SettingsSettings for this calculationUS
The appliance's rated power in watts.
Use the running rating. Where a plate gives both a heating and a standby figure, the heating figure governs the circuit.
Current draw
13.04 A
I = P ÷ V at 230 V single phase. Check the result against the circuit's protective device rating and, on long runs, against voltage drop.
- Conversion factor applied
- 0 A per W
They open the calculator with your figures already in it
Watts to Amps Calculator (230 V): 13.04 A — shown in imperial, US market. The link sets both, so the result they see is the one on your screen.
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How this was calculated
Formula source(s)
- I = P / V, rearranged from P = V x I
- UK plug fuses are manufactured in 3 A, 5 A and 13 A ratings (BS 1362)
Inputs used
- Power (W)
- 3000
Intermediate steps
- Conversion factor applied
- 0 A per W
Confidence note: I = P ÷ V at 230 V single phase. Check the result against the circuit's protective device rating and, on long runs, against voltage drop.
What this calculation does not cover
- The division assumes the watt figure is also the volt-amp figure — a power factor of 1. Motors, compressors, transformers and switched-mode electronics draw more current than this, by the reciprocal of their power factor. Where the rating plate gives a VA figure as well as watts, divide the VA figure instead.
- The answer is the current at a nominal 230 V. Real supplies sit inside a tolerance band and often measure closer to 240 V, and nothing here models voltage drop along the run — which is usually what decides conductor size on a long circuit, not the current figure itself.
- Single phase only. A three-phase load's line current involves the line voltage and a root-three term, so pushing a three-phase wattage through this produces a number that has no relationship to the circuit.
- This is a conversion, not a load calculation and not a circuit design. It applies no diversity, no continuous-load derating, and none of the correction factors — grouping, ambient temperature, insulation, installation method — that set a cable's real current-carrying capacity, and it takes no account of what is already connected to the circuit. Protective device and conductor selection, earth fault loop impedance and disconnection times are work for a qualified electrician against the wiring rules that apply where you are.
- Starting current is excluded. A motor or compressor can pull several times its running current while it comes up to speed, which bears on the type and curve of the protective device rather than on the steady-state figure given here.
Add the equipment this sizes
This result is a specification — 13.04 A — not a quantity. Put the thing it sizes into your project: how many, what you call it, and your supplier’s price.
Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Presented in US customary units and US trade terminology. Where a formula follows a published standard, that standard and its edition are cited beside it on this page; where none governs, the page says so. Local amendments override model codes — verify against the code in force where you build.
Sources checked 2026-09-02 · in the site-wide review of 2026-09-06 · v1.0.1
Regulatory standards & verification citations2
- I = P / V, rearranged from P = V x I
- UK plug fuses are manufactured in 3 A, 5 A and 13 A ratings (BS 1362)
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This is the check made before adding a load to an existing circuit, or when choosing a plug fuse. Dividing watts by 230 gives the current, and that figure drives everything downstream: the fuse rating, the breaker, the conductor size. Two things frequently get missed. Fuse selection should be the smallest standard rating above the draw rather than the largest that fits — a 5 A fuse on a 700 W appliance protects the flex in a way a 13 A fuse simply does not — note the smallest standard rating ABOVE the draw, since 700 W at 230 V is 3.04 A and a 3 A fuse would sit below it and nuisance-blow. And on a long run the current alone is not sufficient to size the cable, because voltage drop accumulates with distance and can require a larger conductor than thermal capacity would demand. Large fixed loads such as electric showers, which can approach 40 A, belong on dedicated circuits rather than being added to existing ones.