How to easily read and interpret resistor color code. Resistor color code chart and step by step guide.
This page contains the following quick jump entries:
Resistor color code chart Step by step guide to reading a 5 band resistor color codeTo quickly go to any of the above page areas simply click on its corresponding quick jump entry.
Resistor color code chart
| COLOR | 1st BAND | 2nd BAND | 3rd BAND | MULTIPLIER | TOLERANCE |
| Black | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 Ω | |
| Brown | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 Ω | ±1% |
| Red | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100 Ω | ±2% |
| Orange | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 KΩ | |
| Yellow | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 KΩ | |
| Green | 5 | 5 | 5 | 100 KΩ | ±0.5% |
| Blue | 6 | 6 | 6 | 1 MΩ | ±0.25% |
| Violet | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 MΩ | ±0.10% |
| Grey | 8 | 8 | 8 | ±0.05% | |
| White | 9 | 9 | 9 | ||
| Gold | 0.1 Ω | ±5% | |||
| Silver | 0.01 Ω | ±10% |
Sample guide to reading a 5 band resistor color code
First find the tolerance band color. It will typically be gold (±5%) and sometimes silver (±10%).
Position the resistor so that the tolerance band is on the right (as pictured in the 5 band color resistor image). Identify the first band and look it up in the resistor color code chart (1st BAND column). Write down the number associated with that color. In our example above the first band color is Red, which corresponds in the resistor color chart to value 2.
Now read in order, from left to right, the second color band. Look it up in the resistor color code chart (2nd BAND column). In our 5 band resistor sample the second color band is Orange, so write down value 3 next to the 2. You should have 23 so far.
Read the third resistor color band which corresponds to the 3rd BAND column in the chart. Write down the value found. In our example the 3rd band color is Violet, so write down 7. You should have 237 so far.
The fourth color band is the multiplier. Again, look that color up in the resistor color coding chart. If the multiplier band is Black you may skip the next step. If the multiplier band is different than Black, multiply the value written so far with the one from the resistor color chart.
In our example the multiplier band color is Black, so we should multiply 237 with 1 Ω.
We have completely discovered the sample resistor color code value. It is 237 Ω.
The 5th resistor color band corresponds to the tolerance. Simply look up the color printed on the resistor for the tolerance band in the resistor color code chart above. In our example the tolerance band color is Brown so the tolerance value is ±1%.
If the resistor has one more band past the tolerance band it is a quality band. Read the corresponding color number from the 1st BAND column. It is specified as the '% Failure rate per 1000 hour'. This is rated assuming full wattage being applied to the resistors. To improve the failure rates resistors are typically required having twice the needed wattage dissipation that the circuit they are used in produces.
top