Resistor Color Code Calculator
Tap the colour bands to get the resistance and its range, or type a value to see its colours, the nearest standard value and its SMD code.
Tap a band above, then its colour. The next band is picked for you. Read from the end with the band nearest the edge.
Any style works: 4700, 4.7k, 4k7, 220R, 0R22, 1M5, 2.2 MΩ.
3-digit (472), 4-digit (4702), R as the decimal point (4R7, R10) or EIA-96 (01C, 68X).
Separate with commas: 1k, 2k2, 470R.
Standard resistor values (E6 to E96)
One decade of each IEC 60063 series. Multiply by 0.1, 1, 10, 100, 1k and so on: 47 also means 4.7 Ω, 470 Ω, 4.7 kΩ, 47 kΩ…
E6 ±20%
1.0 1.5 2.2 3.3 4.7 6.8
E12 ±10%
1.0 1.2 1.5 1.8 2.2 2.7 3.3 3.9 4.7 5.6 6.8 8.2
E24 ±5%
1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.5 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.7 3.0 3.3 3.6 3.9 4.3 4.7 5.1 5.6 6.2 6.8 7.5 8.2 9.1
E48 ±2%
1.00 1.05 1.10 1.15 1.21 1.27 1.33 1.40 1.47 1.54 1.62 1.69 1.78 1.87 1.96 2.05 2.15 2.26 2.37 2.49 2.61 2.74 2.87 3.01 3.16 3.32 3.48 3.65 3.83 4.02 4.22 4.42 4.64 4.87 5.11 5.36 5.62 5.90 6.19 6.49 6.81 7.15 7.50 7.87 8.25 8.66 9.09 9.53
E96 ±1%
1.00 1.02 1.05 1.07 1.10 1.13 1.15 1.18 1.21 1.24 1.27 1.30 1.33 1.37 1.40 1.43 1.47 1.50 1.54 1.58 1.62 1.65 1.69 1.74 1.78 1.82 1.87 1.91 1.96 2.00 2.05 2.10 2.15 2.21 2.26 2.32 2.37 2.43 2.49 2.55 2.61 2.67 2.74 2.80 2.87 2.94 3.01 3.09 3.16 3.24 3.32 3.40 3.48 3.57 3.65 3.74 3.83 3.92 4.02 4.12 4.22 4.32 4.42 4.53 4.64 4.75 4.87 4.99 5.11 5.23 5.36 5.49 5.62 5.76 5.90 6.04 6.19 6.34 6.49 6.65 6.81 6.98 7.15 7.32 7.50 7.68 7.87 8.06 8.25 8.45 8.66 8.87 9.09 9.31 9.53 9.76
How your resistor is worked out
Digits × multiplier, then ± the tolerance.
- 1
Read the digits
Yellow 4, Violet 7= 47
- 2
Multiply
Red = ×10047 × 100= 4,700 Ω
- 3
Tolerance range
Gold = ±5%4,700 ± 235= 4,465–4,935 Ω
- 4
Standard value?
4.7 kΩ is inE6, E12, E24= a standard value
Read more: the formula, worked examples, colour chart, E-series and SMD codes
Most through-hole resistors are marked with coloured bands instead of numbers. The first bands are digits, the next is a multiplier (how many zeros to add), then comes the tolerance (how far the real value may be from the marked one) and, on 6-band parts, the temperature coefficient.
The formula
resistance = digits × multiplier
lowest = resistance × (1 − tolerance ÷ 100)
highest = resistance × (1 + tolerance ÷ 100)
change with heat = resistance × ppm × temperature change ÷ 1,000,000
series = R1 + R2 + …
parallel = 1 ÷ (1 ÷ R1 + 1 ÷ R2 + …)
Worked example
A 4-band resistor coloured yellow, violet, red, gold. Yellow is 4 and violet is 7, so the digits are 47. Red is ×100, so the value is 47 × 100 = 4,700 Ω (4.7 kΩ). Gold is ±5%, and 5% of 4,700 is 235, so the real value is between 4,700 − 235 = 4,465 Ω and 4,700 + 235 = 4,935 Ω. 4.7 kΩ is in the E6, E12 and E24 series, so it is a standard value.
A 6-band resistor coloured orange, orange, black, brown, brown, red: the digits are 330, brown is ×10, so 330 × 10 = 3,300 Ω. Brown tolerance is ±1% (3,267 Ω to 3,333 Ω). The red sixth band is 50 ppm/°C: a 50 °C rise changes it by 3,300 × 50 × 50 ÷ 1,000,000 = 8.25 Ω, to 3,308.25 Ω.
