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How to Read Resistor Color Codes: 4-Band and 5-Band

4 min read · Last updated: 2026-05-08

What are resistor color codes?

Small resistors use colored bands instead of printed numbers to indicate their value. The 4-band and 5-band (or 6-band) systems are most common.

Color code table

ColorDigitMultiplierTolerance
Black0×1
Brown1×10±1%
Red2×100±2%
Orange3×1k
Yellow4×10k
Green5×100k±0.5%
Blue6×1M±0.25%
Violet7×10M±0.1%
Gray8×100M±0.05%
White9×1G
Gold×0.1±5%
Silver×0.01±10%

Reading a 4-band resistor

Band 1, 2: significant digits (tens, units)

Band 3: multiplier

Band 4: tolerance

Example: Yellow–Violet–Red–Gold = 4, 7, ×100, ±5% = 4,700 Ω ±5%

Reading a 5-band resistor (precision)

Band 1, 2, 3: significant digits (hundreds, tens, units)

Band 4: multiplier

Band 5: tolerance

Example: Brown–Black–Black–Red–Brown = 1, 0, 0, ×100, ±1% = 10,000 Ω (10 kΩ) ±1%

How to determine reading direction

  • The tolerance band (gold or silver) is always the last band — read from the opposite end.
  • The band with the wider gap to its neighbor is on the right (last).
  • Gold and silver are never used as the first band.

Key takeaways

  • 4-band: (D1×10 + D2) × multiplier ± tolerance
  • 5-band: (D1×100 + D2×10 + D3) × multiplier ± tolerance
  • Gold band = ±5%, Silver band = ±10% tolerance

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