How to Read Resistor Color Codes (4, 5 and 6 Band)
To read resistor color codes: turn the resistor so the tolerance band (usually gold or silver, with a wider gap) is on the right, then read left-to-right. The first bands are significant digits, the next is a power-of-ten multiplier, and the last is the tolerance. The color tables are below — but rather than read by eye, you can paste the bands straight into the Resistor Color Code Decoder and get the value, tolerance and nearest standard part instantly.
Quick steps
- Orient the resistor so the tolerance band (gold/silver, slightly apart) is on the right.
- Read the first two bands (or first three on a 5/6-band part) as significant digits.
- Read the next band as the multiplier (power of ten) and multiply.
- The last band before any gap is the tolerance; a 6th band, if present, is the temperature coefficient.
Digit / multiplier / tolerance table (IEC 60062)
Each color carries up to three meanings depending on its position — significant digit, multiplier, or tolerance. This single table covers all three:
| 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 | — | ±0.05% |
| White | 9 | — | — |
| Gold | — | ×0.1 | ±5% |
| Silver | — | ×0.01 | ±10% |
| (no band) | — | — | ±20% |
⚠️ Gold and silver are special. As a multiplier they mean ×0.1 and ×0.01 (for sub-10Ω values); as a tolerance band they mean ±5% and ±10%. They never appear as a significant digit, which is one cue for spotting the tolerance end.
Temperature coefficient (6th band)
On 6-band precision resistors a final band gives the temperature coefficient (TCR) in parts-per-million per °C:
| Color | Temperature coefficient |
|---|---|
| Brown | 100 ppm/°C |
| Red | 50 ppm/°C |
| Yellow | 25 ppm/°C |
| Orange | 15 ppm/°C |
| Blue | 10 ppm/°C |
| Violet | 5 ppm/°C |
4 vs 5 vs 6 band
The number of bands tells you how many significant digits the value carries — and therefore how precise the part is:
| Type | Band pattern | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 4-band | digit · digit · ×multiplier · tolerance | Standard ±5% / ±10% (E12, E24) |
| 5-band | digit · digit · digit · ×multiplier · tolerance | Precision ±1% and tighter (E48, E96) |
| 6-band | 5-band + temperature coefficient | Precision parts where drift matters |
In short: more digit bands means finer resolution. A 4-band part can only express values like 1.0kΩ or 4.7kΩ, while a 5-band part can express 1.21kΩ or 4.99kΩ — which is exactly why precision parts from the E48/E96 series need that extra digit band.
How to find band 1
Resistors are not symmetric, but the print can be hard to orient. The reliable cue: the tolerance band usually sits slightly apart from the rest of the group, with a noticeably wider gap before it, and it is often gold or silver. Put that band on the right and start reading from the opposite end. If both ends look ambiguous, decode both directions — only one will give a sensible standard value — or simply measure the part. When you are unsure, paste the colors into the decoder and let it resolve the order for you.
Worked example
Take a common 4-band resistor: Brown – Black – Red – Gold. Reading from the digit end:
- Band 1 Brown = digit
1 - Band 2 Black = digit
0 - Band 3 Red = multiplier
×100 - Band 4 Gold = tolerance
±5%
10 × 100 = 1000Ω = 1kΩ ±5%
That is the whole method. Rather than read by eye every time — especially with hard-to-tell reds, browns and oranges under poor light — paste the bands into the Resistor Color Code Decoder; it returns the value, tolerance and the nearest standard part in one click. Designing an LED indicator? Feed that value straight into the LED Resistor Calculator.
FAQ
- How do I know which end to start reading from?
- The tolerance band — usually gold or silver — sits slightly apart from the rest, with a wider gap before it. Hold the resistor so that band is on the right and read from the opposite (left) end. If there is no obvious gap and no gold/silver band, the body of the resistor and the grouping of the first bands are your only cue; when in doubt, measure with a multimeter or paste the colors into a decoder to check.
- What's the difference between a 4-band and a 5-band resistor?
- A 4-band resistor uses two significant digits, a multiplier and a tolerance band (digit, digit, ×multiplier, tolerance). A 5-band resistor adds a third significant digit (digit, digit, digit, ×multiplier, tolerance), which gives finer resolution — so 5-band parts are typically the precision (±1% or tighter) E48/E96 values, while 4-band parts are usually the looser ±5%/±10% E24/E12 values.
- What does a 6th band mean?
- The 6th band is the temperature coefficient (TCR) in ppm/°C — how much the resistance drifts per degree Celsius. Brown is 100 ppm/°C, red 50, yellow 25, orange 15, blue 10 and violet 5. You only see it on precision parts where thermal stability matters; on a normal 4- or 5-band resistor there is no 6th band.
- Why do precision resistors use 5 bands?
- Precision resistors come from the E48/E96/E192 series, which need three significant figures to express values like 4.99kΩ or 1.21kΩ. Two digit bands can only encode two figures, so a third digit band is added — that is why a tight-tolerance part almost always has at least five bands.