Resistor Color Code Calculator
Pick the band colors to get the resistance and its tolerance range. Or type a value to find its color bands.
How to read the bands
On a 4-band resistor, the first two bands are significant digits, the third is the multiplier (a power of ten), and the last is the tolerance. A 5-band resistor has three significant digits and is common on precision parts of 1% or better. The tolerance band (often gold or silver) usually sits slightly apart from the others, so start reading from the opposite end.
Worked example: yellow, violet, red, gold
- First two bands Yellow (4) and Violet (7) → 47
- Third band Red is ×100 → 47 × 100 = 4,700 Ω = 4.7 kΩ
- Fourth band Gold is ±5% → the real value is 4.465 kΩ to 4.935 kΩ
Resistor color code chart
| Color | Digit | Multiplier | Tolerance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 0 | ×1 | — |
| Brown | 1 | ×10 | ±1% |
| Red | 2 | ×100 | ±2% |
| Orange | 3 | ×1k | — |
| Yellow | 4 | ×10k | — |
| Green | 5 | ×100k | ±0.5% |
| Blue | 6 | ×1M | ±0.25% |
| Violet | 7 | ×10M | ±0.1% |
| Grey | 8 | ×100M | ±0.05% |
| White | 9 | ×1G | — |
| Gold | — | ×0.1 | ±5% |
| Silver | — | ×0.01 | ±10% |
Color bands of common resistor values
| Value | Bands (4-band, ±5%) |
|---|---|
| Value10 Ω | Bands (4-band, ±5%)Brown · Black · Black · Gold |
| Value100 Ω | Bands (4-band, ±5%)Brown · Black · Brown · Gold |
| Value220 Ω | Bands (4-band, ±5%)Red · Red · Brown · Gold |
| Value330 Ω | Bands (4-band, ±5%)Orange · Orange · Brown · Gold |
| Value470 Ω | Bands (4-band, ±5%)Yellow · Violet · Brown · Gold |
| Value1 kΩ | Bands (4-band, ±5%)Brown · Black · Red · Gold |
| Value2.2 kΩ | Bands (4-band, ±5%)Red · Red · Red · Gold |
| Value4.7 kΩ | Bands (4-band, ±5%)Yellow · Violet · Red · Gold |
| Value10 kΩ | Bands (4-band, ±5%)Brown · Black · Orange · Gold |
| Value47 kΩ | Bands (4-band, ±5%)Yellow · Violet · Orange · Gold |
| Value100 kΩ | Bands (4-band, ±5%)Brown · Black · Yellow · Gold |
| Value1 MΩ | Bands (4-band, ±5%)Brown · Black · Green · Gold |
Checked on our bench: twelve ±5% resistors, measured
The numbers below are computed from values the site owner recorded in lab classes. Measured values are left exactly as recorded.
Twelve gold-band (±5%) carbon film resistors from a lab class, measured with a multimeter. The numbers show that the bands give you a tolerance window, not an exact value.
| Band value | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band value100 Ω | Part 1101.35 Ω (+1.3%) | Part 298.86 Ω (−1.1%) | Part 398.12 Ω (−1.9%) | Mean−0.6% |
| Band value1 kΩ | Part 11.0435 kΩ (+4.4%) | Part 21.0212 kΩ (+2.1%) | Part 3981.4 Ω (−1.9%) | Mean+1.5% |
| Band value10 kΩ | Part 110.1 kΩ (+1.0%) | Part 210.086 kΩ (+0.9%) | Part 310.041 kΩ (+0.4%) | Mean+0.8% |
| Band value100 kΩ | Part 198.98 kΩ (−1.0%) | Part 2100.52 kΩ (+0.5%) | Part 398.55 kΩ (−1.4%) | Mean−0.6% |
- All twelve were inside ±5%. The furthest out was +4.35%.
- The three 1 kΩ parts spread from 981.4 Ω to 1.0435 kΩ: nearly 6% apart with identical bands.
- Parts of one value tended to lean the same way (the 1 kΩ set read high on average, the 100 kΩ set mostly low).
So: the value this calculator reads is the nominal value for your design. Where two resistors have to match, as in a bridge or a difference amplifier, measure and pair them or buy ±1% parts. In a lab report, using the measured resistance in the theory column keeps the error analysis clean (see the percent error calculator).
Reading bands at the bench
Reading a resistor you've never seen
- Hold the resistor so the tolerance band (often gold or silver, or a band set slightly apart) is on the right.
- Choose 4, 5 or 6 bands and pick each colour from left to right.
- Read the value and the allowed range, then confirm with a multimeter if the colours are hard to tell apart.
Bands people misread
- Reading from the wrong end. If the result is not a standard value (for example it comes out as 42 Ω when read one way), turn the resistor around and try again.
- Confusing similar colours. Brown, red and orange look alike under warm light, and blue body paint on metal-film resistors hides blue and green bands. Daylight or a white LED helps.
- Reading a 5-band part as 4-band. Precision resistors use three digit bands. A blue-bodied resistor with five bands is almost always a 1% metal-film part.
When to trust the meter over the bands
Sort a new kit with a multimeter once and label the strips; it is faster than decoding colours every time. If a measured value is outside the tolerance band, the resistor may have been overheated, which often darkens or cracks the paint. In 6-band resistors the last band is the temperature coefficient, which matters only for precision or wide-temperature designs.
Frequently asked questions
Which end of a resistor do I read from?
Start from the end opposite the tolerance band, which is usually gold or silver. The tolerance band often sits slightly apart from the others, so the end where the bands are bunched together is the start.
What is the difference between 4-band and 5-band resistors?
A 4-band resistor has two significant digits and a 5-band resistor has three. Five bands are used on precision parts (usually metal film, 1% or better) so they can show finer values such as 4.99 kΩ.
What are the color bands for 220 Ω, 1 kΩ and 10 kΩ?
On a 4-band resistor: 220 Ω is red, red, brown; 1 kΩ is brown, black, red; 10 kΩ is brown, black, orange. A gold fourth band means ±5%. The chart below lists more common values.
My resistor has numbers instead of color bands. How do I read it?
Surface-mount (SMD) chip resistors are printed with a number code instead: 103 means 10 followed by three zeros, or 10 kΩ. Use the SMD resistor code calculator for 3-digit, 4-digit and EIA-96 markings.
My multimeter reading differs from the color code. Is the part bad?
Not if it falls within the tolerance. A 4.7 kΩ resistor with a gold (±5%) band is fine anywhere from 4.465 kΩ to 4.935 kΩ.