Capacitance Calculator
Calculate the capacitance of a parallel-plate capacitor from its plate area, plate separation, and the dielectric material between the plates.
What this calculates
A parallel-plate capacitor stores electrical charge between two conductive plates separated by an insulating (dielectric) material. Its capacitance depends on the plate area, the gap between plates, and the dielectric material’s properties.
The formula
Capacitance C = (κ × ε0 × A) / d, where κ is the dielectric constant of the material between the plates (1 for a vacuum/air), ε0 is the permittivity of free space (8.8541878128 × 10⁻¹² F/m), A is the overlapping plate area, and d is the separation distance between the plates.
This calculator is for general electronics and physics education; real-world capacitors also account for fringing fields and manufacturing tolerances.