How to Read Capacitor Labels

Ceramic Capacitors (Non-Polarized)

Ceramic (disc or multilayer) capacitors are marked with three pieces of information. Some capacitors may not list the Voltage and Tolerance directly on them.
Capacitors ranging from 1pF to 99pF may be marked with only one or two digits, since some manufacturers don't include the multiplier (third number) if it is zero. The number therefore represents the capacitance in picofarads (e.g. 5 = 5pF, 10 = 10pF, 15 = 15pF, etc.).

Ceramic capacitor label diagram showing the three-digit code, tolerance letter, and voltage rating

More examples:

Several ceramic capacitors with decoded label markings

Electrolytic Capacitors (Polarized)

Electrolytic capacitors usually have their capacitance, voltage, and polarity printed directly on them. The negative (-) lead is sometimes shorter than the (+) one. Avoid connecting them backwards, they don't like it.

Electrolytic capacitor showing capacitance, voltage, and polarity markings