Electrical Unit Converter
One converter for the electrical quantities. Choose the quantity, then the units. Each quantity converts only within itself: volts to amps or kVA to kW is a calculation that needs more inputs, not a unit change.
1 kV = 1,000 V
Common conversions
Units change, quantities do not
A unit conversion multiplies by a fixed factor and stays inside one quantity. Volts, amps and ohms are three different quantities, so there is no factor between them. Ohm's law links them and needs two of the three.
Power has three kinds
Watts (kW) are real power, volt-amperes (kVA) are apparent power and VAR (kVAR) are reactive power. kVA to kW needs the power factor, so it is not a unit conversion.
Amps to kW needs voltage, power factor and phases
Current alone does not give power. Use the amps to kW calculator, which covers DC, single-phase and three-phase, line-to-line or line-to-neutral voltage, power factor and efficiency, and shows the working.
Unit factors
Every unit in terms of the base unit shown. To convert, multiply by the factor of the unit you have and divide by the factor of the unit you want.
Voltage units
| Unit | Equals | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| µV | 1 × 10⁻⁶ V | Microvolt, a millionth of a volt. |
| mV | 0.001 V | Millivolt, a thousandth of a volt. Sensor and signal level. |
| V | 1 V | Volt, the SI unit of electric potential. |
| kV | 1,000 V | Kilovolt. Medium and high voltage systems. |
| MV | 1,000,000 V | Megavolt. |
| GV | 1,000,000,000 V | Gigavolt, a billion volts. Lightning and particle physics. |
Current units
| Unit | Equals | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| µA | 1 × 10⁻⁶ A | Microampere, a millionth of an ampere. |
| mA | 0.001 A | Milliampere. Control circuits and leakage current. |
| A | 1 A | Ampere, the SI unit of electric current. |
| kA | 1,000 A | Kiloampere. Fault current and short-circuit ratings. |
| MA | 1,000,000 A | Megaampere. |
Resistance units
| Unit | Equals | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| mΩ | 0.001 Ω | Milliohm. Cable and contact resistance. |
| Ω | 1 Ω | Ohm, the SI unit of resistance. |
| kΩ | 1,000 Ω | Kiloohm, a thousand ohms. |
| MΩ | 1,000,000 Ω | Megohm. Insulation resistance readings. |
| GΩ | 1,000,000,000 Ω | Gigaohm. High-range insulation resistance. |
Power (real, W) units
| Unit | Equals | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| µW | 1 × 10⁻⁶ W | Microwatt, a millionth of a watt. |
| mW | 0.001 W | Milliwatt, a thousandth of a watt. |
| W | 1 W | Watt, one joule per second. The SI unit of power. |
| kW | 1,000 W | Kilowatt. The usual rating unit for motors, heaters and generators. |
| MW | 1,000,000 W | Megawatt, for power stations and large plant. |
| HP | 745.6998716 W | Mechanical horsepower: 550 foot-pounds-force per second. Electric motors are often rated 1 hp = 746 W, so check the nameplate in kW. |
| PS | 735.49875 W | Metric horsepower (PS, CV, cv): 75 kilogram-force metres per second. |
| BTU/h | 0.2930710702 W | British thermal units per hour (International Table BTU). A heat flow, used for heating and cooling ratings. |
| TR | 3,516.852842 W | Ton of refrigeration: 12,000 BTU/h. A cooling capacity, not the electrical power the machine draws. |
| GW | 1,000,000,000 W | Gigawatt, a billion watts. National and regional grid capacity. |
| BHP | 745.6998716 W | Brake horsepower: power measured at the engine or motor shaft. In the imperial system it uses the same 550 ft·lbf/s as mechanical horsepower, so 1 BHP = 1 HP here. Metric brake horsepower is closer to PS. |
Apparent power (VA) units
| Unit | Equals | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| VA | 1 VA | Volt-ampere, the unit of apparent power. Not the same as watts unless the power factor is 1. |
| kVA | 1,000 VA | Kilovolt-ampere. Transformers, UPS and generators are rated in kVA. |
| MVA | 1,000,000 VA | Megavolt-ampere, for large transformers and grid equipment. |
Reactive power (VAR) units
| Unit | Equals | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| VAR | 1 VAR | Volt-ampere reactive, the unit of reactive power. |
| kVAR | 1,000 VAR | Kilovolt-ampere reactive. Capacitor banks are rated in kVAR. |
| MVAR | 1,000,000 VAR | Megavolt-ampere reactive. |
Energy units
| Unit | Equals | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| µJ | 1 × 10⁻⁶ J | Microjoule. |
| mJ | 0.001 J | Millijoule. |
| J | 1 J | Joule, the SI unit of energy: one watt-second. |
| kJ | 1,000 J | Kilojoule. |
| MJ | 1,000,000 J | Megajoule. |
| kcal | 4,186.8 J | Kilocalorie (International Table), 4,186.8 J. Food and thermal energy. |
| BTU | 1,055.055853 J | British thermal unit (International Table). |
| Wh | 3,600 J | Watt-hour: one watt for one hour. |
| kWh | 3,600,000 J | Kilowatt-hour. The billing unit for electricity: one kilowatt for one hour. |
| MWh | 3,600,000,000 J | Megawatt-hour, for utility and plant energy. |
| eV | 1.602176634 × 10⁻¹⁹ J | Electron-volt: the energy of one electron through one volt. |
| keV | 1.602176634 × 10⁻¹⁶ J | Kiloelectron-volt. |
| MeV | 1.602176634 × 10⁻¹³ J | Megaelectron-volt. |
| cal | 4.1868 J | Calorie (International Table), 4.1868 J. The small calorie; a food Calorie is a kilocalorie. |
| GeV | 1.602176634 × 10⁻¹⁰ J | Gigaelectron-volt, a billion electron-volts. Particle accelerator energies. |
Frequency units
| Unit | Equals | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Hz | 1 Hz | Hertz, cycles per second. Mains is 50 Hz or 60 Hz. |
| kHz | 1,000 Hz | Kilohertz. Switching and carrier frequencies. |
| MHz | 1,000,000 Hz | Megahertz. Radio and fast digital signals. |
| GHz | 1,000,000,000 Hz | Gigahertz. Wi-Fi, microwave and processor clocks. |
| THz | 1 × 10¹² Hz | Terahertz, a trillion hertz. Far-infrared and terahertz imaging. |
| rad/s | 0.1591549431 Hz | Radians per second, the SI unit of angular velocity. |
Capacitance units
| Unit | Equals | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| pF | 1 × 10⁻¹² F | Picofarad, a millionth of a microfarad. |
| nF | 1 × 10⁻⁹ F | Nanofarad. |
| µF | 1 × 10⁻⁶ F | Microfarad. Motor run capacitors and filters. |
| F | 1 F | Farad, the SI unit of capacitance. |
Inductance units
| Unit | Equals | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| µH | 1 × 10⁻⁶ H | Microhenry. |
| mH | 0.001 H | Millihenry. Chokes and reactors. |
| H | 1 H | Henry, the SI unit of inductance. |
Frequently asked questions
What is the formula to convert kV to V?
V = kV × 1,000. For example, 5 kV is 5,000 V.
How do I convert V back to kV?
kV = V × 0.001. The Swap button above reverses the direction for any pair of units.
Can this page convert volts to amps?
No. Volts and amps are different quantities. Current depends on the load: use Ohm's law with a resistance, or the kW to amps calculator with a power, voltage, power factor and number of phases.
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