Capacitive Reactance Calculator
Calculate capacitive reactance and the current a capacitor passes at a given frequency.
About Capacitive Reactance Calculator
Capacitive reactance falls with frequency, so a capacitor blocks DC and passes high frequencies. That is the basis of coupling capacitors, decoupling and high-pass filtering. A power factor correction capacitor supplies leading reactive power, which is why it cancels the lagging reactive power of motors.
Formula
Capacitive Reactance
X_C = 1 ÷ (2πfC); I = V ÷ X_C
- X_C
- Capacitive reactance in ohms, inversely proportional to frequency
Worked example
With the default values below, Capacitive Reactance Calculator returns Capacitive Reactance of 3,183.0989. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Capacitanceminimum 0 F
- 0.000001 F
- Frequencyminimum 0.01 Hz
- 50 Hz
- Applied voltageminimum 0 V
- 230 V
Results
- Capacitive Reactance
- 3,183.0989 ohm
- Current Drawn
- 0.072257 A
- Reactance at Double the Frequency
- 1,591.5494 ohm
- Reactive Power Supplied
- 16.6190 VAR
- Peak Energy Stored
- 0.05290000 J
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Capacitive Reactance
- 3Capacitive Reactance= 3,183.0989 ohm
- 4Current Drawn= 0.072257 A
- 5Reactance at Double the Frequency= 1,591.5494 ohm
- 6Reactive Power Supplied= 16.6190 VAR
- 7Peak Energy Stored= 0.05290000 J
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or fees or charges into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 8 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Capacitive Reactance calculated?
X_C = 1 ÷ (2πfC); I = V ÷ X_C Capacitive reactance falls with frequency, so a capacitor blocks DC and passes high frequencies. That is the basis of coupling capacitors, decoupling and high-pass filtering.
Why does Capacitive Reactance matter?
A power factor correction capacitor supplies leading reactive power, which is why it cancels the lagging reactive power of motors.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 3 inputs: Capacitance, Frequency, Applied voltage. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.