Can’t read the stripes on a resistor? Pick the colors below and this free calculator shows the resistance, the tolerance and the reading your multimeter should show. You can also type a value, like 4.7k, to see which colors it has.
Find a resistor’s value from its color bands
Hold the resistor with the gold or silver band on the right, then pick each color from left to right.
Find the color code for a value
How to Read a Resistor Color Code
- Find the tolerance band. It is usually gold or silver and sits a little apart from the others. Turn the resistor so this band is on the right.
- Count the bands. A 4-band resistor has 2 digit bands. A 5-band or 6-band resistor has 3 digit bands.
- Read the digit bands from left to right and write down their numbers.
- The next band is the multiplier. It tells you how many zeros to add (gold means ×0.1 and silver means ×0.01).
- The last band is the tolerance. On a 6-band resistor, the extra band after it is the temperature coefficient.
Resistor Color Code Chart
| Color | Digit | Multiplier | Tolerance | Temp. coefficient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 0 | ×1 | – | 250 ppm/K |
| Brown | 1 | ×10 | ±1% | 100 ppm/K |
| Red | 2 | ×100 | ±2% | 50 ppm/K |
| Orange | 3 | ×1k | ±0.05% | 15 ppm/K |
| Yellow | 4 | ×10k | ±0.02% | 25 ppm/K |
| Green | 5 | ×100k | ±0.5% | 20 ppm/K |
| Blue | 6 | ×1M | ±0.25% | 10 ppm/K |
| Violet | 7 | ×10M | ±0.1% | 5 ppm/K |
| Grey | 8 | ×100M | ±0.01% | 1 ppm/K |
| White | 9 | ×1G | – | – |
| Gold | – | ×0.1 | ±5% | – |
| Silver | – | ×0.01 | ±10% | – |
| No band | – | – | ±20% | – |
An easy way to remember the digit colors in order (black to white) is the phrase “Bad Beer Rots Our Young Guts But Vodka Goes Well”.
Resistor Color Code Examples
Red, Red, Brown, Gold
Red = 2, red = 2, brown = ×10, so the value is 22 × 10 = 220 Ω. Gold means ±5%, so a good resistor measures between 209 Ω and 231 Ω. This is the resistor I test in my resistance guide, where it reads 218 Ω.
Brown, Black, Orange, Gold
Brown = 1, black = 0, orange = ×1,000, so the value is 10 × 1,000 = 10 kΩ, with ±5% tolerance (9.5 kΩ to 10.5 kΩ).
Yellow, Violet, Black, Brown, Brown (5 bands)
Yellow = 4, violet = 7, black = 0, brown = ×10, so the value is 470 × 10 = 4.7 kΩ. The last brown band means ±1%, so it should measure between 4.653 kΩ and 4.747 kΩ.
4-Band, 5-Band and 6-Band Resistors
- 4-band: two digits, a multiplier and a tolerance. These are usually ±5% carbon film resistors with a beige body.
- 5-band: three digits, a multiplier and a tolerance. These are usually ±1% metal film resistors, often with a blue body.
- 6-band: the same as 5-band, plus a temperature coefficient band. It shows how much the value changes for each degree of temperature, in ppm/K (parts per million per kelvin).
Check the Resistor with Your Multimeter
The color code tells you what the resistor should be. A multimeter tells you what it really is, and it also catches resistors that have drifted or burnt out. Heat can also darken the bands, so red, orange and brown can be hard to tell apart.
- Turn off the power and take the resistor out of the circuit (or lift one leg), so other parts don’t change the reading.
- Set your multimeter to the Ω range just above the value, or use auto-range.
- Don’t hold both metal leads with your fingers. Your body adds resistance in parallel and lowers the reading on high values. Alligator clip leads make this easy.
- Compare the reading with the range the calculator shows. A reading outside it, OL, or close to 0 Ω means the resistor is faulty.
For the full step-by-step method, read how to measure resistance with a multimeter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which end of a resistor do I start reading from?
Start from the end away from the tolerance band. The tolerance band is usually gold or silver and sits a little apart from the other bands. The first band is normally closer to the end of the resistor.
What does a gold or silver band mean?
As the last band, gold means ±5% tolerance and silver means ±10%. As the multiplier band, gold means ×0.1 and silver means ×0.01, which is how values below 10 Ω are marked.
What is the color code for a 10k resistor?
On a 4-band resistor, 10 kΩ is Brown, Black, Orange, then the tolerance band (usually Gold). On a 5-band resistor it is Brown, Black, Black, Red, then the tolerance band (usually Brown).
What is the color code for a 1k resistor?
On a 4-band resistor, 1 kΩ is Brown, Black, Red, then the tolerance band. On a 5-band resistor it is Brown, Black, Black, Brown, then the tolerance band.
Why does my multimeter read a little different from the color code?
That is normal. A resistor only has to be within its tolerance, so a 220 Ω ±5% resistor can read anywhere from 209 Ω to 231 Ω. Your test leads also add a small resistance, which matters most on low values.
What does a resistor with one black band mean?
A single black band marks a zero-ohm resistor. It works as a jumper wire on a circuit board, so your multimeter should read close to 0 Ω.