Read resistor bands or work backward from a target value to the 4-band, 5-band, or 6-band color code, with tolerance, tempco, and preferred-value guidance. Use it to test different inputs quickly, compare outcomes, and understand the main factors behind the result before moving on to related tools or deeper guidance.
Last updated
Mode
Band count
Decode the band colors
The tolerance band is usually spaced slightly farther from the significant-digit bands, which helps you identify the reading direction on a physical part.
Result
4.7 kΩ
Yellow · Violet · Red · Gold
Band sequence
Yellow Violet Red Gold
Decoded from the selected bands.
Nominal
4.7 kΩ
Tolerance
±5%
Minimum
4.465 kΩ
Maximum
4.935 kΩ
Digits × multiplier
47 × 100 Ω
Band count
4-band decode
Nearest preferred values
E12
4.7 kΩ
Exact preferred value
E24
4.7 kΩ
Exact preferred value
E96
4.75 kΩ
+1.0638%
Quick color guide
Color
Digit
Multiplier
Tolerance
Tempco
Black
0
×1
—
—
Brown
1
×10
±1%
100 ppm/K
Red
2
×100
±2%
50 ppm/K
Orange
3
×1000
—
15 ppm/K
Yellow
4
×10000
—
25 ppm/K
Green
5
×100000
±0.5%
—
Blue
6
×1000000
±0.25%
10 ppm/K
Violet
7
×10000000
±0.1%
5 ppm/K
Grey
8
×100000000
±0.05%
—
White
9
×1000000000
—
—
Gold
—
×0.1
±5%
—
Silver
—
×0.01
±10%
—
Pink
—
×0.001
—
—
No band
—
—
±20%
—
Bench-read tip Start from the side where the tolerance band sits slightly apart from the others, and verify unusual values against preferred E-series parts or a multimeter before committing the component to a circuit.
Resistor color code calculator for 4-band, 5-band, and 6-band resistors
A resistor color code calculator lets you read axial resistor bands without second-guessing the multiplier, tolerance, or temperature-coefficient band. This version decodes 4-band, 5-band, and 6-band parts, then works in reverse from a target resistance when you need to map a value back to the closest color sequence.
How resistor color code decoding works
The resistor color code system turns a tiny axial component into a readable value by assigning digits, multipliers, tolerance bands, and, on 6-band parts, temperature coefficient markings to specific colors. In practical bench use, the first two or three bands give the significant digits, the next band scales that number with a power-of-ten multiplier, and the following band states how far the actual component may vary from its nominal value.
That structure is why color-code tools should always report more than the centre number alone. A decoded resistor is not just 4.7 kΩ or 10 kΩ in abstraction. It is a nominal value with an allowed range, and in tighter-tolerance parts it may also carry temperature-coefficient information that matters when the circuit drifts across ambient conditions. IEC 60062 is the governing standard reference for these marking codes, including resistor color coding and TCR marking.
What changes between 4-band, 5-band, and 6-band resistors
A 4-band resistor uses two significant-digit bands, one multiplier band, and one tolerance band. That is the classic general-purpose format many hobbyists first learn. A 5-band resistor adds a third significant digit, which is why it appears so often on tighter-tolerance parts where the nominal value needs more precision than a two-digit code can express cleanly.
A 6-band resistor keeps the same three-digit structure as a 5-band part but adds a final temperature-coefficient band, commonly expressed in ppm/K or ppm/°C depending on the reference. That extra band matters most in precision analog, sensing, timing, and reference circuits where resistance stability over temperature is part of the design requirement rather than a background detail.
4-band resistors are common for general-purpose ±5% and ±10% parts.
5-band resistors are typical when you need three significant digits and tighter tolerance.
6-band resistors add temperature coefficient, which helps describe thermal drift.
The tolerance band is usually spaced slightly away from the digit bands, which helps you identify the reading direction on a physical resistor.
Worked example: reading a common 4-band resistor
Take a resistor marked yellow, violet, red, and gold. Yellow corresponds to 4 and violet to 7, so the significant digits are 47. Red is the multiplier of 100, so the nominal resistance becomes 4,700 Ω, which is normally written as 4.7 kΩ. Gold sets the tolerance to ±5%, so the part's working range is 4,465 Ω to 4,935 Ω.
That example also shows why a reverse-lookup tool is useful. If you start with a desired resistance like 4.7 kΩ and want to identify the matching band sequence from a parts tray, the calculator can work back to yellow-violet-red-gold immediately. The reverse mode becomes even more helpful when the value does not fit the chosen band count exactly, because the nearest representable code and nearest E-series values expose the difference instead of hiding it.
Preferred values, tolerance, and why exact numbers can fail reverse lookup
One of the most confusing resistor-color-code moments happens when the requested value looks reasonable but does not fit the selected band count exactly. A 4-band resistor can only encode two significant digits, so some values that feel close together on paper map to different nearest color codes once the multiplier is taken into account. In production and procurement work, that usually pushes you toward standard preferred-value families such as E12, E24, or E96 rather than arbitrary values.
That is why this calculator surfaces nearby preferred values next to the decoded or reverse-looked-up result. If the part you want is really an E24 or E96 value, the nearest preferred number often matters more than the nearest raw mathematical rounding. This is also the point where tolerance matters operationally: a 4.7 kΩ ±5% part and a 4.75 kΩ exact design target may overlap in practice, but they are not the same statement about the circuit.
Further reading
Vishay resistor color code PDF — Manufacturer reference chart covering resistor color coding, tolerance, multiplier, and temperature-coefficient interpretation.
Common reading mistakes and what this calculator does not cover
The most common mistake is starting from the wrong end of the resistor, especially when the tolerance band is not clearly separated or the body paint has aged. The second common failure is visual: brown versus red, violet versus blue, and gold versus yellow can all be misread under poor lighting, heat discoloration, or low-contrast printed charts. In serious troubleshooting, a multimeter is still the final authority over what the component actually measures on the bench.
This page is deliberately focused on standard axial resistor color bands. It does not decode SMD resistor number markings, body-end-dot legacy formats, or military reliability-band variants that use different conventions than the mainstream 4-band, 5-band, and 6-band systems. It also does not tell you whether the resistor's power rating, package size, voltage rating, or pulse-handling capability is correct for the circuit. Color decoding only solves the value-marking part of the problem.
Frequently asked questions
How do you read a 4-band resistor color code?
Read the first two bands as digits, the third band as the multiplier, and the fourth band as tolerance. A yellow-violet-red-gold resistor is therefore 47 × 100 Ω with ±5% tolerance, which gives 4.7 kΩ ±5%.
How do 5-band and 6-band resistors differ from 4-band resistors?
A 5-band resistor uses three significant digits before the multiplier and tolerance bands, so it can represent tighter nominal values than a 4-band part. A 6-band resistor adds one more band for temperature coefficient, which describes how much the resistance changes with temperature.
What does the sixth band on a resistor mean?
On standard 6-band resistors the sixth band indicates temperature coefficient, often written in ppm/K or ppm/°C. Lower ppm values generally indicate better thermal stability, which matters in precision circuits where drift over temperature can change the circuit response materially.
How do I know which end of the resistor to start from?
The tolerance band is usually spaced farther away from the significant-digit bands and often uses gold, silver, or brown. Start reading from the opposite side. If the spacing is ambiguous, decode both directions and compare the result with expected preferred values or a multimeter reading.
