Series Capacitors
Capacitance values
Add as many as you need; leave a row blank to ignore it.
Equivalent capacitance
How to use this calculator
Enter each capacitor in the series string and pick its unit; the equivalent capacitance recalculates as you type. Series capacitors combine with the reciprocal rule, 1/Ceq = 1/C₁ + 1/C₂ + … + 1/Cₙ, so the tool inverts each value, sums the reciprocals and inverts the result — which is why the equivalent is always smaller than the smallest capacitor in the chain.
What the value means in a circuit
Series capacitors carry the same charge, and the source voltage divides across them in inverse proportion to their capacitance (the smaller capacitor takes the larger voltage). That voltage sharing is the critical design constraint: each capacitor must be rated to withstand its own share plus margin. Series strings are used to split high voltages, create capacitive dividers, and increase the effective voltage rating, so the equivalent value and the per-capacitor voltages are what determine whether the circuit is safe and correct.