C104

Ceramic Capacitor Code Calculator

Turn the number code on a ceramic or film capacitor, such as 104 or 472J, into pF, nF and µF.

Code on the capacitor Find the code for a value F

How to read the code

The unit is picofarads. The first two digits are the value and the third is the number of zeros, so 104 is 10 followed by four zeros: 100,000 pF, which is 100 nF or 0.1 µF. A trailing letter gives the tolerance: J is ±5%, K is ±10% and M is ±20%. Values below 10 pF use R as the decimal point, as in 4R7 for 4.7 pF.

Worked example: a 223K capacitor

The first two digits are 22 and the 3 adds three zeros → 22 × 10³ = 22,000 pF
Convert: 22,000 pF = 22 nF = 0.022 µF
The trailing K means ±10% → 19.8 nF to 24.2 nF

Capacitor code conversion chart

Code	pF	nF	µF
100	10 pF	0.01 nF	0.00001 µF
220	22 pF	0.022 nF	0.000022 µF
470	47 pF	0.047 nF	0.000047 µF
101	100 pF	0.1 nF	0.0001 µF
221	220 pF	0.22 nF	0.00022 µF
331	330 pF	0.33 nF	0.00033 µF
471	470 pF	0.47 nF	0.00047 µF
102	1,000 pF	1 nF	0.001 µF
222	2,200 pF	2.2 nF	0.0022 µF
332	3,300 pF	3.3 nF	0.0033 µF
472	4,700 pF	4.7 nF	0.0047 µF
103	10,000 pF	10 nF	0.01 µF
223	22,000 pF	22 nF	0.022 µF
333	33,000 pF	33 nF	0.033 µF
473	47,000 pF	47 nF	0.047 µF
104	100,000 pF	100 nF	0.1 µF
224	220,000 pF	220 nF	0.22 µF
474	470,000 pF	470 nF	0.47 µF
105	1,000,000 pF	1,000 nF	1 µF
106	10,000,000 pF	10,000 nF	10 µF

Tolerance letters

Letter	Tolerance
B	±0.1 pF
C	±0.25 pF
D	±0.5 pF
F	±1%
G	±2%
J	±5%
K	±10%
M	±20%
Z	+80% / −20%

Frequently asked questions

What value is a 104 capacitor?

100 nF, which is 0.1 µF. It is the most common decoupling capacitor, placed right next to the power pins of ICs.

What do letters like J, K and M after the code mean?

They give the tolerance: J is ±5%, K is ±10% and M is ±20%. Z means +80% / −20%, common on low-cost ceramic capacitors.