Convert between apparent power (kVA) and real power (kW) using your equipment's actual power factor — in either direction, with no assumed default.
Your numbers
From the equipment nameplate or spec sheet — there is no default.
Result
kVA (kilovolt-amperes) is apparent power — the total power flowing in the circuit. kW (kilowatts) is real power — the portion actually doing useful work. Power factor is the ratio between them: real power divided by apparent power. Multiply apparent power by power factor to get real power; divide real power by power factor to get apparent power back. This relationship holds the same way whether the source is single-phase or three-phase — power factor is defined as a ratio, so the phase-count-specific terms that appear in a voltage-and-current power calculation cancel out of it entirely.
kW = kVA × PF
kVA = kW ÷ PF
A 10 kVA generator or UPS rated at 0.8 power factor:
kW (kilowatts) is real power — the power that actually does work, like turning a motor or lighting a bulb. kVA (kilovolt-amperes) is apparent power — voltage times current, without accounting for power factor. They are equal only when power factor is exactly 1; otherwise kVA is always the larger number.
Use the power factor printed on the equipment's nameplate or datasheet — generators, UPS units, transformers, and motors each state their own. There is no universal default: resistive loads run close to 1.0, while motors and many electronic loads run lower, commonly in the 0.7–0.95 range.
Yes. Power factor is defined as the ratio of real power to apparent power, which is the same relationship regardless of how many phases the system has — the three-phase-specific terms that show up when calculating power from voltage and current cancel out of the kVA-to-kW ratio itself. This calculator does not need a separate three-phase mode.
Power factor varies too much by equipment and load to assume — a generator, a UPS, and a motor can each have meaningfully different values. FigureDesk requires it as an input rather than guessing, so the result is never quietly wrong for your specific equipment.
Convert real power (kW/W) to current once you know your voltage.
Go the other way — from current to real power.
Solve for voltage, current, resistance, or power directly if you know two of the four.
Size a generator from your actual appliance loads.
FigureDesk results are advisory and do not replace a licensed electrician, a qualified engineer, or the applicable local electrical code. Verify any electrical work against your local code and with a qualified professional before relying on it.