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Milliamps and amps are units used worldwide to measure electrical current strength.
Amperes are the base unit used to measure electric current in the International System of Units. A milliampere is a modified version of the ampere used to measure things with smaller amounts of electrical current, so you don’t have to record in tiny decimals or resort to exponents.
We’ll teach you everything you need to know about amps, milliamps, and how to convert them.
What Is a Milliampere?
A milliampere (mA) is one-thousandth of an ampere. The prefix “milli” means one-thousandth of whatever base unit it precedes. Milliamperes are used to measure small amounts of electrical current, making it easier than using small decimals of amps.
If you want to convert Wh to mAh, use this formula:
mAh = Wh/(V x 1,000)
For instance, a 5Wh battery at 5 volts:
mAh = 5/(5 x 1,000) = 1,000 mAh
What Is an Ampere?
An ampere or amp (A) is the base unit to measure electric current in the International System of Units (SI), so it’s used worldwide for measuring power. It was named after the famous French physicist André-Marie Ampère.
Since amperes are power units and power is a product of current and voltage, you can easily calculate your amperes using the expression below if you know your watts and voltage.
Amps = Watts/Volts (A=W/V)
A battery’s capacity is often recorded in watt-hours (Wh), or the number of watts used in one hour, rather than amp-hours. While you can record battery capacity in amp-hours (Ah), most devices we use are reported in W and kW, making it easier for consumers to understand when we report capacity in Wh or kWh.
For example, EcoFlow’s Portable Power Stations (PPS) with their powerful LiFePO4 battery chemistry are typically recorded in Wh or kWh, so you know how long your battery will last based on the watts you use each hour.
Further, the lightweight and highly portable EcoFlow RIVER 2 PPS starts at 256Wh of capacity and is perfect for hiking, fishing, or a trip to the beach.
More robust units like EcoFlow’s DELTA Series used for larger devices for longer periods are reported in kWh where 1000Wh = 1kWh. They range from about 1-6kWh with optional expandable capacities.
Milliampere to Ampere Conversion Table
| Milliamperes | Amperes |
| 1mA | 0.001A |
| 2mA | 0.002A |
| 3mA | 0.003A |
| 4mA | 0.004A |
| 5mA | 0.005A |
| 6mA | 0.006A |
| 7mA | 0.007A |
| 8mA | 0.008A |
| 9mA | 0.009A |
| 10mA | 0.01A |
| 20mA | 0.02A |
| 30mA | 0.03A |
| 40mA | 0.04A |
| 50mA | 0.05A |
| 60mA | 0.06A |
| 70mA | 0.07A |
| 80mA | 0.08A |
| 90mA | 0.09A |
| 100mA | 0.1A |
| 200mA | 0.2A |
How Do You Convert mA to Amps?
Since a mA or milliampere is one-thousandth of an amp, simply divide your mA by 1000.
A = mA/1000
For example, if you have 20mA:
A = 20mA/1000(mA/A) = 0.02A
Or, for 2000mA:
A = 2000mA/1000(mA/A) = 2A
Frequently Asked Questions
Since a milliampere (mA) is one-thousandth of an amp, divide mA by 1000 to get amps. In this case, 50/1000 is 0.05 amps.
Yes, 1 amp is the same as 1000 milliamps. This is because a milliamp is one-thousand of an amp. So 1000 milliamps/1000 = 1 amp.
Yes, 500 milliamps is the same as 0.5 amps because a milliamp is one-thousandth of an amp. To convert between the two, divide mA by 1000. Here 500mA/1000ma/A = 0.5A
Final Thoughts
Now you know what amperes and milliamperes mean and how to convert between the two. It’s super easy since a milliamp is simply one-thousandth of an amp.
Even though amps are the standard (SI) unit to measure electrical current, we typically report capacity in products like EcoFlow’s Portable Power Stations in watt-hours (Wh) and kilowatt-hours (kWh) because our devices are reported in W and kW rather than amps. This makes it easier to understand how our products can power your devices.
