How to Calculate Battery Capacity ?
Things would be quite complicated as the battery would be in different shape(Curved shape, Round,Rectangular etc ) and different discharging current(5C, 30C, or even up to 100C) or even temperature requirement(like low temperature battery).
feel frustrated?
We here have 2 ways for you to get the battery capaicty.
let’s start from simple ways
1 Get Battery Capacity Based on Size
if size are given or can be checked by a ruler, we can then get the battery capacity.The size of Lithium polymer battery has a great impact on its capacity, that’s the thickness, width, and length of a battery. The material and Production technology will have an effect on the lipo cell capacity.
The actual capacity will be very complex, but luckily we have a simple and fast calculate formula.
Capacity= Thickness*Width*Length*K
K= mah/mm³, which is a parameter that ranges from 0.07-0.12. for a general calculation, we will set it to 0.1
take 103450 battery cell for example (T=10mm, W=34mm, L=50mm)
that’s 10*34*50*0.1=1700, in reality, it’s about 1800mAh or more.
what about 603450(also called 063450 603450LP)?
that’s 6*34*50*0.1=1020 in actual it will be about 1050mAh
2 Get Battery Capacity by Energy Density
The lithium battery usually comes with a pouch or cylindrical form.
in cylindrical form there is capacity listed for each size:
like for lithium 18650 battery: 2000mAh, 2600mAh,3000mAh, 3350mAh,4050mAh
for lifepo4 26650 battery:2500mAh, 3000mAh,3500mAh
PS: quick notes: if space allows, cylindrical battery cells will always be your first consideration on the table. They are on the shelf and therefore has short lead time and small MOQ.
so we can quickly get battery capacity(max capacity) based on battery energy density. for lithium battery it would be 100-265 Wh/kg or 250-670 Wh/L.