Decode resistor color bands to find resistance value, and calculate series or parallel combinations.
| Color | Digit | Multiplier | Tolerance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 0 | ×1e0 | — |
| Brown | 1 | ×1e1 | ±1% |
| Red | 2 | ×1e2 | ±2% |
| Orange | 3 | ×1e3 | — |
| Yellow | 4 | ×1e4 | — |
| Green | 5 | ×1e5 | ±0.5% |
| Blue | 6 | ×1e6 | ±0.25% |
| Violet | 7 | ×1e7 | ±0.1% |
| Gray | 8 | ×1e8 | ±0.05% |
| White | 9 | ×1e9 | — |
| Gold | — | ×0.1 | ±5% |
| Silver | — | ×0.01 | ±10% |
Decode resistor color bands to find resistance value, or find the color code for a known resistance, with our free resistor calculator.
Resistor color bands each represent a digit or multiplier based on a standard color code (black=0, brown=1, red=2, etc.), with a final band indicating tolerance. This calculator translates between color bands and numeric resistance values using the standard 4-band or 5-band color code system.
4-band resistors have 2 significant digits plus a multiplier and tolerance band; 5-band resistors have 3 significant digits for higher precision, plus multiplier and tolerance.
It shows how much the actual resistance may vary from the stated value (e.g., gold = ±5%, silver = ±10%), accounting for manufacturing variation.
Color codes remain readable regardless of component orientation and are historically standardized for small components where printed text would be difficult to read.
Yes, surface-mount (SMD) resistors typically use printed numeric codes instead of color bands due to their small size.