Capacitance symbol
The capacitance setting. The two parallel bars are the circuit symbol for a capacitor, and readings are in farads (F), on handheld meters in nanofarads (nF) and microfarads (µF).
How to read it
Fluke’s dial guide marks capacitance F, and Klein Tools and Extech list F as farads, with n for nano (10⁻⁹) and µ for micro (10⁻⁶). Fluke’s 115 and 117 read from 1 nF to 9999 µF, Klein’s MM400 has ranges from 40.00 nF to 200.0 µF, and Extech’s EX330 from 4 nF to 200 µF.
On some dials capacitance is a secondary function. Fluke prints secondary functions in yellow on many models, often temperature and capacitance, chosen with the yellow function button. Klein prints them in orange and switches to them with SEL, where capacitance shares a position with the diode test.
Also searched as: capacitor symbol on a multimeter, farads, F on a multimeter, nF, two parallel lines symbol, µF.
These pages describe what each setting, marking and reading means. They are not instructions for measuring anything. Meters differ between makers and models: the meter’s own manual says what each of its symbols means, which measurements it is rated for, and how to use it safely.
What the manuals say
Fluke’s and Extech’s manuals both say the circuit’s power has to be disconnected and its capacitors discharged before a capacitance measurement.
Look-alikes
The diode symbol, a triangle pointing at a single bar, often shares the position. The capacitor symbol has two bars and no triangle.
Read next
- Next in Multimeter symbolsHz (frequency)Hz is hertz, the unit of frequency: the setting or button that reads the frequency of a signal. A % beside it is duty cycle.
- The same shape in African flagsFlag of ZimbabweZimbabwe’s flag has seven stripes, green, gold, red and black at the centre, and a white triangle at the pole with a red star and the gold Zimbabwe Bird. The government says green is vegetation and agriculture, gold the mineral wealth, red the blood shed in the liberation war, black the black majority, the white triangle peace and the red star the nation’s aspirations; the bird is the national emblem.
More multimeter symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with lines.
Sources
- Multimeter Symbols, Buttons, Dials, and Display, Fluke learning centre article, Fluke Corporation, Digital multimeter dial; buttons
- 114, 115, and 117 True-rms Multimeters: Users Manual, PN 2572573, July 2006, Rev. 1, 2/07, Fluke Corporation (copy hosted by UCL Electronic and Electrical Engineering), Safety information; Rotary switch positions
- MM400 Auto-Ranging Digital Multimeter: Instruction Manual, MM400 instruction manual, Klein Tools (copy hosted by UBC Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences), Symbols on LCD; Electrical specifications; Function buttons
- Mini Multimeter with Non-Contact Voltage Detector, Model EX330: User’s Guide, EX330-EU-ENG V4.2 1/08, Extech Instruments (copy hosted by Core Electronics), Display symbols; Capacitance measurements; Specifications
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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