Electric Conductance Converter
Convert between siemens, millisiemens, microsiemens, mho, and kilosiemens instantly.
Type in any field — the others update instantly.
Electrical conductance is the measure of how easily electricity flows through a material or component. It is the exact reciprocal of electrical resistance.
The core relationship:
G = 1/R
Where G is conductance in siemens (S) and R is resistance in ohms (Ω). A resistor of 1 Ω has a conductance of 1 S. A resistor of 10 Ω has a conductance of 0.1 S.
The siemens (symbol S) is the SI unit of electrical conductance, named after German engineer Ernst Werner von Siemens. It was formerly called the mho (symbol ℧) — which is literally “ohm” spelled backwards, reflecting the reciprocal relationship.
Unit relationships:
- 1 S = 1,000 mS (millisiemens)
- 1 S = 1,000,000 μS (microsiemens)
- 1 S = 1 ℧ (mho — identical unit, older name)
- 1 kS = 1,000 S (kilosiemens)
Practical reference values:
| Material / Application | Conductance |
|---|---|
| Pure water | ~0.055 μS/cm |
| Drinking water | 50–500 μS/cm |
| Seawater | ~50 mS/cm |
| Copper metal | ~59,600 kS/m |
| Typical 1 kΩ resistor | 1 mS |
Where it is used:
Conductance measurements are critical in water quality monitoring — EC meters (electrical conductivity meters) measure how well water conducts electricity, which indicates dissolved mineral content. Pure distilled water barely conducts; mineral-rich water conducts well. In electronics, admittance (Y = G + jB) extends conductance to AC circuits. In biology, ion channel conductance in cell membranes is measured in picosiemens (pS).