Frequency Converter
Convert hertz, kilohertz, megahertz and gigahertz.
Convert between units of frequency used in audio, radio and computing. Enter a value and choose the units — all conversions run through hertz (cycles per second).
Formula / method
Examples
1,000 kHz
2,400 MHz
Hertz and its multiples
Frequency counts how many cycles happen each second, measured in hertz (Hz). The common prefixes each add a factor of 1000: 1 kilohertz (kHz) is 1000 Hz, 1 megahertz (MHz) is 1,000,000 Hz, and 1 gigahertz (GHz) is 1,000,000,000 Hz. Converting up or down is just a matter of shifting by powers of a thousand.
Where each range shows up
These scales map onto familiar technology. Human hearing spans roughly 20 Hz to 20 kHz, so audio lives in the hertz-to-kilohertz range. FM radio broadcasts around 88 to 108 MHz. Computer processors and Wi-Fi operate in gigahertz, so a 2.4 GHz router is oscillating 2,400,000,000 times per second. Seeing the same quantity in different units makes it easier to compare specs across audio, radio, and computing. For other unit conversions, browse the rest of our converter collection.
Where it's used
- Checking whether a Wi-Fi router runs on the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band
- Reading audio specs where sample rates and tones are given in Hz or kHz
- Comparing CPU clock speeds quoted in GHz
- Tuning to an FM radio station listed in MHz
- Converting an oscillator or crystal frequency from an electronics datasheet
Real-world examples
- A router advertised at 2.4 GHz is oscillating 2,400,000,000 times a second — that is 2,400 MHz.
- An FM station at 98.5 MHz equals 98,500 kHz, or 98,500,000 Hz.
- Concert-pitch A, tuned to 440 Hz, is 0.44 kHz.
- A 3.2 GHz processor core ticks 3,200 MHz — 3.2 billion cycles per second.
A bit of history
The hertz is named after Heinrich Hertz (1857–1894), who was the first to produce and detect radio waves in the laboratory. The unit replaced the older name "cycles per second" (cps) when the International Electrotechnical Commission adopted it in 1930.
Did you know?
Older radios and test equipment were labelled in "cps" (cycles per second) rather than Hz — the switch to the hertz was only made official internationally in the decades after 1930.
FAQ
What is hertz?
Hertz (Hz) is one cycle per second. 1 kHz = 1,000 Hz, 1 MHz = 1,000,000 Hz, and 1 GHz = 1,000,000,000 Hz.