Read a three-digit capacitor code

Ceramic and film capacitors print a 3-digit code plus a letter — decode it to picofarads and tolerance, and go the other way too.

Tools used in this guide

Capacitor code

The job

Small capacitors have no room for "10 nF" so they print a code: two significant digits and a multiplier in powers of ten picofarads. "104" is 10 × 10⁴ pF = 100 nF. A trailing letter encodes the tolerance.

Decode and encode

Enter a code like 104K to get the capacitance in pF, nF, and µF plus the tolerance band. Or enter a capacitance to see the code you should look for.

Digits 1–2 are significant figures; the third is the power-of-ten multiplier in pF.
Common letters: J = ±5%, K = ±10%, M = ±20%.

Worked example

224J reads as 22 × 10⁴ pF = 220 nF at ±5% — a 0.22 µF film cap with a tight tolerance, common in guitar pedals.

Where it stops

It decodes the EIA three-digit scheme plus a trailing tolerance letter — not voltage ratings, temperature-coefficient letters, or electrolytic markings. Codes with letters in the multiplier position (like 2A4) are rejected.