Resistor Color Code Calculator

Number of bands

Band 1 (1st digit) Band 2 (2nd digit) Multiplier Tolerance

Resistance —

Tolerance —

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Free resistor color code calculator for both 4-band and 5-band resistors — pick each band's color from a dropdown and see the resistance value and tolerance instantly, with a visual preview of the resistor.

How it works

Choose 4-band or 5-band
Pick each band's color from the dropdowns
See the resistance value, tolerance, and a color preview of the resistor

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between 4-band and 5-band?

4-band resistors encode a 2-digit value; 5-band resistors encode a 3-digit value for more precision, both followed by a multiplier and tolerance band.

What do gold and silver mean as a multiplier?

Gold means ×0.1 and silver means ×0.01 when used as the multiplier band — used for resistors under 10 ohms.

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From the blog

unit-convert

4-band and 5-band resistors read differently — mixing them up gives you the wrong value

A 4-band resistor's third band is a multiplier. A 5-band resistor's third band is a digit. Read one as the other and you're off by a factor of ten or more.

2026-09-02

Update history

2026-09-02 Launched: resistor color code calculator for 4-band and 5-band resistors, with a visual color preview. Entirely client-side.