Resistor Color Code Calculator
Decode a 4- or 5-band resistor — pick each colour and read the resistance, tolerance and range.
Resistance1 kΩ
Tolerance± 5%
Range950 Ω – 1.05 kΩ
Read the bands left to right. In 4-band mode the first two are significant digits, the third is a ×10ⁿ multiplier and the fourth is tolerance; 5-band adds a third digit for precision parts. Brown-black-red gives digits 1 and 0 with a ×100 multiplier: 10 × 100 = 1,000 Ω = 1 kΩ. A gold tolerance band is ±5%, so the true value sits between 950 Ω and 1,050 Ω. Each colour also carries the swatch shown in its selector.
Questions
How do I read a resistor's colour code?
Read the bands left to right. The first two (or three for 5-band) are significant digits, the next is a ×10ⁿ multiplier and the last is tolerance. Brown-black-red is 1, 0, ×100 = 1,000 Ω = 1 kΩ.
What does the gold or silver band mean?
On the last band, gold means ±5% tolerance and silver means ±10%. As a multiplier band, gold is ×0.1 and silver is ×0.01, used for sub-100 Ω values.