How do I read a 4-band resistor?

The first two bands are digits, the third is the multiplier (power of ten), and the fourth is the tolerance. For example, Yellow-Violet-Red-Gold = 47 × 100 = 4,700 Ω ±5%.

What is the difference between 4-band and 5-band resistors?

5-band resistors have three digit bands instead of two, giving more precision. They are common in precision resistors (±1% or better).

What does the 6th band represent?

The 6th band indicates the temperature coefficient (ppm/°C) - how much the resistance changes per degree Celsius. Lower values mean more stability.

Why does my resistor color not appear?

Gold and Silver cannot be used as digit bands; they are only valid for the multiplier or tolerance position. Make sure you are reading the bands from left to right (starting from the side closest to a band).

Resistor Color Code Calculator - 4, 5 & 6 Band

How to read resistor color codes

Resistors use colored bands to indicate their resistance value and tolerance. Reading them correctly requires knowing the position of each band and what each color represents.

Color code chart

The mnemonic B B ROY of Great Britain has a Very Good Wife covers the digit colors 0–9: Black, Brown, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet, Grey, White. Gold and Silver are used only for the multiplier (×0.1, ×0.01) and tolerance bands.

4-band vs 5-band vs 6-band resistors

Most common resistors have 4 bands. Precision resistors (≤1% tolerance) typically have 5 bands for an extra digit of accuracy. High-stability or military-spec resistors add a 6th band for temperature coefficient.

Tolerance and range

A 4.7 kΩ ±5% resistor (Yellow-Violet-Red-Gold) will measure between 4,465 Ω and 4,935 Ω and still be within spec. Use tighter tolerances (±1% or ±0.5%) in precision circuits.

Full color code chart

Color	Digit value	Multiplier	Tolerance
Black	0	1	—
Brown	1	10	±1%
Red	2	100	±2%
Orange	3	1 k	—
Yellow	4	10 k	—
Green	5	100 k	±0.5%
Blue	6	1 M	±0.25%
Violet	7	10 M	±0.1%
Gray	8	100 M	±0.05%
White	9	1 G	—
Gold	—	0.1	±5%
Silver	—	0.01	±10%

Temperature coefficient (6th band)

5-band and 6-band precision resistors have a temperature coefficient band indicating how much the resistance changes with temperature (ppm/°C = parts per million per degree Celsius):

Brown: 100 ppm/°C
Red: 50 ppm/°C
Orange: 15 ppm/°C (common in precision metal-film resistors)
Yellow: 25 ppm/°C

A resistor with 100 ppm/°C and 10 kΩ nominal changes by 1 Ω per degree of temperature change.

SMD resistor codes

Surface-mount resistors (SMD/SMT) use a numeric code rather than color bands:

3-digit code: first two digits are significant digits; the third is the multiplier (number of zeros). Example: 103 = 10 × 10³ = 10 kΩ. 470 = 47 Ω (0 zeros).
4-digit code: first three digits are significant; the fourth is the multiplier. Example: 4702 = 470 × 10² = 47 kΩ.
EIA-96 code: used for 1% precision SMDs. A two-digit number codes the significant value from a lookup table; a letter codes the multiplier.