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How to Calculate Wattage From Volts and Amps

Wattage, voltage and current -- or amps -- are all closely related. Watts are a measurement of power, which is realized by the combination of a device's potential to do work, measured in volts, and the actual flow of electrons, measured in amps. Both voltage and amps are fairly easy to locate, as this information is generally printed on the specification label of electronic devices.

Instructions

- 1
  Locate the voltage of the device. If the device plugs into a standard wall outlet in the United States, it is 120 volts. If it runs from a car battery, it's 12 volts. Most other batteries, including "AA," "C" and "D," use 1.5 volts.
- 2
  Locate the amps used by the device. This information is generally found in the device's specifications in its manual or on a sticker adhered to the device.
- 3
  Multiply the volts times the amps to calculate watts. As an example, a 120-volt device that uses 1.5 amps would have a wattage of 180 watts.

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