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Capacitor Calculator

Try the capacitor calculator if you want to find the meaning of the capacitor code and the value of its capacitance. You can also evaluate what is the charge stored in the capacitor for a specific voltage.

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Total capacitance320 nF2 components in parallel — they add directly
Number of components2
Sum of the values320 nFwhich is the answer, in this arrangement
Smallest value100 nF
Largest value220 nF
Component 1100 nF31.25% of the total
Component 2220 nF68.75% of the total
In series instead68.75 nFthe same components, arranged the other way
Why capacitors are backwardsseries divides, parallel addsa capacitor's impedance falls as capacitance rises, so the reciprocal that appears in parallel resistance appears in SERIES capacitance instead
Equal components in this arrangement50 nFn identical components combine to one nth of a single value, whenever the reciprocals add

The formula

series and parallel combination — capacitors work the opposite way

Capacitors are the exception

Resistors and inductors add in series and combine reciprocally in parallel. Capacitors do exactly the reverse: they add in parallel and combine reciprocally in series.

It is not arbitrary. What actually adds in series is always impedance, and a capacitor's impedance is inversely proportional to its capacitance. Adding impedances in series therefore means adding reciprocals of capacitance, which is where the apparent inversion comes from. Physically, putting capacitors in series is like making the dielectric thicker, which reduces capacitance; putting them in parallel is like making the plates bigger, which increases it.

Two useful consequences. Whenever reciprocals add, the total is always smaller than the smallest individual component, and n identical components give exactly one nth of a single value. That gives you a quick sanity check: a parallel resistance larger than any of its resistors is an arithmetic error.