Inductance Converter
Our free electrical & magnetic converter handles inductance conversions. See tables, ratios, and examples for quick reference.
Inductance Converter
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Formula: Converted Value = Input x (From Unit Factor / To Unit Factor)
Worked example โ 470 nH = 0.47 uH = 0.00047 mH
Formula
Converted Value = Input x (From Unit Factor / To Unit Factor)
Inductance conversion uses the henry as the base SI unit. All other units relate to the henry through metric prefixes or CGS system conversion factors. The conversion multiplies the input by the source unit factor to get henries, then divides by the target unit factor to produce the result.
Worked Examples
Example 1: RF Inductor Conversion
Problem:An RF filter design calls for a 470 nH inductor. Express this in microhenries and millihenries.
Solution:470 nH to uH: 470 / 1000 = 0.47 uH 470 nH to mH: 470 / 1,000,000 = 0.00047 mH This is a typical value for VHF/UHF filter circuits.
Result:470 nH = 0.47 uH = 0.00047 mH
Example 2: Power Supply Choke
Problem:A power supply uses a 2.2 mH filter choke. Convert to henries and microhenries.
Solution:2.2 mH to H: 2.2 x 10^-3 = 0.0022 H 2.2 mH to uH: 2.2 x 1000 = 2200 uH This choke smooths rectified AC in a linear power supply.
Result:2.2 mH = 0.0022 H = 2200 uH
Frequently Asked Questions
What is inductance and what is a henry?
Inductance is the property of an electrical conductor that opposes changes in current flowing through it by generating an electromotive force (EMF). The henry (H) is the SI unit of inductance, named after American scientist Joseph Henry. One henry is defined as the inductance that produces one volt of EMF when the current changes at a rate of one ampere per second. It is equivalent to one weber per ampere or one volt-second per ampere.
What are typical inductance values in electronics?
Inductance values vary enormously across applications. Printed circuit board traces have parasitic inductances of a few nanohenries (nH). Surface-mount inductors for RF circuits range from 1 nH to 1000 uH. Audio crossover inductors typically range from 0.1 mH to 10 mH. Power supply filter chokes can be 1 mH to several henries. Large power transformers and reactors in electrical grids can have inductances of tens or hundreds of henries.
How does inductance relate to magnetic flux?
Inductance directly relates to magnetic flux through the equation L = N * Phi / I, where L is inductance in henries, N is the number of turns, Phi is the magnetic flux in webers, and I is the current in amperes. This means one henry equals one weber per ampere (Wb/A). A higher inductance means more magnetic flux is generated per unit of current, which is why inductors with more turns or magnetic cores have higher inductance values.
What is the difference between abhenry and stathenry?
The abhenry and stathenry are CGS units of inductance from the electromagnetic and electrostatic subsystems respectively. One abhenry equals one nanohenry (10^-9 H), making it a very small unit used in the EMU-CGS system. The stathenry is extremely large, equal to approximately 8.988 x 10^11 henries, from the ESU-CGS system. These units are rarely used in modern engineering but appear in older physics texts and some theoretical work.
How do I calculate inductance of a solenoid?
The inductance of a solenoid is calculated using L = (u0 * ur * N^2 * A) / l, where u0 is the permeability of free space (4 pi x 10^-7 H/m), ur is the relative permeability of the core material, N is the number of turns, A is the cross-sectional area in square meters, and l is the length of the solenoid in meters. Adding a ferromagnetic core with high ur dramatically increases inductance compared to an air-core coil.
How do you convert between henries, millihenries, microhenries and nanohenries?
The SI prefixes are pure powers of ten, so one henry equals 1,000 millihenries, 1,000,000 microhenries and 1,000,000,000 nanohenries. Moving one prefix step among milli, micro and nano shifts the decimal point three places: 4.7 mH is 4,700 uH and 0.0047 H, while 220 nH is 0.22 uH. Datasheets pick whichever prefix keeps the mantissa between roughly 1 and 1,000, which is why RF parts are listed in nH and uH while power chokes appear in uH and mH. No approximation is involved in any of these conversions.
How does inductance combine for inductors in series and in parallel?
With no magnetic coupling between them, inductors add like resistors: in series the total is L1 + L2 and so on, and in parallel the reciprocals add, so 1/L = 1/L1 + 1/L2. Two 10 uH inductors give 20 uH in series and 5 uH in parallel. If the coils do share flux, mutual inductance M enters the series case as L1 + L2 plus or minus 2M, with the sign set by the relative winding direction. That is why separating parts or orienting them at right angles matters when you want the simple arithmetic to hold.
What is inductive reactance and how does it depend on frequency?
Inductive reactance is the opposition an inductor presents to alternating current, given by XL = 2 pi f L in ohms with f in hertz and L in henries. It rises in direct proportion to frequency, which is why an inductor passes DC freely and impedes high-frequency signals. A 10 uH inductor at 1 MHz has a reactance of 2 pi x 1,000,000 x 0.00001 = 62.8 ohms, but only 0.63 ohms at 10 kHz. This frequency dependence is what makes inductors useful as chokes, filters and impedance-matching elements.
Why does a real inductor have a self-resonant frequency?
Every winding has parasitic capacitance between adjacent turns and layers, sitting in parallel with the intended inductance. That LC combination resonates at f = 1 / (2 pi times the square root of L times C), the self-resonant frequency quoted on the datasheet. Below it the part behaves as an inductor, at resonance its impedance peaks, and above it the parasitic capacitance dominates so the component acts capacitive and stops choking as intended. Selecting a part therefore means checking that its SRF sits comfortably above the highest frequency it must work at.
What is the difference between self-inductance and mutual inductance?
Self-inductance, symbol L, describes the voltage a coil induces in itself when its own current changes, following v = L di/dt. Mutual inductance, symbol M, describes the voltage induced in a second coil by a changing current in the first, and both are measured in henries. The two are linked through the coupling coefficient k = M divided by the square root of L1 times L2, which runs from 0 for completely isolated coils to nearly 1 for windings sharing a closed magnetic core. Transformers maximise k; filter layout usually aims to minimise it.
References
Reviewed for accuracy by Manoj Kumar, Mathematics Educator ยท Editorial policy
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