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How to Read Resistor by Color Code
Introduction
Resistors are one of the most fundamental components used in
electronics and electrical circuits. To easily identify resistor values, a color
coding system is commonly used to mark the resistance on the body of
the resistor.
Learning how to read these color codes is an essential skill for anyone
working with electronics. In this comprehensive guide, we will cover:
What resistance and resistors are
Resistor color code systems
o 3 band
o 4 band
o 5 band
Decoding color bands to read resistance value
Calculating resistance from color codes
Determining tolerance from color code
Identifying special values like EIA
Practical examples and exercises
Common mistakes to avoid
Other resistor markings
Frequently asked questions
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After reading this tutorial, you will be able to easily decipher the color
codes to determine the resistance value of any common resistor. Let’s
jump in!
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What is Resistance and What are Resistors?
To understand resistor color codes, we first need to understand what
resistance means and what resistors are.
Resistance is the property of a material that opposes the flow of electric
current. It is measured in ohms and represented by the Greek symbol Ω.
Resistors are electrical components explicitly designed to provide
resistance in a circuit. Some key properties of resistors:
Made of resistive materials like carbon, wire windings, metal oxides
Designed with a certain resistance value
Used to limit current flow, divide voltages, damp signals, and more
Available in many form factors like axial, SMD chip, rectangular, etc.
By adding resistors into circuits, we can finely control voltages and
currents as needed. But to utilize them properly, we need to know their
resistance values. This is where resistor color coding comes in.
Resistor Color Code Systems
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There are a few standards for marking resistance values on resistors with
colored bands. Let’s look at the common systems.
3 Band Color Code
This system uses three colored bands to denote the resistance as
follows:<img src=”https://imgur.com/BEnfSfR.png” width=”200″>
1st and 2nd band – Digits for resistance value
3rd band – Multiplier
(Optional 4th band – Tolerance)
For example, green-blue-red equates to a 56 x 100 = 5600 Ω resistor. Very
simple and common coding.
4 Band Color Code
This expands the 3 band code by adding a 4th tolerance band:<img
src=”https://imgur.com/gBrjaXR.png” width=”200″>
1st band – 1st digit
2nd band – 2nd digit
3rd band – Decimal multiplier
4th band – Tolerance
So yellow-violet-red-gold decodes to 47 x 100 = 4700 Ω with 5% tolerance.
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5 Band Color Code
This further expands the code with an extra significant figure digit:<img
src=”https://imgur.com/Tbye4Wf.png” width=”250″>
1st and 2nd band – 1st and 2nd digit
3rd band – 3rd digit
4th band – Multiplier
5th band – Tolerance
For example, brown-black-orange-red-gold equates to 10,000 x 100 =
1,000,000 Ω ± 5% tolerance.
This allows expressing higher resistances with greater precision.
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Decoding the Color Bands
Each color in the sequence maps to a numeric digit or meaning as follows:
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Significant Figure Bands
Color Digit
Black 0
Brown 1
Red 2
Orange 3
Yellow 4
Green 5
Blue 6
Violet 7
Grey 8
White 9
Use the band colors to look up the digit values
Multiplier Band
Color Multiplier
Black 1
Brown 10
Red 100
Orange 1,000
Yellow 10,000
Green 100,000
Blue 1,000,000
Violet 10,000,000
Grey 100,000,000
White 1,000,000,000
Gold 0.1
Silver 0.01
The multiplier scales the significant figure value
Tolerance Bands
Color Tolerance
Brown 1%
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Color Tolerance
Red 2%
Green 0.5%
Blue 0.25%
Violet 0.1%
Grey 0.05%
Gold 5%
Silver 10%
None 20%
The tolerance indicates the acceptable resistance error
With these tables, you can find the digit, multiplier, and tolerance for any
color band.
Let’s look at some examples decoding 3, 4, and 5 band resistors
step-by-step:
Resistance Calculation Examples
3 Band Resistor
<img src=”https://i.imgur.com/BEnfSfR.png” width=”200″>
Orange – 3
Orange – 3
Red – x100
3,3 x 100 = 330 Ω
Simple as that!
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4 Band Resistor
<img src=”https://imgur.com/gBrjaXR.png” width=”200″>
Yellow – 4
Violet – 7
Red – x100
Gold – ±5% tolerance
4,7 x 100 = 470 Ω ± 5%
5 Band Resistor
<img src=”https://imgur.com/Tbye4Wf.png” width=”250″>
Brown – 1
Black – 0
Orange – 3
Red – x100
Gold – ±5% tolerance
1,0,3 x 100 = 1,030 Ω ± 5% tolerance
This method can be used to read any 3, 4, or 5 band through simple digit
look-up and multiplication.
