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Inductor Calculator

Calculate inductance for series and parallel inductors, RL time constants, and impedance.

Tested tool guide Tested browser tools Checked August 16, 2026

What Inductor Calculator does, with a checked example

Inductor Calculator answers four related circuit questions: the equivalent inductance of series or parallel parts, the time constant of a first-order RL circuit, and an ideal inductor's impedance at a chosen frequency. Enter inductance values with the intended unit, plus resistance or frequency where the calculation needs it. The easy-to-miss point is that the parallel formula assumes uncoupled inductors. Coils that share magnetic flux can produce a different result, so the basic calculation does not cover transformer windings or deliberately coupled coils.

Worked example

A concrete input and expected output from the current implementation.

Input

Calculation: series
L1: 10 mH
L2: 20 mH

Expected output

Equivalent inductance: 30 mH

Series inductances add directly. Therefore, 10 mH + 20 mH = 30 mH, which is also 0.030 H.

How the result is produced

1

Series and parallel combinations

For inductors in series, the calculator adds the entered inductances: L_eq = L1 + L2 + .... For uncoupled inductors in parallel, it adds their reciprocals and inverts the sum: 1/L_eq = 1/L1 + 1/L2 + .... Two parallel values can also be checked with L1L2/(L1+L2). Unit prefixes must be interpreted consistently.

2

RL timing and impedance

The RL calculation uses tau = L/R, where tau is in seconds when L is in henries and R is in ohms. For an ideal inductor, Z_L = j 2 pi f L, with magnitude X_L = 2 pi f L ohms. Inductive reactance therefore increases in direct proportion to both frequency and inductance.

Good uses

  • Checking the total inductance after placing two available chokes in series or parallel for a prototype.
  • Finding the time constant of an inductor and its circuit resistance before estimating current rise or decay.
  • Calculating an inductor's reactance at a specific signal frequency when comparing candidate component values.

Limits and checks

  • Series and parallel results assume the inductors have no mutual magnetic coupling; coils sharing a core may not follow these equations.
  • For an RL time constant, resistance means the total resistance seen in the relevant current path, including significant source or winding resistance.
  • The ideal impedance result does not describe self-resonance, core loss, saturation, winding capacitance, or other frequency-dependent behavior of a physical component.

Common questions

Can I use the parallel calculation for two windings on the same core?

Not reliably unless their magnetic coupling has already been accounted for. The ordinary series and parallel equations assume zero mutual inductance. Coupled coils require a mutual-inductance term, and its sign depends on winding orientation. Treat transformer windings, common-mode chokes, and other coils sharing substantial magnetic flux as a coupled-inductor problem.

Which resistance belongs in the RL time-constant calculation?

Use the total resistance in the inductor's charging or discharge path, not automatically the labeled value of one resistor. This may include source resistance and the coil's winding resistance. In the ideal first-order result, after one time constant current has risen to about 63.2 percent of its final value, or decayed to about 36.8 percent.

References and verification

The example and behavioral notes were checked against the browser implementation. Standards and primary references below define the relevant format, formula, or platform behavior.

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