X †	600 V
2A	100 V	2J *	630 V
2B *	125 V	3A *	1,000 V

One-letter codes (small tantalum chips)
Letter	Rated V
G	4 V
J	6.3 V
A	10 V
C	16 V
D	20 V
E	25 V
V	35 V
T	50 V
S †	75 V

Unmarked codes are printed by two makers (Nichicon and Panasonic; Vishay and AVX for the letters). * Pattern-derived, not seen in a maker document. † One maker only (Nichicon for two-character codes, Vishay 293D for S). Leading figures used by the two-character code: A = 1, C = 1.6, Z = 1.8, D = 2, P = 2.2, E = 2.5, F = 3.15, V = 3.5, G = 4, W = 4.5, H = 5, X = 6, J = 6.3, K = 8.

Ceramic dielectric codes: X7R, C0G and the rest

Ceramic capacitors carry a three-character code for how their capacitance behaves with temperature. Class 2 codes such as X7R read as three separate characters: the lowest working temperature, the highest, and the largest change in capacitance over that range. X7R is class 2, −55 to +125 °C, ±15 %; Y5V is EIA class III, −30 to +85 °C, +22 / −82 %, which is why Y5V parts are used only where the value barely matters. Class 1 codes describe a temperature coefficient instead. C0G, also written NP0 (Vishay prints “C0G (NP0)”), means zero drift within ±30 ppm/K, the usual choice for filters and timing.

1st: lowest temperature
X	−55 °C
Y	−30 °C
Z *	+10 °C

2nd: highest temperature
2 *	+45 °C
4 *	+65 °C
5	+85 °C
6 *	+105 °C
7	+125 °C
8 *	+150 °C
9 *	+200 °C

3rd: largest change
A *	±1 %
B *	±1.5 %
C *	±2.2 %
D *	±3.3 %
E *	±4.7 %
F *	±7.5 %
P *	±10 %
R	±15 %
S *	±22 %
T *	+22 / −33 %
U *	+22 / −56 %
V	+22 / −82 %

* From a secondary source only (the EIA table as reproduced by Wikipedia); not yet confirmed in a maker datasheet.

Common ceramic dielectric codes
Code	Meaning	Status
C0G	class 1, 0 ±30 ppm/K, −55 to +125 °C	KEMET datasheet
X7R	class 2, −55 to +125 °C, ±15 %	KEMET datasheet
X5R	class 2, −55 to +85 °C, ±15 %	KEMET datasheet
Y5V	EIA class III, −30 to +85 °C, +22 / −82 %	KEMET datasheet
Z5U	EIA class III, +10 to +85 °C, +22 / −56 %	Secondary source only
X6S	class 2, −55 to +105 °C, ±22 %	Secondary source only
X7S	class 2, −55 to +125 °C, ±22 %	Secondary source only
X8R	class 2, −55 to +150 °C, ±15 %	Secondary source only
U2J	class 1, −750 ±120 ppm/K, −55 to +125 °C	Secondary source only

A class 2 code covers temperature only. Under DC voltage, X5R and X7R ceramics can lose far more capacitance than their code suggests, so a 10 µF part on a 5 V rail may behave like a much smaller one. Check the maker’s DC-bias curve for anything that matters.

Electrolytic capacitors: microfarad codes

Aluminium electrolytic cans are big enough to print their value in plain text, such as “220µF 450V”. The code appears in the part number instead, and there the unit is the microfarad. In Nichicon’s UVR1A332MHD, 1A is the voltage (10 V), 332 is 33 followed by two zeros of microfarads (3,300 µF) and M is ±20 %. Values below 10 µF use R for the decimal point (2R2 = 2.2 µF) or a leading zero (010 = 1 µF). This is the trap: 106 on a tantalum chip is 10 µF, but 106 in an electrolytic part number would be ten million microfarads. The calculator shows the other family’s reading of every code so the factor of a million cannot slip by.

Polarity: tantalum band versus aluminium stripe

Both families are polarised, and their marks point in opposite directions. On a moulded tantalum chip the band marks the positive end (KEMET, Vishay and AVX all show it). On an aluminium electrolytic the stripe on the sleeve, printed with minus signs, marks the negative side: KEMET’s radial ESK drawing labels it “Polarity Stripe (−)” and Nichicon’s snap-in drawings put it over the negative terminal. A new radial part also has a longer positive lead. Fitting a tantalum the wrong way round is a classic failure: KEMET allows a reverse voltage of only 15 % of the rating at 25 °C, 5 % at 85 °C, and only briefly. A reversed electrolytic can vent or burst.

Tantalum chip 106 A: 10 µF, 10 V. The dark band is the positive end.

Radial aluminium electrolytic: the stripe of minus signs is the negative side.

Worked examples

A ceramic capacitor marked 104K

The decoupling capacitor: three digits and a tolerance letter.

1. Two significant figures, then the number of zeros (in picofarads)
$C = 10 \times 10^{4} = 100,000 pF$
2. The same value in other units
100,000 pF · 100 nF · 0.1 µF
3. Tolerance letter K: ±10 %
90 nF to 110 nF

104 is 10 followed by 4 zeros in picofarads: 100,000 pF · 100 nF · 0.1 µF, and K means ±10 % (90 nF to 110 nF).

