Free Resistor Color Code Calculator

Find a resistor's value from its color bands.

4-band resistors encode 2 significant digits + multiplier + tolerance; 5-band resistors encode 3 significant digits + multiplier + tolerance for higher precision. Read the bands starting from the side closest to an end (furthest from the tolerance band, which is usually gold or silver and slightly separated).

Worked Example

Example (4-band): Brown-Black-Red-Gold = 1, 0, ×100, ±5% = 1,000Ω (1kΩ) ±5%.

Formula / Method

4-band: (Digit1×10 + Digit2) × Multiplier. 5-band: (Digit1×100 + Digit2×10 + Digit3) × Multiplier.

Worked Example

Example (4-band): Brown-Black-Red-Gold = 1, 0, ×100, ±5% = 1,000Ω (1kΩ) ±5%.

Formula / Method

4-band: (Digit1×10 + Digit2) × Multiplier. 5-band: (Digit1×100 + Digit2×10 + Digit3) × Multiplier.