Standard Color Codes For Fixed Resistors
The primary reason fixed resistors are color coded is because of their small size and their cylinder shape. Even if the numbers were printed on them, reading them could prove difficult in the best of light and proximity circumstances. The Chart below shows the standard color codes for fixed resistors.
Color
Black
Brown
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Violet
Gray
White
Silver
Gold
No Color
1st Band
2nd Band
3rd Band (Multiplier)
4th Band (Tolerance)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
N/A
N/A
N/A
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
N/A
N/A
N/A
1
10
100
1,000
10,000
100,000
1,000,000
10,000,000
100,000,000
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
+ or - 10
+ or - 5
+ or - 20
Note: Silver & gold are found only as 4th band colors to denote resistor tolarance.
