Calculate equivalent capacitance for capacitor lists in series or parallel, with optional stored charge, total energy, and per-capacitor voltage or charge breakdown from an entered supply voltage.
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Basic circuits
A series and parallel capacitor calculator helps when you need more than the equivalent capacitance alone. This version totals capacitor rows in either pure series or pure parallel mode, then adds optional charge, energy, and per-capacitor voltage context from an entered supply voltage.
This page accepts one or more capacitor values in mixed units and solves the equivalent capacitance for either a pure series chain or a pure parallel group.
If you also enter a supply voltage, it reports the resulting stored charge and energy and shows how voltage or charge distributes across the individual capacitors according to the selected mode.
In a parallel network every capacitor sees the same voltage, so the total capacitance is the direct sum of the branch capacitances. Larger total capacitance means more charge storage at the same applied voltage.
That makes the optional voltage-aware output especially useful for estimating total bus charge and stored energy in decoupling or energy-buffering scenarios.
C_total = C1 + C2 + ... + Cn
Parallel capacitances add directly because each capacitor is connected across the same voltage.
In a series chain the same charge appears on every capacitor, so the equivalent capacitance is always lower than the smallest branch value. The applied voltage then splits across the chain according to the individual capacitances.
This is why the calculator shows per-capacitor voltage in series mode and per-capacitor charge in parallel mode when supply voltage is provided.
1 / C_total = 1 / C1 + 1 / C2 + ... + 1 / Cn
Series capacitances combine through reciprocal addition rather than direct summation.
Q = C_total × V; E = 1/2 × C_total × V²
Once voltage is known, total stored charge and energy follow directly from the equivalent capacitance.
This calculator handles pure series or pure parallel capacitor groups only. It does not solve arbitrary mixed topologies, balancing resistors, ESR, leakage, dielectric absorption, tolerance spread, or breakdown limits.
Use it as a sizing and educational reference. If the design depends on balancing behaviour, transient current, or non-ideal component characteristics, move to the method that captures those effects explicitly.
Frequently asked questions
Because series capacitors must all carry the same charge, which reduces the total charge stored for a given applied voltage. The reciprocal addition rule therefore makes the equivalent capacitance lower than any individual branch.
Because a parallel network connects every capacitor directly across the same two nodes. The voltage is common, while charge and energy scale with the individual capacitance.
Not with this page. It handles pure series chains or pure parallel groups only, so more complex mixed topologies need a circuit-specific reduction or simulation model.
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