Electrical Conductance Converter

This electrical conductance converter changes conductance between siemens, kilosiemens, millisiemens, microsiemens, picosiemens, absiemens and statsiemens. The siemens is the reciprocal ohm (1 S = 1/Ω), once called the mho. The metric units convert by powers of ten: 1 S = 1,000 mS = 1,000,000 µS.

How to use the electrical conductance converter

1. Enter the conductance, for example 2.5 from a meter reading in mS.
2. In the electrical conductance converter, choose its unit and the target unit, such as mS to S.
3. Read the electrical conductance converter result: 2.5 mS = 0.0025 S.

For mS to S, divide by 1,000; for µS to mS, divide by 1,000. To get ohms, take the reciprocal of the value in siemens.

What is electrical conductance?

Electrical conductance is how easily current flows through a component; it is the reciprocal of resistance. The SI unit is the siemens (S), and 1 S = 1/Ω.

Conversion formula

The electrical conductance converter stores every unit as a multiple of the base unit, the siemens (S). To convert:

value in target unit = value × (factor of source unit ÷ factor of target unit)

where each factor is the size of the unit in siemens.

Common electrical conductance conversions

From	To	1 unit equals
siemens (S)	millisiemens (mS)	1,000 mS
millisiemens (mS)	siemens (S)	0.001 S
microsiemens (µS)	millisiemens (mS)	0.001 mS

Electrical conductance converter worked example

Convert 25 microsiemens to millisiemens:

1. Factor of µS = 1 × 10⁻⁶ S
2. Factor of mS = 0.001 S
3. 25 × 1 × 10⁻⁶ ÷ 0.001 = 0.025 mS

Electrical conductance unit reference

Unit	Symbol	Group	Equals (S)
Siemens	S	SI	1
Kilosiemens	kS	SI	1,000
Millisiemens	mS	SI	0.001
Microsiemens	µS	SI	1 × 10−6
Picosiemens	pS	SI	1 × 10−12
Absiemens	abS	CGS-EMU	1,000,000,000
Statsiemens	statS	CGS-ESU	1.11265 × 10−12

Reverse factors for each electrical conductance unit

The reference table gives each unit in siemenss. To go the other way, divide by that factor; the list below does the division for you.

• Kilosiemens (kS), SI: 1 kS = 1,000 S, so 1 S = 0.001 kS.
• Millisiemens (mS), SI: 1 mS = 0.001 S, so 1 S = 1,000 mS.
• Microsiemens (µS), SI: 1 µS = 1 × 10⁻⁶ S, so 1 S = 1,000,000 µS.
• Picosiemens (pS), SI: 1 pS = 1 × 10⁻¹² S, so 1 S = 1 × 10¹² pS.
• Absiemens (abS), CGS-EMU: 1 abS = 1 × 10⁹ S, so 1 S = 1 × 10⁻⁹ abS.
• Statsiemens (statS), CGS-ESU: 1 statS = 1.11265 × 10⁻¹² S, so 1 S = 8.98755 × 10¹¹ statS.

Siemens to ohms

Conductance and resistance are reciprocals: R = 1 ÷ G. Convert to siemens first, then invert:

Conductance	In siemens	Resistance
1 S	1	1 Ω
10 mS	0.01	100 Ω
1 mS	0.001	1 kΩ
100 µS	0.0001	10 kΩ
1 µS	1 × 10⁻⁶	1 MΩ
1 nS	1 × 10⁻⁹	1 GΩ

This is why 1 µS corresponds to 1 MΩ: a thousandfold smaller unit gives a thousandfold larger resistance.

Conductances add in parallel

For components in parallel, conductances simply add: G = G₁ + G₂ + … Three 1 kΩ resistors in parallel are 1 mS each, 3 mS in total, or 333.3 Ω. In series, the reciprocals add instead. Conductance is also the slope of a current–voltage curve, G = I ÷ V, so 5 mA at 2 V is 2.5 mS. Use the electrical resistance converter for ohms and the electrical conductivity converter for material values in S/m.

Leakage current

Insulation testers and leak checks often report conductance in µS. If a cable’s insulation has 2 µS of leakage conductance, a 500 V test drives 500 × 0.000002 = 0.001 A, or 1 mA. The electrical conductance converter also shows that 2 µS is 500 kΩ of resistance. The old unit mho is the same as the siemens.

Conductance is handy for parallel paths because conductances simply add. Two leakage paths of 2 µS and 3 µS total 5 µS, or 200 kΩ. Working in ohms you would need the reciprocal formula. Insulation testers often show the resistance, so converting to siemens first can make a quick total easier.

Related converters and calculators

Related electrical tools:

• Electrical resistance converter: Ω, kΩ, MΩ
• Electrical conductivity converter: S/m and mS/cm
• Electrical resistivity converter: Ω·m and Ω·cm
• Ohm’s law calculator: V, I, R
• Electric current converter: A and mA

Sources

BIPM: SI Brochure; NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B.

Questions about this calculator