Capacitor Code Calculator

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473 capacitor value

473 capacitor value and the 47 family

A capacitor stamped 473 holds 47 nF: 47 × 10^3 pF = 47,000 pF = 0.047 µF. When the marking reads 473K, the part is 47 nF with a ±10% tolerance, and a real measurement should land between 42.3 and 51.7 nF.

The 47 and its five neighbors

Wikipedia picks this very example to explain the marking: a body printed 473K 330V has a capacitance of 47 × 10^3 pF = 47 nF, a ±10% tolerance and a maximum working voltage of 330 V. Notice that the voltage is printed separately. The 473 carries only the value and, when a letter follows, the tolerance; it says nothing about the voltage the part can take or about the dielectric.
The letter K means ±10%, so 47 nF × 0.9 = 42.3 nF and 47 nF × 1.1 = 51.7 nF. Had the same part been a 473J (±5%), the window would run from 44.65 to 49.35 nF; as a 473M (±20%) it would run from 37.6 to 56.4 nF. Someone testing a 473K with a meter and reading 50 nF has no fault: the reading sits inside the window. A reading of 55 nF would fit only a 473M.
The first two digits stay put and the last one slides the decimal point. 470 is 47 pF (power of zero), 471 is 470 pF, 472 is 4,700 pF = 4.7 nF, 473 is 47 nF, 474 is 470 nF and 475 is 4,700,000 pF = 4.7 µF. Going the other way, asking the Value to code mode for 47nF returns exactly 473. Whoever finds a 474 and a 475 in the same project is looking at 470 nF and 4.7 µF, not at 47 nF.

Checked examples

The bare 473

Input: 473
Expected output: 47n 47000pF

47 × 10^3 pF = 47,000 pF = 0.047 µF.

With tolerance K

Input: 473K
Expected output: 47n 47000pF

Window from 42.3 to 51.7 nF.

Power of 2

Input: 472
Expected output: 4n7 4700pF

47 × 10^2 pF = 4.7 nF; in RKM, 4n7.

Power of 4

Input: 474
Expected output: 470n 470000pF

47 × 10^4 pF = 470 nF, ten times the 473.

Power of 5

Input: 475
Expected output: 4µ7 4700000pF

47 × 10^5 pF = 4.7 µF.

The reverse path

Input: 47nF
Expected output: 473

47 nF = 47,000 pF = 47 × 10^3.

Full tool FAQ

What is the value of a 104 capacitor?

104 is 10 × 10⁴ pF = 100,000 pF, which is 100 nF or 0.1 µF. It is not 104 pF. The same holds for other codes: the first two digits are the value and the third is the number of zeros.

How do I read a capacitor's 3-digit code?

What are capacitors 102, 103, 105, 224 and 473 worth?

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

How do I convert pF, nF and µF?

What is 4n7, n47 or 4u7 on a capacitor?

What does 2R2 or 4R7 mean on a capacitor?

And a third digit of 8 or 9, as in 479?

Does the code give the capacitor's voltage?

How do I find the code for a 220 nF or 0.15 µF capacitor?

Frequently asked questions

How many microfarads is a 473 capacitor?

It has 0.047 µF. That is 47,000 pF divided by 1,000,000, or 47 nF divided by 1,000. The same value can be written as 47nF, 0.047uF or 473.

What does the K in 473K stand for?

K is the ±10% tolerance. On 47 nF that gives a window from 42.3 to 51.7 nF. The letter describes how far the real value may stray, and it does not change the 47 nF nominal.

Is the 330V next to 473K part of the code?

No. It is the maximum working voltage, printed on its own. To know whether the capacitor suits a 250 V supply, for instance, you must read that second marking, because the 3-digit code does not contain it.

What is the difference between 473 and 474?

The 473 is 47 nF and the 474 is 470 nF. The last digit is the exponent, and going up one step multiplies the capacitance by ten. Swapping one for the other changes the circuit by an order of magnitude.

Next steps

C	±0.25 pF
D	±0.5 pF
J	±5%
K	±10%
M	±20%
Z	−20% / +80%

±0.25 pF

±0.5 pF

±5%

±10%

±20%

−20% / +80%

Value	RKM	pF
10 pF	10p	10
15 pF	15p	15
22 pF	22p	22
33 pF	33p	33
47 pF	47p	47
68 pF	68p	68
100 pF	100p	100
150 pF	150p	150
220 pF	220p	220
330 pF	330p	330
470 pF	470p	470
680 pF	680p	680
1 nF	1n	1,000
1.5 nF	1n5	1,500
2.2 nF	2n2	2,200
3.3 nF	3n3	3,300
4.7 nF	4n7	4,700
6.8 nF	6n8	6,800
10 nF	10n	10,000
15 nF	15n	15,000
22 nF	22n	22,000
33 nF	33n	33,000
47 nF	47n	47,000
68 nF	68n	68,000
100 nF	100n	100,000
150 nF	150n	150,000
220 nF	220n	220,000
330 nF	330n	330,000
470 nF	470n	470,000
680 nF	680n	680,000
1 µF	1µ	1,000,000
1.5 µF	1µ5	1,500,000
2.2 µF	2µ2	2,200,000
3.3 µF	3µ3	3,300,000
4.7 µF	4µ7	4,700,000
6.8 µF	6µ8	6,800,000
10 µF	10µ	10,000,000