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Determining Tolerance
Resistors
The color of the tolerance band indicates the precision of the marked
resistance value. Common tolerances include:
Brown – ±1%
Red – ±2%
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Gold – ±5%
Silver – ±10%
None – ±20%
Higher precision resistors have tighter tolerances printed on them. For
example, a gold band means the actual resistance should be within ±5% of
the marked value.
So a 100 Ω ± 5% resistor can have an actual resistance between 95 to 105
Ω. Tolerance gives the acceptable margin of error.
Identifying EIA Values
There is also a special variant of 4-band color codes for EIA preferred
values. It is denoted by:
1st and 2nd bands – Standard codes
3rd band – Decimal multiplier
4th band – Gold or silver ±5% tolerance
Gold as 4th band = EIA value x 0.1
Silver as 4th band = EIA value x 0.01
For example:<img src=”https://imgur.com/N5MWUqf.png” width=”200″>
Red-Red-Gold = 22 x 0.1 = 2.2 Ω
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Brown-Black-Silver = 10 x 0.01 = 0.1 Ω
Both are standard EIA values. This code helps identify them.
Practice Exercises
Let’s practice decoding some example resistor color codes:
1. Orange-Orange-Red
2. Brown-Green-Brown-Silver
3. Red-Violet-Yellow-Gold
4. Blue-Grey-Black-Brown
5. Green-Brown-Orange-None
Scroll down to check your work!
Solutions:
1. 33 x 100 = 3300 Ω
2. 15 x 10 = 150 Ω ± 10% tolerance
3. 27 x 10,000 = 270,000 Ω ± 5% tolerance
4. 68 x 1 = 68 Ω ± 1% tolerance
5. 58 x 1000 = 58,000 Ω ± 20% tolerance
How did you do? With practice, you will be able to read resistor codes
effortlessly.
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Common Mistakes
Here are some common mistakes to avoid when decoding resistor color
codes:
Forgetting the multiplier – Make sure to apply the multiplier band or
else your value will be way off.
Mixing up tolerance and multiplier – It’s easy to flip these two
adjacent bands by accident. Double check their order.
Misreading similar colors – Red/orange or blue/violet can look alike
on small resistors. Take care!
Assuming wrong # of bands – Always confirm the band count
before reading the resistor.
Decoding non-standard codes – Some resistors use custom codes.
Verify it is a standard scheme.
Faded colors – If bands fade to almost white, they may be
indistinguishable.
With experience, you will learn to avoid these pitfalls. When in doubt,
check the datasheet or use a multimeter to measure the actual resistance.
Other Resistor Markings
While color coding is the most common, resistors may also be marked in
other ways:
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Multiplier written numerically such as 10M or 10MΩ for 10 million
ohms
Tolerance written out like ±5% rather than color band
3 or 4 digit codes starting with the multiplier e.g. 471 = 470Ω
Actual resistance printed numerically e.g. 10k
SMD resistors marked with just a number string
So you may encounter alternate formats beyond the standard color codes.
With practice, you’ll learn to interpret all the common schemes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions about resistor color codes:
Q: Why are colors used instead of just printing the resistance value?
A: The color bands allow cheap, permanent, and unambiguous marking
without requiring printed text or symbols.
Q: What do more than 3 bands indicate on a resistor?
A: Additional bands denote tolerance and extra significant figure digits for
higher precision.
Q: Why do resistors have a tolerance?
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A: Due to manufacturing variations, the actual resistance cannot match
the target value exactly. Tolerance specifies the allowable error range.
Q: What is the gold or silver multiplier on 4-band resistors?
A: These denote EIA preferred values. Gold = multiply by 0.1, silver by 0.01.
Q: Can you read a resistor’s value without decoding the color bands?
A: Yes, you can directly measure a resistor’s resistance using a multimeter
if you need to confirm its value.
Conclusion
Understanding resistor color coding is indispensable for working with
resistors in circuit design and analysis. This guide provided a
comprehensive overview of decoding color bands including:
Resistor coding systems – 3, 4, and 5 band
Looking up digit values, multipliers, and tolerance
Calculating resistance from color codes
Identifying EIA values
Avoiding common mistakes
Handling non-standard markings
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With this knowledge, you can now easily decipher resistor color codes and
determine resistance values. Receiving a handful of resistors is no longer
an intimidating puzzle!
Practice reading a variety of example resistor color codes until it becomes
second nature. Mastery of these fundamentals will give you confidence
working with resistors and building circuits.
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