Resistor Colour Code Calculator
Pick the colours of a resistor's bands to read its resistance and tolerance, for 4-band and 5-band resistors, with the full colour chart.
Resistance
1 kΩ ±5%
- Actual value between
- 950 Ω and 1.05 kΩ
- In ohms
- 1,000 Ω
Brown, Black, Red, Gold is a 1 kΩ resistor, within ±5%.
How it's worked out
- Digits
Brown, Black10 - Multiplier
10 × 1001 kΩ - Tolerance
1 kΩ ± 5%950 Ω to 1.05 kΩ
Colour code
| Colour | Digit | Multiplier | Tolerance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 0 | × 1 | – |
| Brown | 1 | × 10 | ±1% |
| Red | 2 | × 100 | ±2% |
| Orange | 3 | × 1,000 | – |
| Yellow | 4 | × 10,000 | – |
| Green | 5 | × 100,000 | ±0.5% |
| Blue | 6 | × 1,000,000 | ±0.25% |
| Violet | 7 | × 10,000,000 | ±0.1% |
| Grey | 8 | × 100,000,000 | ±0.05% |
| White | 9 | × 1,000,000,000 | – |
| Gold | – | × 0.1 | ±5% |
| Silver | – | × 0.01 | ±10% |
- Read from the end with the bands bunched together; the tolerance band (often gold) is usually set a little apart.
How to read it
Value = digits × multiplier, ± tolerance
Black 0, brown 1, red 2, orange 3, yellow 4, green 5, blue 6, violet 7, grey 8, white 9. A memory aid: “Big Brown Rabbits Often Yield Great Big Vegetables Growing Well”.
Examples
Brown, black, red, gold is 1 kΩ ±5%, so anything from 950 Ω to 1.05 kΩ. Yellow, violet, orange, gold is 47 kΩ. Brown, black, black, brown, brown (5 bands) is 1 kΩ ±1%.
Questions people ask
What are the colours of a 1 kΩ resistor?
Brown, black, red, then the tolerance band, usually gold: 1, 0, × 100 = 1,000 Ω, ±5%.
Which end do I start reading from?
Start from the end where the bands are bunched together. The tolerance band, often gold or silver, is usually set a little apart at the other end.
What is the difference between 4 and 5 bands?
A 5-band resistor has three digit bands instead of two, for more precise values, and usually a tighter tolerance such as ±1% (brown).
What do gold and silver mean as a multiplier?
Gold multiplies by 0.1 and silver by 0.01, for resistances under 10 Ω. Red, red, gold, gold is 2.2 Ω.
About this calculator
Formula and rules last checked 25 October 2026Written and tested by the CalculatorDex teamReport a problem