Electric Charge Converter
Convert between electric charge units including Coulombs, Ampere-hours, elementary charges, and more.
1 C =
0.277778
Milliampere-hours (mAh)
1 C in all units
Quick Reference
1 Coulomb
= 1 A*s
1 Ah
= 3600 C
Symbol
Q (charge)
Electron
= 1.602e-19 C
What is Electric Charge?
Electric charge is a fundamental physical property of matter that causes it to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field. Charge exists in two types — positive and negative — and like charges repel while opposite charges attract. The SI unit of electric charge is the coulomb (C), named after French physicist Charles-Augustin de Coulomb. One coulomb represents the charge transported by a constant current of one ampere flowing for one second.
At the atomic level, charge is carried by subatomic particles: protons carry positive charge and electrons carry negative charge. The elementary charge — the charge of a single proton or electron — is approximately 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ coulombs. This fundamental constant connects the macroscopic unit of charge to the microscopic world of atoms and particles.
Electric charge is central to all electrical phenomena. Batteries store and release charge, capacitors accumulate charge on their plates, and currents represent the flow of charge through conductors. Understanding charge and its units is essential for electronics, electrical engineering, physics, and any field that involves electricity or magnetism.
Charge Conversion Formula
Electric charge conversion uses factors relative to the SI unit of coulombs (C).
Electric Charge Conversion
Where:
- Charge_from= Charge value in the source unit
- Factor_from= Conversion factor of source unit to coulombs
- Factor_to= Conversion factor of target unit to coulombs
Charge Unit Reference
Understanding the relationships between charge units is essential for working across different contexts and industries.
| Unit | Symbol | Value in Coulombs |
|---|---|---|
| Coulomb | C | 1 |
| Millicoulomb | mC | 0.001 |
| Microcoulomb | μC | 10⁻⁶ |
| Nanocoulomb | nC | 10⁻⁹ |
| Picocoulomb | pC | 10⁻¹² |
| Ampere-hour | Ah | 3600 |
| Milliampere-hour | mAh | 3.6 |
| Elementary charge | e | 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ |
How to Use This Calculator
The electric charge converter provides accurate conversions across multiple units:
- Enter the charge value: Type any numerical value into the input field.
- Select the source unit: Choose from coulombs, millicoulombs, microcoulombs, nanocoulombs, picocoulombs, ampere-hours, milliampere-hours, elementary charges, or franklins.
- Select the target unit: Choose the unit you want to convert to.
- Swap units: Use the swap button to quickly reverse the conversion direction.
- View all conversions: The results panel shows the equivalent value in every supported unit simultaneously.
Quick reference values for common charge relationships are displayed at the bottom.
Real-World Applications
Electric charge conversion is essential in battery technology and energy storage. Battery capacity is typically specified in ampere-hours (Ah) or milliampere-hours (mAh). A smartphone battery rated at 4000 mAh stores 4000 × 3.6 = 14,400 coulombs of charge. Converting between coulombs and ampere-hours helps engineers compare battery capacities and estimate device runtimes.
In semiconductor and electronics design, charge measurements at the nanocoulomb and picocoulomb level are critical. Dynamic RAM stores charge in tiny capacitors, flash memory traps charge in floating gates, and image sensors accumulate charge on photodiode arrays. Understanding charge at these scales is essential for designing and debugging modern integrated circuits.
Physics research and particle physics use elementary charge as a fundamental unit. The charge of individual particles is always an integer multiple of the elementary charge. Experimental measurements of charge quantization, Coulomb's law experiments, and particle accelerator operations all involve converting between macroscopic charge units and elementary charges.
Worked Examples
Converting Coulombs to Ampere-hours
Problem:
Convert 10,800 coulombs to ampere-hours.
Solution Steps:
- 1Conversion factor: 1 Ah = 3600 C
- 2Divide: 10,800 ÷ 3600 = 3 Ah
Result:
10,800 C = 3 Ah
Converting mAh to Coulombs
Problem:
Convert a 3000 mAh battery capacity to coulombs.
Solution Steps:
- 1Conversion factor: 1 mAh = 3.6 C
- 2Multiply: 3000 × 3.6 = 10,800 C
Result:
3000 mAh = 10,800 coulombs
Converting Elementary Charges to Coulombs
Problem:
How many coulombs is 1 billion elementary charges?
Solution Steps:
- 1Elementary charge: 1 e = 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ C
- 2Multiply: 10⁹ × 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ = 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁰ C
Result:
10⁹ elementary charges ≈ 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁰ C
Tips & Best Practices
- ✓1 Ah = 3600 C — this is the key conversion between battery capacity and SI charge
- ✓Smartphone batteries typically store 10,000-20,000 coulombs (3000-5000 mAh)
- ✓One coulomb is an enormous number of elementary charges (over 6 quintillion)
- ✓Elementary charge (1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ C) is a fundamental constant of nature
- ✓For battery comparisons, mAh and Ah are more practical than coulombs
- ✓Charge is always conserved — it cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources & References
Last updated: 2026-06-06
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Editorial Note
MyCalcBuddy Editorial Team
This page is maintained as an educational calculator reference.
Formula Source: NIST Guide to SI Units
by National Institute of Standards