Electric Conductance Converter
Convert electric conductance between siemens, millisiemens, microsiemens, nanosiemens, picosiemens and mho, and read the matching resistance in ohms.
Type in any field and the others update instantly, resistance included.
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 = 1,000,000,000 nS (nanosiemens)
- 1 S = 1 ℧ (mho, an identical unit under an older name)
- 1 kS = 1,000 S (kilosiemens)
Conductance versus conductivity, which is the distinction that matters here
Conductance (G, in siemens) belongs to a specific object: this resistor, this length of wire, this ion channel. Conductivity (σ, in siemens per metre) belongs to a material regardless of its shape. Reference tables mix the two constantly, and the giveaway is the unit: anything written “per metre” or “per centimetre” is conductivity, and the converter above does not apply to it. The two are related by geometry, G = σ × A / L, where A is the cross-section and L the length.
Conductance of an object (this converter’s units):
| Object | Conductance | As resistance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 kΩ resistor | 1 mS | 1,000 Ω |
| 100 Ω resistor | 10 mS | 100 Ω |
| 1 MΩ resistor | 1 μS | 1,000,000 Ω |
| Single ion channel in a cell membrane | 1–100 pS | 10 to 1,000 GΩ |
Conductivity of a material (not this converter’s units):
| Material | Conductivity |
|---|---|
| Pure water | ~0.055 μS/cm |
| Drinking water | 50–500 μS/cm |
| Seawater | ~50 mS/cm |
| Copper metal | 59.6 MS/m |
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. Note that those meters read in μS/cm, so they are reporting conductivity, not conductance. In electronics, admittance (Y = G + jB) extends conductance to AC circuits. In biology, ion channel conductance in cell membranes is measured in picosiemens (pS), and that one genuinely is a conductance: a single protein pore is a single object.
How we build and check this converter
This converter runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
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