Microwatt (µW)
One millionth of a watt.
What is a microwatt?
- Symbol
- µW
- Quantity
- Power Level (dBm, dBW)
- Unit system
- SI
- Definition
- One millionth of a watt.
- Exact
- Yes, the value is exact by definition
- Source
- SI Brochure, 9th edition (BIPM, 2019)
Common applications
Used for the power of small sensors, radio receivers and optical signals. 1 µW is −30 dBm.
Microwatt in other power level (dbm, dbw) units
- 1 µW = 0.001 mWMilliwatt
- 1 µW = 0.000001 WWatt
- 1 µW = 1e-9 kWKilowatt
- dBW = 10 × log₁₀(µW ÷ 1000000)Decibel-watt
- dBm = 10 × log₁₀(µW ÷ 1000)Microwatt to Decibel-milliwatt converter
Microwatt quick reference
| Microwatt | Decibel-milliwatt | Milliwatt | Watt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.001 µW | = -60 dBm | = 0.000001 mW | = 1e-9 W |
| 0.01 µW | = -50 dBm | = 0.00001 mW | = 1e-8 W |
| 0.1 µW | = -40 dBm | = 0.0001 mW | = 1e-7 W |
| 1 µW | = -30 dBm | = 0.001 mW | = 0.000001 W |
| 10 µW | = -20 dBm | = 0.01 mW | = 0.00001 W |
| 100 µW | = -10 dBm | = 0.1 mW | = 0.0001 W |
Where the microwatt fits
The next larger power level (dbm, dbw) unit is the milliwatt (mW). 1 µW = 0.001 mW, and 1 mW = 1000 µW.