EXPERIMENT NO.

2
RESISTOR COLOR CODING

OBJECTIVES

1. Determine the resistance of a resistor from its color code.

2. Calculate the maximum and minimum resistance a resistor may offer based on its color
code.
3. Measure the resistance of resistors using an ohmmeter.

EQUIPMENT LIST

10 pcs assorted resistors

1-VOM
Color Code Chart
Calculator

INTRODUCTION

Ohmmeter

An instrument designed to measure electrical resistance is called an Ohmmeter,

which is usually incorporated with a voltmeter and a milliammeter hence is called a volt-
ohm-milliammeter (VOM) or multi-tester. An ohmmeter forms its own circuits, and hence
it cannot be used within an assembled circuit. This instrument must only be used in an
inoperative circuit with the power turned off. It does not require power from the circuit
being measured since it uses its own battery to supply the current and voltage.

Figure 2.1 Parts of an Ohmmeter

 The scale of an Ohmmeter is known as a back-up scale because it reads from right
to left. It should be noted that this scale is non-linear, and the pointer deflection becomes
less as the resistance increases. A typical ohmmeter has two test probes on which the
terminals of a circuit component to be measured are connected. A pointer deflects
according to the value of the component’s resistance. When using the Ohmmeter
function, a VOM must be calibrated first. Calibration is done by connecting the two
probes and then turning the zero-ohm adjustment knob until the pointer points to exactly
0. The main parts of an Ohmmeter are shown in Figure 2.1.

Resistor Color Coding

The resistance of a resistor is usually determined by measuring using an ohmmeter,

however this may also be identified using its color bands. Typically, a resistor of up to 1
watt may have 4 or 5 color bands. For a four-band resistor, the first two colors represent
the first two significant digits of its resistance, respectively. The third color is the multiplier
and the fourth color is the tolerance. For a five-band resistor, the first three colors are the
first three significant digits of its resistance. The fourth color is the multiplier and the fifth
color is the tolerance. Figure 2.2 shows a four-band resistor and a five-band resistor. A
Color Code Chart shown in Table 2.1 is used as a guide to determine the resistive values
of resistors.

Figure 2.2 Four-band and five-band resistors

Table 2.1

COLOR 1ST BAND 2ND BAND 3RD BAND MULTIPLIER TOLERANCE

Black 0 0 0 X1 Ω
Brown 1 1 1 X10 Ω 1%
Red 2 2 2 X100 Ω 2%
Orange 3 3 3 X1 kΩ
Yellow 4 4 4 X10 kΩ
Green 5 5 5 X100 kΩ 0.5%
 Blue 6 6 6 X1 MΩ 0.25%
Violet 7 7 7 X10 MΩ 0.10%
Grey 8 8 8 X100 MΩ 0.05%
White 9 9 9 X1 GΩ
Gold 3rd digit X0.1 Ω 5%
Silver only for X0.01 Ω 10%
None 5 bands 20%

The four-band resistor shown in Figure 2.2 above is color coded as follows: brown,
black, yellow, gold. With the aid of the color code chart in Table 2.1, the first two colors
represent respectively, the significant digits 1 0. Yellow, the third color which is the
multiplier, is represented by x 10 kΩ. The fourth color, gold, is given by ± 5%. Hence, this
resistor has a coded value of 10 x 10 kΩ ± 5% or 100 kΩ ± 5%.

The five-band resistor shown above has the color codes: brown, orange, black,
black, brown. Notice that the last color is farthest from the first four colors, just like in the
case of the four-band resistor. The first three colors are represented by the digits 1 3 0,
respectively. The multiplier, which is the fourth color, is x 1 Ω, and the tolerance is ± 1%.
Hence, this resistor has a coded value of 130 x 1 Ω ± 1% or 130 Ω ± 1%.

Maximum and Minimum Resistance Values

The maximum and minimum values of resistors may be determined from its
tolerance. In the case of the four-band resistor with a coded value of 100 kΩ ± 5%, its
maximum value is 100 kΩ + 5% (100 kΩ) = 105 kΩ while its minimum value is 100 kΩ − 5%
(100 kΩ) = 95 kΩ. For the five-band resistor with a coded value of 130 Ω ± 1%, its maximum
value is 130 Ω + 1% (130 Ω) = 131.3 Ω while its minimum value is 130 Ω − 1% (130 Ω) = 128.7
Ω.

Remembering the Color Codes

To remember what color represents what number, use the mnemonic

BBROYGBVGWGSN that stands for Bad Beer Rots Our Young Guts But Vodka Goes Well
Get Some Now.

The color code was developed in the 1920s by the Radio Manufacturers Association
(RMA) in the US.

PROCEDURE

1. Identify the colors of the following resistors:

a. 386 ohms  5%
b. 69 ohms  2%
 c. 125 ohms  1%
d. 250 ohms  10%
e. 4.7 ohms  0.25%

2. Write the values of the following resistors:

a. yellow, blue, red, red
b. brown, black, gold, silver
c. green, gray, yellow, gold
d. violet, green, red, black, brown
e. white, blue, orange, brown, green

In-person laboratory activity:

1. Determine the value of each resistor assigned to your group. Fill in the information
required in Table 1.

2. Prepare the multi-tester for resistance measurement. Measure the value of each
resistor and record as measured value.

3. Compute for the % deviation between coded and measured values using the formula

|𝐶𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒−𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒|

% Deviation = x 100%
𝐶𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒

Table 1

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Coded Measured %

Resistor Tolerance
color color color color color Value Value Deviation
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
CONCLUSION
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QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS

1. Get the maximum value and minimum values of the resistors in procedure 2.
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2. Why are resistors color coded?

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3. List three safety precautions when measuring resistance using an ohmmeter.

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4. What is the coded value of a resistor with the following color code: Red, White, Green,
Blue?
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5. Identify the color code of a resistor with a coded value of 3.25 GΩ  1%.
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