Introduction:
Resistors are the most fundamental and commonly used of all the electronic components, to the point where they are almost taken for granted but they play a vital role within a circuit.
The principal job of a resistor within an electrical or electronic circuit is to “resist” , regulate or to set the flow of electrons (current) through them by using the type of conductive material from which they are composed. Resistors can also be connected together in various series and parallel combinations to form resistor networks which can act as voltage droppers, voltage dividers or current limiters within a circuit.
Resistors Color Code:
Resistor Colour Coding uses coloured bands to easily identify a resistors resistive value and its percentage tolerance.
How to Use the Resistor Color Code Calculator
Are you having trouble reading resistor color codes? If your answer is yes, then this tool is specifically designed for you! Our Resistor Color Code Calculator is a handy tool for reading carbon-composition resistors whether it's a 4-band, 5-band or 6-band type.
To use this tool, simply click on a particular color and number and watch how the actual bands on the resistor illustration change. The resistance value is displayed on the field below together with the tolerance and the temperature coefficient.
Resistor Band Colors
As shown above, a carbon-composition resistor can have 4 to 6 bands. A 5-band resistor is more precise compared to a 4-band type because of the inclusion of a third significant digit. A 6-band resistor is like a 5-band resistor but includes a temperature coefficient band (the 6th band).
| 4-band | 5-band | 6-band | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st band | 1st significant digit | 1st significant digit | 1st significant digit |
| 2nd band | 2nd significant digit | 2nd significant digit | 2nd significant digit |
| 3rd band | multiplier | 3rd significant digit |
3rd significant digit |
| 4th band | tolerance | multiplier | multiplier |
| 5th band | N/A | tolerance | tolerance |
| 6th band | N/A | N/A | temperature coefficient |
Each color represents a number if it's located from the 1st to 2nd band for a 4-band type or 1st to 3rd band for a 5-band and 6-band type.
| Color | Value |
|---|---|
|
Black (2nd and 3rd bands only) |
0 |
| Brown | 1 |
| Red | 2 |
| Orange | 3 |
| Yellow | 4 |
| Green | 5 |
| Blue | 6 |
| Violet | 7 |
| Grey | 8 |
| White | 9 |
Mnemonics were created to easily memorize the sequence of the colors. The most popular mnemonic is "Big Boys Race Our Young Girls But Violet Generally Wins" where the first letter of each word corresponds to the first letter of the color.
If the color is found on the 3rd band for a 4-band type or the 4th band for a 5-band and 6-band type, then it's a multiplier.
| Color | Value |
|---|---|
|
Black |
x1 |
| Brown | x10 |
| Red | x100 |
| Orange | x1000 |
| Yellow | x10000 |
| Green | x100000 |
| Blue | x1000000 |
| Violet | x10000000 |
| Grey | x100000000 |
| White | x1000000000 |
Notice that the number of zeroes is equal to the color's number as per the previous table.
The fourth band (or 5th for the 5-band and 6-band) indicates the tolerance values. Here, two colors are added (gold and silver).
| Color | Value |
|---|---|
|
Black |
N/A |
| Brown | ±1% |
| Red | ±2% |
| Orange | ±3% |
| Yellow | ±4% |
| Green | ±0.5% |
| Blue | ±0.25% |
| Violet | ±0.10% |
| Grey | ±0.05% |
| White | N/A |
| Gold | ±5% |
| Silver | ±10% |