---
# System prepended metadata

title: Does STM32 have low power consumption?
tags: [stm32]

---

Yes—[STM32](https://www.ampheo.com/search/STM32) can be very low-power, but it depends heavily on the STM32 family and which power mode you use.

![20240522150840_nucleo-article-image-1080](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/H1v5WZT4be.jpg)

**What “low power” means on STM32**

STM32 MCUs support multiple power modes (run + several sleep/stop/standby/shutdown-type modes). For example, [STM32L4](https://www.ampheo.com/search/STM32L4) devices support low-power run/sleep plus multiple Stop modes, Standby and Shutdown. 

**Which STM32 families are the “low power” ones**

* [STM32L](https://www.ampheo.com/search/STM32L) series = classic ultra-low-power MCU line (battery-first). 
* [STM32U](https://www.ampheo.com/search/STM32U) series = newer ultra-low-power / low-power performance line (e.g., U5 “FlexPowerControl”). 

If you choose higher-performance families (e.g., H series), they can sleep too, but their typical active/idle overhead is usually higher than L/U parts.

**Real numbers (examples from ST materials)**

**[STM32L0](https://www.ampheo.com/search/STM32L0) (example ultra-low-power family):** ST’s overview shows typical currents at 25 °C like:

* Standby: ~230 nA
* Stop: ~340 nA
* (and run-mode figures in the ~tens to 100+ µA/MHz range depending on configuration) 

**STM32L4 (another low-power family):**

ST training material quotes run-mode consumption on the order of ~120 µA/MHz (example context: up to 80 MHz). 

**The catch: the MCU might be low-power, but your board might not be**

In real projects, “low power” is often limited by:

* voltage regulator quiescent current, LEDs, USB-UART chips
* [sensors](https://www.ampheo.com/c/sensors) and pull-ups, leakage paths
* clocks left running, peripherals not gated

**Quick checklist to actually get low power on STM32**

1. Pick [STM32L](https://www.ampheoelec.de/search/STM32L) / STM32U for [battery products](https://www.onzuu.com/category/battery-products). 
2. Use Stop/Standby/Shutdown rather than just “while(1) idle”. 
3. Turn off/gate clocks & peripherals you don’t need (UART, [ADC](https://www.onzuu.com/category/analog-to-digital-converters), timers, etc.). 
4. Use RTC/LSE wisely for wakeup; keep wakeups short and infrequent.