Colour chart
| Colour | Digit | Multiplier | Tolerance | Temp. coeff. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 0 | ×1 | – | 250 ppm/°C |
| Brown | 1 | ×10 | ±1% | 100 ppm/°C |
| Red | 2 | ×100 | ±2% | 50 ppm/°C |
| Orange | 3 | ×1k | ±0.05% | 15 ppm/°C |
| Yellow | 4 | ×10k | ±0.02% | 25 ppm/°C |
| Green | 5 | ×100k | ±0.5% | 20 ppm/°C |
| Blue | 6 | ×1M | ±0.25% | 10 ppm/°C |
| Violet | 7 | ×10M | ±0.1% | 5 ppm/°C |
| Grey | 8 | ×100M | ±0.01% | 1 ppm/°C |
| White | 9 | ×1G | – | – |
| Gold | – | ×0.1 | ±5% | – |
| Silver | – | ×0.01 | ±10% | – |
| Pink | – | ×0.001 | – | – |
| No band | – | – | ±20% | – |
A handy way to remember the digit order (black 0 to white 9): “Better Be Right Or Your Great Big Venture Goes West”.
Value to colours
Write the value in ohms, keep the first two figures (three on 5 and 6-band parts) and count the zeros left over for the multiplier. 220 Ω on 4 bands is 22 and one zero: red, red, brown. 4.7 Ω is 47 × 0.1: yellow, violet, gold. A 4-band part can't show 4.75 kΩ, so it rounds to 4.8 kΩ; a 5-band part shows it exactly (yellow, violet, green, brown).
Standard values (E series)
Resistors are made in the preferred values of IEC 60063. Each series spaces its values evenly on a log scale, so that with its tolerance one value runs into the next: E6 for ±20%, E12 for ±10%, E24 for ±5%, E48 for ±2% and E96 for ±1%. If you need 4.6 kΩ, the nearest E12 value is 4.7 kΩ, which is 100 ÷ 4,600 = 2.17% high.
SMD codes
- 3-digit: two figures and the number of zeros. 472 = 47 and 2 zeros = 4,700 Ω. 103 = 10 kΩ.
- 4-digit: three figures and the number of zeros. 4702 = 470 and 2 zeros = 47 kΩ. 1001 = 1 kΩ.
- R or M mark a decimal point: 4R7 = 4.7 Ω, R10 = 0.1 Ω, and on current-sense parts 2M2 = 2.2 mΩ.
- EIA-96 (1% parts): a number 01–96 that points into the E96 list, then a letter for the multiplier (Z ×0.001, Y or R ×0.01, X or S ×0.1, A ×1, B or H ×10, C ×100, D ×1k, E ×10k, F ×100k). 01C = 100 × 100 = 10 kΩ; 68X = 499 × 0.1 = 49.9 Ω.
- 000 or a single 0 is a zero-ohm link, just like a single black band.
Series and parallel
1 kΩ and 2.2 kΩ in series make 1,000 + 2,200 = 3,200 Ω. In parallel they make 1 ÷ (1 ÷ 1,000 + 1 ÷ 2,200) = 2,200,000 ÷ 3,200 = 687.5 Ω. A parallel pair is always less than the smaller resistor.
Colour, tolerance and temperature-coefficient values follow IEC 60062:2016 (some older charts show grey as ±0.05% and leave out the black, green and grey temperature bands). Standard values follow IEC 60063. Colours can look different under warm light or on old parts that have faded or browned; a multimeter gives the final word.
Common questions
How do you read a 4-band resistor colour code?
The first two bands are digits, the third is the multiplier and the fourth is the tolerance. Yellow (4), violet (7), red (×100) and gold (±5%) give 47 × 100 = 4,700 Ω, or 4.7 kΩ. With ±5% the real value can be anywhere from 4,465 Ω to 4,935 Ω.
Which end of a resistor do you start reading from?
Start from the end with the band closest to the edge. The tolerance band, often gold or silver, is usually on the right with a wider gap before it. Gold and silver are never the first band, so if one is on the left, turn the resistor round. This calculator also shows what the bands would say read the other way.
What is the difference between 4, 5 and 6-band resistors?
A 4-band resistor has two digit bands, so it shows two significant figures, which suits ±5% and ±10% parts. A 5-band resistor has three digit bands for precise values such as 4.75 kΩ, usually ±1% or tighter. A 6-band resistor adds a sixth band for the temperature coefficient in ppm per °C.
What are E12 and E24 resistor values?
They are the standard values set out in IEC 60063. E12 has 12 values in each decade (10, 12, 15, 18, 22, 27, 33, 39, 47, 56, 68, 82) and goes with ±10% parts. E24 has 24 values for ±5% parts, while E48 and E96 cover ±2% and ±1% parts with three figures.
How do you read an SMD resistor code like 472 or 01C?
On a 3-digit code the first two digits are the value and the last is the number of zeros, so 472 is 47 followed by two zeros, which is 4,700 Ω. A 4-digit code works the same way with three figures. An R marks the decimal point (4R7 is 4.7 Ω). EIA-96 codes such as 01C look up 100 in the E96 list and multiply by 100, giving 10 kΩ.
What does the sixth band on a resistor mean?
It is the temperature coefficient: how much the resistance changes for each degree Celsius, in parts per million. Red is 50 ppm/°C, so a 3,300 Ω resistor changes by 3,300 × 50 ÷ 1,000,000 = 0.165 Ω per °C, or 8.25 Ω if it warms up by 50 °C.
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