A small C0G part coded 2R2

R is the decimal point, and C is an absolute tolerance in picofarads. KEMET would write the same value 229.

1. R marks the decimal point
$2R2 = 2.2 pF$
2. The same value in other units
2.2 pF · 0.0022 nF
3. Tolerance letter C: ±0.25 pF
1.95 pF to 2.45 pF
4. Dielectric C0G
class 1, 0 ±30 ppm/K, −55 to +125 °C

2R2 is 2.2 pF (R is the decimal point), and C means ±0.25 pF (1.95 pF to 2.45 pF).

A tantalum chip marked 106 with the letter A

Picofarads again, with a one-letter voltage code and the band at the positive end.

1. Two significant figures, then the number of zeros (in picofarads)
$C = 10 \times 10^{6} = 10,000,000 pF$
2. The same value in other units
10,000 nF · 10 µF
3. Voltage letter A
10 V (small tantalum cases print a letter instead of the number)

106 is 10 followed by 6 zeros in picofarads: 10,000 nF · 10 µF, rated 10 V.

An electrolytic part number with 332, 1A and M

The same digits now count microfarads.

1. Two significant figures, then the number of zeros (in microfarads)
$C = 33 \times 10^{2} = 3,300 µF$
2. The same value in other units
3,300 µF
3. Tolerance letter M: ±20 %
2,640 µF to 3,960 µF
4. Voltage code 1A
digit 1 = ×10¹, letter A = the leading figures → 10 V

332 is 33 followed by 2 zeros in microfarads: 3,300 µF, and M means ±20 % (2,640 µF to 3,960 µF), rated 10 V.

Common mistakes

Reading the code in the wrong unit. The figures count picofarads: 104 is 100,000 pF. Divide by 1,000 for nF and by 1,000,000 for µF.
Mixing up the families. The same three digits are pF on ceramics and tantalums but µF in electrolytic part numbers.
Taking a voltage letter for a tolerance. On small tantalum chips a single letter such as A or J is the rated voltage (10 V, 6.3 V), not a tolerance. The maker’s marking drawing shows which is which.
Trusting the dielectric code for the real capacitance. X7R tells you about temperature, not about the DC-bias loss, which can be larger.
Reversing a polarised part. Tantalum band = positive; aluminium stripe = negative. When in doubt, check the datasheet drawing.

Resistors use their own systems: read through-hole parts with the resistor colour code calculator and chip resistors with the SMD resistor code calculator, where 104 means 100 kΩ, not 100 nF. For timing capacitors, the 555 timer calculator shows how the value sets the frequency, and the full list of preferred values is in the E-series value tables.

Method and verification

The calculator multiplies the two significant figures by the power of ten exactly and converts between pF, nF and µF without rounding, displaying four significant figures. Code rules come from maker datasheets: KEMET’s MLCC datasheets for the picofarad code, the 8 and 9 multipliers, tolerance letters and dielectric codes; Vishay’s VJ series and KYOCERA AVX’s catalogue for the R form and tolerance letters; KYOCERA AVX and Vishay for tantalum codes, voltage letters and the polarity band; Nichicon’s catalogue and Panasonic’s FC-A and EB-A datasheets for the microfarad part-number code and the two-character voltage codes; KEMET’s ESK datasheet for the radial polarity stripe. IEC 60062 defines the marking codes; its tables were not visible to us, so we rely on the makers. Every row that rests on one source is flagged, and the calculator shows a warning whenever one drives a result.

Tests decode every example in those documents, round-trip every E24 value from 1 pF to 91 µF through the picofarad code and every E6 value from 0.1 µF upwards through the microfarad code, check that every two-character voltage code equals its leading figures times its power of ten, and confirm that rounding to two figures never moves a value by more than 5 %.

Updated 2026-10-14. Found a problem? Report it and we log every fix publicly.

Questions people ask

What does 104 mean on a capacitor?

10 followed by four zeros, in picofarads: 100,000 pF, which is 100 nF or 0.1 µF. It is the most common decoupling value.

What is the difference between 104 and 105?

One zero: 104 is 100 nF and 105 is 1 µF, ten times more. 103 is 10 nF.

What does 1H mean on a capacitor?

It is a voltage code: the digit 1 means ×10 and H stands for 5.0, so 1H is 50 V. 2A is 100 V and 1E is 25 V. Nichicon and Panasonic both use these codes in their electrolytic part numbers; MLCC makers often use their own, so check the datasheet.

What do J, K and M mean on a capacitor?

Tolerance: J is ±5 %, K is ±10 % and M is ±20 %. A 104K capacitor can measure from 90 nF to 110 nF.

Which side of a tantalum capacitor is positive?

The side with the band. That is the opposite of an aluminium electrolytic, where the stripe marks the negative side.

What does X7R mean?

A class 2 ceramic that works from −55 °C to +125 °C and changes capacitance by no more than ±15 % over that range. It says nothing about the loss with DC voltage, which can be larger.

How do I read a capacitor code below 10 pF?

Makers differ. KYOCERA AVX and Vishay use R as the decimal point (2R2 is 2.2 pF). KEMET uses a third digit of 9 to multiply by 0.1 and 8 for 0.01: 229 is 2.2 pF and 508 is 0.5 pF.