Resistor Color Coding

The basis of this system is the use of

colors for numerical values.

Resistor Color In memorizing the colors, note that the

darkest colors, black and brown, are for
Coding the lowest numbers, zero and one,
whereas white is for nine.

The color coding is standardized by the

Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA).
 The use of colored bands or stripes is
the most common system for color

Resistor Color coding resistors.

Coding
Resistance Color Stripes
 Reading from the left to right, the first
band closest to the edge gives the first

Resistor Color digit in the numerical value of R.

Coding
Resistance Color Stripes
 The next band indicates the second
digit. The third band is the decimal

Resistor Color multiplier, which tells us how many

zeros to add after the first two digits.

Coding
Resistance Color Stripes
Resistor Color
Coding
Resistance Color Stripes
 The first stripe is red for 2 and the next
stripe is green for 5. The red colored

Resistor Color decimal multiplier in the third stripe

means add two zeros to 25, or

Coding multiply the number 25 by 10^2.

Resistance Color Stripes

 For these values, the third stripe is
either gold or silver, indicating a

Resistor Color fractional decimal multiplier.

When the third stripe is gold, multiply

Coding the first two digits by 0.1.

Resistors under 10 Ohms

Silver means a multiplier of 0.01.
 It is important to realize that the gold
and silver colors represent fractional

Resistor Color decimal multipliers only when they

appear in the third stripe.

Coding Gold and silver are used most often

however as a fourth stripe to indicate
Resistors under 10 Ohms how accurate the R value is.

The colors gold and silver will never

appear in the first two color stripes.
 The amount by which the actual R can
differ from the color-coded value is

Resistor Color the tolerance, usually given in

percent.

Coding For instance, a 2000-ohms resistor with

+/- 10% tolerance can have resistance
Resistor Tolerance 10% above or below the coded
value.This R, therefore, is between
1800 and 2200 ohms.
 Silver in the fourth band indicates a
tolerance of +/-10%, gold indicates +/-

Resistor Color 5%. If there is no color band for

tolerance, it is +/-20%.

Coding
Resistor Tolerance
 Precision resistors (typically metal-
film resistors) often use a five-band

Resistor Color color code rather than the four-band

code. The purpose is to obtain more

Coding precise R values.

With the five-band code, the first three

Five-Band Color Code color stripes indicate the first three
digits, followed by the decimal
multiplier in the fourth stripe and the
tolerance in the fifth stripe.
 In the fifth stripe, the colors brown,
red, green, blue, and violet represent

Resistor Color the following tolerances:

Coding
Five-Band Color Code
 The chip resistor, has the following
identifiable features:

Resistor Color 1. A dark film on one side only (usually

black, but may also be dark gray or
Coding green)

Chip Resistor Coding System 2. Two C-shaped terminals at each end

of the resistor, used for soldering.

3. A three- or four-digit number on the

dark film side of the resistor.
 The resistance value of a chip resistor
is determined from the three-digit

Resistor Color number printed on the film or body

side of the component.

Coding
Chip Resistor Coding System
 The three digits provide the same
information as the first three color

Resistor Color stripes on a four-band resistor.

The three digits provide the same

Coding information as the first three color
stripes on a four-band resistor.
Chip Resistor Coding System
 The first two digits indicate the first
two numbers in the numerical value

Resistor Color of the resistance; the third digit

indicates the multiplier.

Coding If a four-digit number is used, the first

three digits indicate the first three
Chip Resistor Coding System numbers in the numerical value of
the resistance, and the fourth digit
indicates the multiplier.
 The letter R is used to signify a
decimal point for values between 1

Resistor Color and 10 ohms as in 2R7 = 2.7 ohms.

Coding
Chip Resistor Coding System
Resistor Color
Coding
Chip Resistor Coding System