Resistor Color Code Calculator
Decode resistor color bands to find resistance value and tolerance. Supports 4-band and 5-band resistors with all standard EIA colors.
Resistance
—
Tolerance —
Min Value —
Max Value —
How to Use This Calculator
- Select the number of bands (4 or 5).
- Select each color band from the dropdown menus left to right.
- The resistance value and tolerance range are shown immediately.
Formula
4-band: (B1×10 + B2) × Multiplier ± Tolerance%
5-band: (B1×100 + B2×10 + B3) × Multiplier ± Tolerance%
Example
Example: Yellow–Violet–Red–Gold → (4×10+7) × 100 = 4,700 Ω ±5% (standard 4.7 kΩ resistor).
Frequently Asked Questions
- For a 4-band resistor: bands 1 and 2 are the significant digits, band 3 is the multiplier, and band 4 is tolerance. Multiply the 2-digit number by the multiplier.
- Black represents 0 for digit bands, and a multiplier of ×1 (10⁰).
- Gold = ±5% tolerance. Silver = ±10%. No band = ±20%.
- High-precision resistors use 5 bands: three significant digits, one multiplier, and one tolerance band. Select "5-band" to decode these.
- Black, Brown, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet, Gray, White (digits 0–9). Gold and Silver are multipliers and tolerance bands.