Scale a kilovolt-ampere rating up to megavolt-amperes, and see the real power it represents at your load power factor.
Starting from an apparent-power rating instead? Use the main kVA to kW converter for any power factor.
Every diagram and table on this page updates with the calculator above.
The simplest conversion on this site — and the one most often over-thought.
No power factor involved: both units measure the same apparent power.
A 1,500 kVA transformer and a 1.5 MVA transformer are the same machine. The only reason the industry uses both is readability — nobody wants to write 0.315 MVA on a pole-mounted unit or 30,000 kVA on a grid transformer.
You need the power factor to answer "how many megawatts?", never to answer "how many megavolt-amperes?". The second result below does that step for you.
| Unit | In volt-amperes | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| VA | 1 | Control transformers, small UPS units |
| kVA | 1,000 | Distribution transformers, generators, switchboards |
| MVA | 1,000,000 | Primary substations, grid transformers, generating units |
| GVA | 1,000,000,000 | National transmission studies and interconnector ratings |
Every step is a factor of a thousand, which is why the conversions are all decimal shifts. Errors here are almost always misplaced thousands rather than misunderstood physics.
The rated power is only one line on the plate. These are the other entries that change what the unit can actually do on your site.
Typical distribution and power transformer sizes in both units, with the megawatts each delivers at your power factor.
| kVA | Apparent power (MVA) | Real power (MW) |
|---|---|---|
| 100 kVA | 0.1 | 0.09 |
| 250 kVA | 0.25 | 0.225 |
| 500 kVA | 0.5 | 0.45 |
| 750 kVA | 0.75 | 0.675 |
| 1,000 kVA | 1 | 0.9 |
| 1,500 kVA | 1.5 | 1.35 |
| 2,000 kVA | 2 | 1.8 |
| 2,500 kVA | 2.5 | 2.25 |
| 5,000 kVA | 5 | 4.5 |
| 7,500 kVA | 7.5 | 6.75 |
| 10,000 kVA | 10 | 9 |
| 20,000 kVA | 20 | 18 |
| 30,000 kVA | 30 | 27 |
| 60,000 kVA | 60 | 54 |
Design peak demand for roughly 75–80% of nameplate MVA. That headroom covers load growth, harmonic heating and hot weather without eating into insulation life.
| Code | Meaning | Typical gain |
|---|---|---|
| ONAN | Oil natural, air natural — no fans | Base rating |
| ONAF | Oil natural, air forced — cooling fans run | +25% to +33% |
| OFAF | Oil forced, air forced — pumps and fans | +50% or more |
| ODAF | Oil directed, air forced | Largest grid units |
A dual-rated ONAN/ONAF unit carries its higher figure only while the fans are running.
Heavy non-linear load heats a transformer more than its RMS current suggests. Where drives and rectifiers dominate, apply a K-factor or derate the unit.
Calculated demand almost never lands on a standard rating. The choice between the size below and the size above is an economic decision as much as a technical one.
Use metered half-hourly data where it exists rather than a sum of connected loads, which is always pessimistic.
Not everything runs at once. A properly diversified figure is often 60–75% of connected load.
Ten years of plausible expansion, not a round number picked for comfort.
Compare no-load losses on the larger unit against the risk of overload on the smaller one.
29 calculators built on the same maths as the tool above. Each one has its own inputs, interactive diagrams and worked examples.
Common questions about converting kva to mva.