Resistor Color Code Calculator

Understanding Color Bands

Axial resistors use colored bands painted around the body to indicate their resistance value, tolerance, and sometimes temperature coefficient. The bands are read from left to right, starting from the band closest to one end of the resistor.

The first two (or three) bands represent the significant digits of the resistance value. The next band is the multiplier, which determines the power of ten to multiply the significant digits by. The final band indicates tolerance — how closely the actual resistance matches the stated value.

4-Band vs. 5-Band vs. 6-Band

4-band resistors are the most common. They use two significant digit bands, one multiplier band, and one tolerance band, providing two digits of precision (e.g., 47 kΩ).

5-band resistors add a third significant digit for higher precision (e.g., 470 kΩ ±1%). These are standard for precision and metal-film resistors.

6-band resistors include everything from 5-band plus a sixth band for the temperature coefficient (PPM/°C), indicating how resistance changes with temperature — critical for precision circuits.

Reading Tips

• Hold the resistor so the bands are grouped toward the left side. The tolerance band (often gold or silver) is usually spaced slightly further from the others.
• The first band is never black (a significant digit cannot start with zero).
• Gold and silver only appear as multiplier or tolerance bands, never as significant digits.
• If in doubt, verify the calculated value with a multimeter.

Color Code Reference Table