Watts to Amps / Amps to Watts

Calculations are provided to you, the user, as an educational tool. Any output obtained must be verified; we are not responsible for a miscalculation or impact to any system which uses this tool as a primary reference.

Watts and amps conversions at 120V (AC)

Watts and amps conversions at 12V (DC)

Convert between watts and amps

1. How do you convert watts to amps?
   Formula for converting watts to amps (at a fixed voltage) is:
   amps = watts ÷ volts
2. How do you convert amps to watts?
   Formula for converting amps to watts (at a fixed voltage) is:
   watts = amps x volts

Amps

Amps are amperes, a unit which measures electrical current. It can be helpful to imagine electrical current as water in a hose. In this analogy, the quantity (volume) of water would be the amps.

Volts

Volts are a unit to measure force. They measure the force required to make the electrical current (amps) flow. In the hose analogy, the volts would be the water pressure. North American homes typically use 120V for their electrical supply, whilst 230V is common across many other countries.

Watts

Watts represent the amount of energy produced by the amps and volts working together. Multiplying amps (water volume) by volts (water pressure) gives you the wattage (the resulting power or energy). A water wheel would turn faster and longer, generating more energy if it uses increased water volume and higher water pressure; the same applies to the wattage if amps and volts are increased.

AC/DC

DC stands for direct current, when the current flows in one single direction. A flashlight with a battery uses a direct current.

AC stands for alternating current, when the current periodically changes direction. In Northern America and Western Japan, this usually happens 60 times per second, or 60Hz / hertz. In Europe, the UK, East Japan and most of Australia, South America, Africa and Asia, the current changes direction 50 times per second, which is 50Hz. Power supplied to homes and businesses uses AC supply.

How to convert amps to watts

The Watt’s Law formula is all that’s needed for these unit conversions. The wattage (power produced / P) is calculated by multiplying the amps (current / I) by the voltage (force / E):

Power (P) = Current (I) x Voltage (E)

watts = amps × volts

Example: 5 amps are being sent at 120 volts. What’s the wattage?

Power = Current x Voltage
Power = 5A x 120V
Power = 600W

How to convert watts to amps

Work backwards with Watt’s Law and divide the wattage by the volts:

Current (I) = Power (P) ÷ Voltage (E)

amps = watts ÷ volts

Example: 600 watts are being sent at 120 volts. What’s the current?

Current = Power ÷ Voltage
Current = 600W ÷ 120V Current = 5A

1 kilowatt is equal to 1000 watts

Example: 2.4KW watts are being sent at 120 volts

Current = Power ÷ Voltage
Current = 2400W ÷ 120V
Current = 20A