RF Power Unit Converter — dBm, mW, dBW, W, dBμV
Convert radio-frequency (RF) power instantly between dBm, mW, dBW, W, dBμV and μV. Voltage units assume a standard 50 Ω impedance — enter any value in any unit and all six equivalents update at once.
Input unit
0 dBm = 1 mW · 30 dBm = 1 W · −30 dBm = 1 μW
How does this calculator work?
dBm = 10 log₁₀(P_mW). Convert to watts: P(W) = 10^((dBm−30)/10). dBW = dBm − 30. Voltage (50 Ω): dBμV = 20 log₁₀(V_μV); P(W) = (V_rms)² / 50. Useful reference: 0 dBm = 1 mW, 30 dBm = 1 W, −30 dBm = 1 μW.
Formula
How this is calculated
RF power is commonly expressed on a logarithmic scale in decibels referenced to a fixed power level. The most common reference is 1 mW (dBm): 0 dBm = 1 mW, 10 dBm = 10 mW, 30 dBm = 1 W, −30 dBm = 1 μW. The decibel scale is additive — a 3 dB increase roughly doubles power, a 10 dB increase multiplies it by 10. dBW uses 1 W as the reference, so dBW = dBm − 30.
Voltage units (dBμV, μV) describe the voltage across a load. The standard load impedance in RF engineering is 50 Ω (coaxial systems) or 75 Ω (broadcast/cable). This calculator assumes 50 Ω. The power-voltage relationship is P = V²/R, so μV and dBμV convert to power via P(W) = (V_rms)² / 50. The dBμV scale references 1 μV: dBμV = 20 log₁₀(V_μV).
Typical power levels: cellphone transmit ≈ 23–33 dBm; Wi-Fi access point ≈ 20 dBm; received GPS ≈ −130 dBm; EMC immunity test level ≈ 0–10 V/m ≈ 107–127 dBμV/m. The wave animation scales with dBm (normalised 0–60 dB above −30 dBm) to give a qualitative sense of relative amplitude.
Frequently asked questions
dBm stands for decibels relative to one milliwatt. It is the standard power unit in RF because signal levels span many orders of magnitude (from picowatts to kilowatts) and gains/losses simply add: a 10 dB amplifier followed by a 3 dB cable loss gives a net change of +7 dB, regardless of the absolute power level.
Power P = V²/R, so converting between voltage and power requires knowing the impedance. 50 Ω is the universal standard impedance for RF coaxial systems (antennas, test equipment, cables). If your system uses 75 Ω (cable TV, broadcast), the conversions will differ slightly — this calculator uses 50 Ω.
P(W) = 10^(dBm − 30) / 10. Equivalently: P(mW) = 10^(dBm/10), then divide by 1000 for watts. A quick mental shorthand: 0 dBm = 1 mW, +10 dBm = 10 mW, +20 = 100 mW, +30 = 1 W. Negative values: −10 dBm = 100 μW, −20 = 10 μW, −30 = 1 μW.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). RF Power Unit Converter — dBm, mW, dBW, W, dBμV [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/rf-unit-converter
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "RF Power Unit Converter — dBm, mW, dBW, W, dBμV." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/rf-unit-converter.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "RF Power Unit Converter — dBm, mW, dBW, W, dBμV," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/rf-unit-converter
@misc{wecalculate_rf_unit_converter, title = {RF Power Unit Converter — dBm, mW, dBW, W, dBμV}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/rf-unit-converter}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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