Resistor color code calculator
Pick the colors on the part — or type the ohms — and the bands, value, tolerance and temperature coefficient update live. The full resistor color code chart is below the tool, printable for the bench. More bench math lives on the electronics hub.
4.7 kΩ
yellow – violet – red – gold
| Value | – |
| Tolerance | ±5% — 4.47 kΩ to 4.94 kΩ |
| Temperature coefficient | – |
| E-series match | – |
Resistor color code chart
Every digit, multiplier, tolerance and temperature-coefficient color per IEC 60062. Print it for the bench — the form and the copy drop out.
| Color | Digit |
|---|---|
| black | 0 |
| brown | 1 |
| red | 2 |
| orange | 3 |
| yellow | 4 |
| green | 5 |
| blue | 6 |
| violet | 7 |
| grey | 8 |
| white | 9 |
| Color | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| black | ×1 |
| brown | ×10 |
| red | ×100 |
| orange | ×1,000 |
| yellow | ×10,000 |
| green | ×100,000 |
| blue | ×1,000,000 |
| violet | ×10,000,000 |
| grey | ×100,000,000 |
| white | ×1,000,000,000 |
| gold | ×0.1 |
| silver | ×0.01 |
| Color | Tolerance |
|---|---|
| brown | ±1% |
| red | ±2% |
| green | ±0.5% |
| blue | ±0.25% |
| violet | ±0.1% |
| grey | ±0.05% |
| gold | ±5% |
| silver | ±10% |
| Color | Tempco |
|---|---|
| black | 250 ppm/K |
| brown | 100 ppm/K |
| red | 50 ppm/K |
| orange | 15 ppm/K |
| yellow | 25 ppm/K |
Gold and silver never appear as digit bands; the tempco band only shows up on 6-band precision parts.
Reading the code without a chart
A 4-band resistor reads digit, digit, multiplier, tolerance. Yellow-violet-red-gold is 4, 7, ×100, ±5% — 4.7 kΩ, the most common pull-up on hobby boards. Five-band parts add a third digit: brown-black-black-red-brown is 1, 0, 0, ×100, ±1%, exactly 10.0 kΩ. A sixth band adds the temperature coefficient in ppm/K — brown is 100, red is 50.
Start from the end away from the tolerance band: it sits slightly apart from the group, and gold or silver is never a digit. If neither end is gold or silver, the bands cluster toward the first lead. Body color is not part of the code — tan is usually 5% carbon film, blue-grey 1% metal film — but it hints at whether to expect four bands or five.
Values follow the E24 and E96 preferred series: 24 or 96 logarithmic steps per decade, spaced so the tolerance windows overlap. Any value you measure or calculate lands within one step of a stock part, which is why the reverse mode snaps 5 kΩ to 5.1 kΩ and says so in the note.
Once you have the value, the Ohm's law calculator turns it into current and power, and the LED resistor calculator picks the next E24 value up for a safe series resistor. Every tool is linked from the electronics hub.
Frequently asked questions
How do I read a 4-band resistor?
The first two bands are digits, the third is the multiplier, the fourth is tolerance. Yellow-violet-red-gold reads 4, 7, ×100, ±5% — that is 47 × 100 = 4.7 kΩ, and the real part can sit anywhere from about 4.47 kΩ to 4.94 kΩ. Pick the four colors in the calculator above and it does the same math.
Which side of a resistor do I start reading from?
From the end away from the tolerance band. The tolerance band sits slightly apart from the group, and gold or silver can only ever be a multiplier or tolerance — never a first digit — so an end band in gold or silver belongs on the right. If neither end is gold or silver, start from the side where the bands sit closest to the lead.
What is the difference between 4, 5 and 6-band resistors?
Precision. A 4-band resistor carries two significant digits and is usually a ±5% E24 part. A 5-band adds a third digit, covering ±1% E96 values like 4.75 kΩ that 4 bands cannot express. A 6-band part appends a temperature coefficient in ppm/K — brown means 100 ppm/K, red 50 ppm/K — used where value drift with heat matters.
What do E24 and E96 mean?
They are the preferred-value series from IEC 60063: 24 and 96 logarithmically spaced values per decade. E24 gives 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 … 8.2, 9.1 for 5% parts; E96 fills the gaps for 1% parts. Any calculated resistance — say 5 kΩ out of a divider — is bought as the nearest stock value, 5.1 kΩ in E24, which is why the reverse mode reports the snap.
Why do resistors have different body colors?
Body color is construction, not code. Tan or beige bodies are typically 5% carbon-film parts with four bands; blue or grey-blue bodies are 1% metal-film parts with five. The band colors mean exactly the same thing on both — the body just hints at how many bands to expect before you look closely.