🎨 Resistor Color Code Calculator
Pick the color of each band to read a resistor's value and tolerance — with a live picture of the resistor as you go.
Resistance
1 kΩ
Tolerance
±5%
Range
950 Ω – 1.05 kΩ
Reads the IEC 60062 color code: the first bands are digits, the next is the ×10ⁿ multiplier, then tolerance (and, on 6-band resistors, the temperature coefficient). Read from the end nearest the bands, with the tolerance band (often gold/silver) last. 🔒 In your browser.
How the resistor color code calculator works
Resistors carry their value in colored bands: the first two or three are digits, the next is a ×10ⁿ multiplier, then a tolerance band, and on 6-band parts a temperature-coefficient band. The tool follows the IEC 60062 color code — Black 0, Brown 1, Red 2 and so on — combines the digits, applies the multiplier, and shows the resistance with SI prefixes plus the tolerance range.
Read the bands from the end where they're grouped closest, with the tolerance band (often gold or silver, and slightly separated) last. Gold and silver as the third band are fractional multipliers (×0.1 and ×0.01) for sub-10-ohm values.
Frequently asked questions
How do I read a resistor color code?
The first two bands (or three on a 5/6-band resistor) are digits, the next is the number of zeros (the ×10ⁿ multiplier), then tolerance. Brown-Black-Red-Gold is 1, 0, ×100 = 1,000 Ω (1 kΩ) at ±5%.
What are the resistor color code values?
Black 0, Brown 1, Red 2, Orange 3, Yellow 4, Green 5, Blue 6, Violet 7, Grey 8, White 9 — as digits, and the same colors as ×10ⁿ multipliers. Gold ×0.1 and Silver ×0.01 handle small values.
What does the gold or silver band mean?
As the tolerance band, gold is ±5% and silver ±10% — the two most common. As a multiplier band, gold is ×0.1 and silver ×0.01, used for resistors below 10 Ω.
What is the difference between 4, 5 and 6-band resistors?
4-band has two digit bands (±2%–20% tolerance); 5-band adds a third digit for a more precise value (typically ±1% or better); 6-band adds a temperature-coefficient band showing how the value drifts with temperature.
Which end do I start reading from?
From the end where the bands are grouped together, leaving the slightly-separated tolerance band (often gold or silver) at the far end. If it's ambiguous, the tolerance band is the odd one out — gold, silver, or a wider gap.
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A resistor's colored bands are a compact code: the first two are digits, the next is a ×10ⁿ multiplier, and the last is tolerance. Learn the color values, how to tell which end to start from, and how 4, 5 and 6-band resistors differ — with a worked example.