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Power converter

milliwatt to picowatt

Convert milliwatt (mW) to picowatt (pW). Use an editable power converter, conversion formula, and reference table.

1,000,000,000

1 mW = 1,000,000,000 pW

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Conversion formula

pW = mW × 1,000,000,000

One milliwatt equals 1,000,000,000 picowatt. Multiply your value in milliwatt by this factor to get picowatt. For the reverse conversion, divide by the same factor.

Worked example

To convert 5 milliwatt:
5 × 1,000,000,000 = 5,000,000,000 pW

Conversion table

milliwatt (mW)picowatt (pW)
0.0110,000,000
0.1100,000,000
11,000,000,000
22,000,000,000
55,000,000,000
1010,000,000,000
2525,000,000,000
5050,000,000,000
100100,000,000,000
10001e+12

About these measurements

Power is the rate of energy transfer.

The base reference used here is the watt. One milliwatt is 0.001 base units; one picowatt is 1e-12 base units.

Important distinctions

Mechanical horsepower and metric horsepower are distinct units.

Precision

The converter uses stored conversion factors and floating-point arithmetic. Results display up to ten significant digits, switching to scientific notation for very small or large values. Keep the precision of your original measurement when reporting results.

Common questions

How do I convert mW to pW?

Multiply the quantity in mW by 1,000,000,000. You can also type the value into the converter above.

Can I reverse the conversion?

Yes. Use the swap button or open the picowatt to milliwatt converter.

Reference

NIST Guide to the SI — conversion factors and prefix conventions. SI prefixes scale units by powers of ten; the dimension-specific notes above describe the assumptions used on this page.

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