How to use the current converter
- Enter the reading in Value, for example a multimeter figure.
- Pick its unit in From: kiloamperes, amperes, milliamperes, microamperes, nanoamperes, abamperes or statamperes.
- Pick the target unit in To and read the result.
- The swap button flips the direction. The table lists the current in all seven units.
What it does and when to use it
Electric current values span a huge range. A lightning stroke is measured in kiloamperes, a kettle draws several amperes, a sensor loop runs on milliamperes, and the sleep current of a battery-powered gadget is often given in microamperes or nanoamperes. Datasheets, multimeters and textbooks all choose the prefix that keeps the number short, so moving between them is a constant small chore. This tool does it without decimal-place slips.
Common situations: comparing a USB port’s rating in amps with a device’s draw in mA, reading a microcontroller’s standby current in µA, or checking a 4–20 mA industrial signal. When you also need the supply side, the voltage converter handles kV, mV and µV.
How it works
The ampere is the base. Each unit has a factor in amperes, and the result is value × from-factor ÷ to-factor.
| Unit | Amperes |
|---|---|
| kiloampere | 1,000 |
| milliampere | 0.001 |
| microampere | 0.000001 |
| nanoampere | 0.000000001 |
| abampere (biot) | 10 |
| statampere | 0.1 ÷ 299,792,458 ≈ 3.335641e-10 |
The SI prefixes are exact powers of ten. The abampere is exactly 10 A. The statampere is derived from the exact speed of light, which has been fixed by definition since 1983.
Worked examples
Phone accessory. 250 mA = 0.25 amperes. If a charger port is rated 2.4 A, it has plenty of room for this load.
Top of a 4–20 mA loop. 20 mA = 20,000 microamperes, or 0.02 A in the table.
Sleep current. A board that draws 35 µA in sleep mode uses 0.035 milliamperes. Dividing a battery’s mAh by that figure gives a rough upper bound on standby time, before self-discharge and wake-ups are counted.
Limits and tips
- AC readings. The tool converts numbers, not waveforms. An RMS value stays RMS and a peak value stays peak after conversion.
- Watch the micro sign. Some datasheets print “uA” for µA. They mean the same thing.
- Tiny values below 1e-9 show in scientific notation, for example 1 nA in kiloamperes is 1e-12.
- To estimate what a current costs over time, combine it with the voltage to get watts and use the electricity cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How many milliamps are in an amp?
What is the difference between mA and mAh?
What is an abampere?
Why is a statampere so small?
Does this tool calculate current from volts and ohms?
Sources
- NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B.8: Factors for units listed alphabetically — NIST, accessed 2026-10-08
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