Resistor Color Code Calculator
Select the color bands on a 4-band or 5-band resistor to decode its value and tolerance. Instant result with visual band preview and full reference table.
Last updated: May 2026
Select all band colors to decode the resistor value.
4-band: digit Ā· digit Ā· multiplier Ā· tolerance | 5-band: digit Ā· digit Ā· digit Ā· multiplier Ā· tolerance
Full color code reference
| Color | Digit value | Multiplier | Tolerance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 0 | Ć1 Ī© | ā |
| Brown | 1 | Ć10 Ī© | Ā±1% |
| Red | 2 | Ć100 Ī© | Ā±2% |
| Orange | 3 | Ć1 kĪ© | ā |
| Yellow | 4 | Ć10 kĪ© | ā |
| Green | 5 | Ć100 kĪ© | Ā±0.5% |
| Blue | 6 | Ć1 MĪ© | Ā±0.25% |
| Violet | 7 | ā | Ā±0.1% |
| Grey | 8 | ā | Ā±0.05% |
| White | 9 | ā | ā |
| Gold | ā | Ć0.1 Ī© | Ā±5% |
| Silver | ā | Ć0.01 Ī© | Ā±10% |
| None | ā | ā | Ā±20% |
How to read a resistor
- Hold the resistor so the gold or silver tolerance band is on the right. Read left to right.
- 4-band: band 1 = first digit, band 2 = second digit, band 3 = multiplier, band 4 = tolerance.
- 5-band (precision, 1% or better): band 1ā3 = three digits, band 4 = multiplier, band 5 = tolerance.
- If you can't tell which end to start from: gold/silver is always the tolerance band at the right.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I tell a 4-band resistor from a 5-band?
Count the colored bands ā 4-band resistors have four stripes, 5-band have five. 5-band components are typically precision (1% or better tolerance) and are slightly more expensive. If a resistor has a brown, red or grey tolerance band (not gold or silver), it is very likely a 5-band. In the part bin, 4-band gold tolerance resistors are the most common type.
The bands are hard to read ā how do I measure it instead?
Set your multimeter to resistance (Ī©) mode, touch the probes to each leg and read the value directly. This is more reliable than trying to identify faded or ambiguous colors, especially for very small resistors (0402, 0603 SMD). For SMD components, the value is usually printed as a 3- or 4-digit code directly on the part.
What does a resistor with only three bands mean?
Three-band resistors are treated as 4-band with an implied gold (Ā±5%) tolerance. The third band is the multiplier. They are older and less common today. Two-band resistors do not exist in standard IEC coding ā if you see two stripes, it is likely a diode or inductor, not a resistor.
Why does the color order matter ā can I read it backwards?
Reading backwards gives a completely different value. A 10 kĪ© Ā±5% resistor (Brown-Black-Orange-Gold) read backwards (Gold-Orange-Black-Brown) would decode as 0.3 Ī© Ā±1% ā wrong by a factor of 33,000. The tolerance band (gold or silver) is always on the right, or positioned with a wider gap from the other bands. When in doubt, measure with a multimeter.