Select the color bands on your resistor to find its value, tolerance, and temperature coefficient.
| Color | Digit | Multiplier | Tolerance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 0 | 1 Ω | |
| Brown | 1 | 10 Ω | ±1% |
| Red | 2 | 100 Ω | ±2% |
| Orange | 3 | 1K Ω | ±0.05% |
| Yellow | 4 | 10K Ω | ±0.02% |
| Green | 5 | 100K Ω | ±0.5% |
| Blue | 6 | 1M Ω | ±0.25% |
| Violet | 7 | 10M Ω | ±0.1% |
| Grey | 8 | 100M Ω | ±0.01% |
| White | 9 | 1G Ω | |
| Gold | 0.1 Ω | ±5% | |
| Silver | 0.01 Ω | ±10% |
Resistors use colored bands to indicate their resistance value, tolerance, and sometimes temperature coefficient. This system was created because printing tiny numbers on small components is impractical. Learning to read the bands takes a few minutes and saves you from needing a multimeter every time.
The tolerance band (gold or silver) is always the last band on the right. Read from the opposite end. Gold means 5% tolerance, which is the most common for general-purpose resistors. Silver means 10%. If there is no tolerance band, the resistor has 20% tolerance.
A common way to remember the order is: Bad Boys Race Our Young Girls But Violet Generally Wins. Each word's first letter matches the color order: Black (0), Brown (1), Red (2), Orange (3), Yellow (4), Green (5), Blue (6), Violet (7), Grey (8), White (9).