Enter capacitor values to calculate total capacitance
Note: The circuit diagram updates automatically as you add or remove capacitors.
Note: The circuit diagram updates automatically as you add or remove capacitors.
For 3-digit codes:
For 1-2 digit codes:
Series Connection:
1/Ctotal = 1/C1 + 1/C2 + ... + 1/Cn
For two capacitors: Ctotal = (C1 × C2) / (C1 + C2)
Parallel Connection:
Ctotal = C1 + C2 + ... + Cn
| Type | Typical Range | Applications |
|---|---|---|
| Ceramic | 1 pF - 1 μF | Decoupling, filtering |
| Electrolytic | 1 μF - 10,000 μF | Power supply filtering |
| Tantalum | 0.1 μF - 1000 μF | Filtering, timing |
| Film | 100 pF - 10 μF | Audio, precision timing |
| Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
| Capacitance | Ability to store charge (measured in farads) |
| Voltage Rating | Maximum voltage the capacitor can withstand |
| ESR | Equivalent Series Resistance (lower is better) |
| Temperature Coefficient | How capacitance changes with temperature |
Given: 2 μF, 5 μF, 10 μF in series
Note: Series connection always results in a total capacitance less than the smallest individual capacitor.
Given: 2 μF, 5 μF, 10 μF in parallel
Note: Parallel connection results in a total capacitance equal to the sum of all individual capacitors.
Capacitors combine in exactly the opposite way to resistors — a point that trips up many beginners. In parallel, capacitances simply add: Ctotal = C1 + C2 + …, giving a total larger than any single capacitor (you are effectively enlarging the plate area). In series, the reciprocals add: 1/Ctotal = 1/C1 + 1/C2 + …, giving a total smaller than the smallest capacitor (you are effectively increasing the plate spacing).
Capacitance grows with plate area and shrinks with plate separation. Putting capacitors in parallel is like widening the plates, so capacitance increases; putting them in series stacks the gaps, so capacitance decreases. Charge is the key: in a series string every capacitor holds the same charge, and since V = Q/C the smallest capacitor takes the largest share of the voltage — important when combining capacitors to withstand a higher voltage.
Series connection not only lowers capacitance, it also raises the voltage the combination can withstand, because the applied voltage divides across the capacitors. This is used to build high-voltage capacitor banks from lower-voltage parts (with balancing resistors to share the voltage evenly). Parallel connection, by contrast, keeps the voltage rating the same but increases total capacitance and energy storage.
Bulk energy storage and power-supply smoothing (parallel), high-voltage capacitor banks (series), tuning and timing networks, and hitting non-standard capacitance values from the parts you have on hand.
Why is series capacitance smaller, unlike resistors? Because capacitance is inversely related to plate spacing; stacking capacitors in series behaves like a bigger gap. It is the mathematical mirror of resistors.
How do I get a higher voltage rating? Put capacitors in series (with balancing resistors); the voltage splits between them, though total capacitance drops.