Resistor Color Code Calculator

Pick the band colors to read a resistor, or type a value to get its colors. 4 and 5-band.

SP-RC-01

SizePlate

Yellow · Violet · Red · Gold

4.7 kΩ

±5%

tolerance

Range: 4.465 kΩ – 4.935 kΩ
Standard value: Yes · E12
Exact: 4,700 Ω

Color code chart

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

Standard values (E12 and E24)

Series	Values (× any power of ten)
E12 · ±10%	1	1.2	1.5	1.8	2.2	2.7	3.3	3.9	4.7	5.6	6.8	8.2
E24 · ±5%	1	1.1	1.2	1.3	1.5	1.6	1.8	2	2.2	2.4	2.7	3
	3.3	3.6	3.9	4.3	4.7	5.1	5.6	6.2	6.8	7.5	8.2	9.1

Chart

SP-RC-01

Standard

IEC 60062 · IEC 60063

Rev

A · Oct 2026

Checked

2 references · sources

Read from the end with the band nearest a lead; the tolerance band, often gold or silver, sits apart at the other end. On a 6-band resistor, read the first five as a 5-band; the sixth is the temperature coefficient and doesn't change the value. Color names are printed next to every swatch, since several bands are hard to tell apart by color alone.

How the Bands Work

The first two bands (three on a 5-band resistor) are digits. The next band multiplies them by a power of ten, and the last is the tolerance. Brown, black, orange is 1, 0, ×1,000: 10 kΩ. Red, red, brown is 2, 2, ×10: 220 Ω.

Resistors are made in preferred values (IEC 60063) so that the tolerance ranges of neighboring values meet. The ±10% series has 12 values per decade (E12), ±5% has 24 (E24), and ±1% has 96 (E96). If a reading isn’t a preferred value, check whether you’re reading from the wrong end.

Questions

What is yellow, violet, red, gold?

4.7 kΩ ±5%. Yellow is 4, violet is 7, red multiplies by 100, and gold is ±5% tolerance, so 47 × 100 = 4,700 Ω.

Which end do I read from?

Start from the end with the band nearest a lead. The tolerance band, usually gold or silver on 4-band resistors, often sits a little apart at the other end.

What's the difference between a 4-band and a 5-band resistor?

A 5-band resistor has three significant digits instead of two, for values like 4.99 kΩ that are common in precision (±1%) resistors. Read it the same way with one more digit.