Value

Code

RKM

10 pF

10p

15 pF

15p

22 pF

22p

33 pF

33p

47 pF

47p

68 pF

68p

100 pF

100p

100

150 pF

150p

150

220 pF

220p

220

330 pF

330p

330

470 pF

470p

470

680 pF

680p

680

1 nF

1,000

1.5 nF

1n5

1,500

2.2 nF

2n2

2,200

3.3 nF

3n3

3,300

4.7 nF

4n7

4,700

6.8 nF

6n8

6,800

10 nF

10n

10,000

15 nF

15n

15,000

22 nF

22n

22,000

33 nF

33n

33,000

47 nF

47n

47,000

68 nF

68n

68,000

100 nF

100n

100,000

150 nF

150n

150,000

220 nF

220n

220,000

330 nF

330n

330,000

470 nF

470n

470,000

680 nF

680n

680,000

1 µF

1µ

1,000,000

1.5 µF

1µ5

1,500,000

2.2 µF

2µ2

2,200,000

3.3 µF

3µ3

3,300,000

4.7 µF

4µ7

4,700,000

6.8 µF

6µ8

6,800,000

10 µF

10µ

10,000,000

The 47 and its five neighbors

Wikipedia picks this very example to explain the marking: a body printed 473K 330V has a capacitance of 47 × 10^3 pF = 47 nF, a ±10% tolerance and a maximum working voltage of 330 V. Notice that the voltage is printed separately. The 473 carries only the value and, when a letter follows, the tolerance; it says nothing about the voltage the part can take or about the dielectric.

The letter K means ±10%, so 47 nF × 0.9 = 42.3 nF and 47 nF × 1.1 = 51.7 nF. Had the same part been a 473J (±5%), the window would run from 44.65 to 49.35 nF; as a 473M (±20%) it would run from 37.6 to 56.4 nF. Someone testing a 473K with a meter and reading 50 nF has no fault: the reading sits inside the window. A reading of 55 nF would fit only a 473M.

The first two digits stay put and the last one slides the decimal point. 470 is 47 pF (power of zero), 471 is 470 pF, 472 is 4,700 pF = 4.7 nF, 473 is 47 nF, 474 is 470 nF and 475 is 4,700,000 pF = 4.7 µF. Going the other way, asking the Value to code mode for 47nF returns exactly 473. Whoever finds a 474 and a 475 in the same project is looking at 470 nF and 4.7 µF, not at 47 nF.

Checked examples

The bare 473

Input: 473
Expected output: 47n 47000pF

47 × 10^3 pF = 47,000 pF = 0.047 µF.

With tolerance K

Input: 473K
Expected output: 47n 47000pF

Window from 42.3 to 51.7 nF.

Power of 2

Input: 472
Expected output: 4n7 4700pF

47 × 10^2 pF = 4.7 nF; in RKM, 4n7.

Power of 4

Input: 474
Expected output: 470n 470000pF

47 × 10^4 pF = 470 nF, ten times the 473.

Power of 5

Input: 475
Expected output: 4µ7 4700000pF

47 × 10^5 pF = 4.7 µF.

The reverse path

Input: 47nF
Expected output: 473

47 nF = 47,000 pF = 47 × 10^3.

Full tool FAQ

What is the value of a 104 capacitor?

104 is 10 × 10⁴ pF = 100,000 pF, which is 100 nF or 0.1 µF. It is not 104 pF. The same holds for other codes: the first two digits are the value and the third is the number of zeros.

How do I read a capacitor's 3-digit code?

What are capacitors 102, 103, 105, 224 and 473 worth?

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

How do I convert pF, nF and µF?

What is 4n7, n47 or 4u7 on a capacitor?

What does 2R2 or 4R7 mean on a capacitor?

And a third digit of 8 or 9, as in 479?

Does the code give the capacitor's voltage?

How do I find the code for a 220 nF or 0.15 µF capacitor?

Frequently asked questions

How many microfarads is a 473 capacitor?

It has 0.047 µF. That is 47,000 pF divided by 1,000,000, or 47 nF divided by 1,000. The same value can be written as 47nF, 0.047uF or 473.

What does the K in 473K stand for?

K is the ±10% tolerance. On 47 nF that gives a window from 42.3 to 51.7 nF. The letter describes how far the real value may stray, and it does not change the 47 nF nominal.

Capacitor Code Calculator

Continue in the tool

More pages for this tool

473 capacitor value and the 47 family

The 47 and its five neighbors

Checked examples

The bare 473

With tolerance K

Power of 2

Power of 4

Power of 5

The reverse path

Full tool FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How many microfarads is a 473 capacitor?

What does the K in 473K stand for?

Is the 330V next to 473K part of the code?

What is the difference between 473 and 474?

Next steps

Capacitor Code Calculator

E6 series values, 10 pF to 10 µF

Continue in the tool

More pages for this tool

473 capacitor value and the 47 family

The 47 and its five neighbors

Checked examples

The bare 473

With tolerance K

Power of 2

Power of 4

Power of 5

The reverse path

Full tool FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How many microfarads is a 473 capacitor?

What does the K in 473K stand for?

Is the 330V next to 473K part of the code?

What is the difference between 473 and 474?

Next steps

E6 series values, 10 pF to 10 µF