Electrical Inductance Converter
Move one inductance reading across H, mH, µH, nH, and pH when a schematic, parts list, or datasheet switches unit scales. The Electrical Inductance Converter keeps the math tied to the henry definition so you can compare the same value without manual powers-of-ten mistakes.
Input Form
Main Result
Henry
Microhenry
Nanohenry
Picohenry
Secondary Result
View the current conversion path and the SI prefix scale behind it.
Secondary Result
View the current conversion path and the SI prefix scale behind it.
Current conversion path
Henries = 10 mH x 10^-3 = 0.01 H
H = 0.01 H x 10^0 = 0.01 H
µH = 0.01 H x 10^6 = 10,000 µH
nH = 0.01 H x 10^9 = 10,000,000 nH
pH = 0.01 H x 10^12 = 10,000,000,000 pH
SI prefix ladder
Henry (H)
10^0 of the base unit
Millihenry (mH)
10^-3 of a henry
Microhenry (µH)
10^-6 of a henry
Nanohenry (nH)
10^-9 of a henry
Picohenry (pH)
10^-12 of a henry
Base-unit reference
1 H = 10^3 mH = 10^6 µH = 10^9 nH = 10^12 pH.
The converter changes only the written unit scale. The underlying inductance stays the same reading even when different documents choose a different prefix for readability.
Formula Explanation
Standards basis
Treat the henry as the shared base unit
The page follows the SI-derived henry unit and the official decimal-prefix system. The converter is not inventing a new formula; it is translating the same inductance across different powers of ten.
Normalization step
Reduce the entered unit back to henries first
In the Electrical Inductance Converter, every input is first normalized into henries. That keeps the math symmetric, so a reading entered in µH or nH is converted through one common base instead of through many pair-specific shortcuts.
Return path
Expand the henry value back into each display unit
Once the base-unit value is known, the page multiplies by the matching SI prefix factors to show the same inductance in the other four engineering scales.
Use Scenarios
BOM and datasheet checks
Match one inductor value across schematic, vendor, and simulation labels
Use the electrical inductance converter when the same part appears as 0.47 mH, 470 µH, or 470,000 nH across a bill of materials, a vendor page, and a simulator field.
RF and PCB work
Switch quickly into smaller prefixes without manual powers-of-ten math
The inductance converter is useful when an RF note, matching network, or PCB parasitic estimate is easier to read in nH or pH than in decimal-form henries.
Power and audio parts
Translate larger coil values back into the unit a spec sheet expects
When filters, chokes, or crossover coils are written in H or mH, the page gives the equivalent smaller-unit values without changing the underlying inductance.
Example Cases
Worked example
Case 1: 470 µH choke listing
Inputs
470 µH entered from a small choke or inductor datasheet.
Computed Results
0.00047 H = 0.47 mH = 470 µH = 470,000 nH = 470,000,000 pH
Why it matters
This is a common situation where the same part may also be written as 0.47 mH. The converter helps you align the BOM, the schematic, and the supplier label without moving decimal places by hand.
Worked example
Case 2: 22 nH RF network value
Inputs
22 nH entered from an RF matching or high-frequency layout note.
Computed Results
0.000000022 H = 0.000022 mH = 0.022 µH = 22.000000000000004 nH = 22,000 pH
Why it matters
Small RF values are often easier to read in nH, but another tool or formula may want µH or H. The useful step here is translating the same tiny inductance into a larger-prefix view without changing the quantity.
Worked example
Case 3: 2.2 mH crossover coil
Inputs
2.2 mH entered from an audio crossover or filter coil spec.
Computed Results
0.0022 H = 2.2 mH = 2,200 µH = 2,200,000 nH = 2,200,000,000 pH
Why it matters
Larger coils often stay in mH because the number is easier to scan. This case shows the same part written back into henries and smaller prefixes when a different document uses another unit scale.
Boundary Conditions
Sources & References
- NIST Guide to the SI, Chapter 4: SI units and SI prefixesKept to support henry as an SI-derived unit name and to anchor the decimal-prefix relationships used for milli-, micro-, nano-, and pico-scale inductance conversion.
- BIPM - SI prefixesUsed to support the exact powers-of-ten relationships behind the unit ladder shown on the page and in the worked conversion path.
- BIPM - Resolution 2 (1946): Henry (unit of electric inductance)Added to support the formal henry definition that underlies the page's base-unit wording and the reference to one common inductance standard.