Capacitors in Series and Parallel Calculator
Enter a list of capacitor values to instantly find their combined capacitance in both series and parallel arrangements.
Unit
Series total: 5.9977 uF
- 1
Sum of reciprocals
1÷10 + 1÷22 + 1÷47 = 0.1667311/Cs — series connection adds as reciprocals. - 2
Series equivalent
1 ÷ 0.166731 = 5.9977 - 3
Parallel total
10 + 22 + 47 = 79Cp — parallel simply sums all capacitances.
How does this calculator work?
Capacitors in parallel add directly (Cp = C1 + C2 + …), giving a total larger than any single one. Capacitors in series add as reciprocals (1/Cs = 1/C1 + 1/C2 + …), giving a total smaller than the smallest one. Enter all values in the same unit and the results stay in that unit.
Formula
How this is calculated
Enter your capacitor values as a comma- or space-separated list and pick the unit they share (such as microfarads, uF). Because all values use the same unit, the totals come out in that same unit — no conversion is required as long as every capacitor is entered consistently.
For capacitors in parallel, charge can spread across every plate, so capacitances simply add: Cp = C1 + C2 + … + Cn. The parallel total is therefore always larger than the biggest individual capacitor. For capacitors in series, the same charge passes through each one and the reciprocals add: 1/Cs = 1/C1 + 1/C2 + … + 1/Cn, so the series total is always smaller than the smallest individual capacitor.
Every value must be a positive number, since a zero or negative capacitance is not physical and would make the series reciprocal undefined. The bars below show each capacitor scaled by its value so you can see how the individual sizes compare. Stray and parasitic capacitance, tolerance, and voltage-dependent effects in real components are ignored.
Frequently asked questions
In series the reciprocals add, so the equivalent capacitance is always less than the smallest capacitor in the chain. Adding more capacitors in series lowers the total further.
No. As long as every capacitor is entered in the same unit (for example all in uF), the series and parallel totals are reported in that same unit.
Two equal capacitors C in parallel give 2C; the same two in series give C/2. The calculator handles any number of equal or unequal values automatically.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Capacitors in Series and Parallel Calculator [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/capacitors-series-parallel-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Capacitors in Series and Parallel Calculator." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/capacitors-series-parallel-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Capacitors in Series and Parallel Calculator," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/capacitors-series-parallel-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_capacitors_series_parallel_calculator, title = {Capacitors in Series and Parallel Calculator}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/capacitors-series-parallel-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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