Decibel watt

The decibel watt or dBW is a unit for the measurement of the strength of a signal expressed in decibels relative to one watt. It is used because of its capability to express both very large and very small values of power in a short range of number, eg 1 watt = 0 dBW, 10 watts = 10 dBW, 100 watts = 20 dBW and 1,000,000 W = 60 dBW.

$\ {\mbox{Power in dBW}}=10\log _{10}({\mbox{Power in W}})$

Compare dBm, which is referenced to one milliwatt (0.001 W).

Although the decibel (dB) is permitted for use alongside SI units, the dBW is not.

See also

• dBm