5 band resistor calculator
| Colour | Digit | Multiplier | Tolerance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 0 | ×1 | — |
| Brown | 1 | ×10 | ±1% |
| Red | 2 | ×100 | ±2% |
| Orange | 3 | ×1k | — |
| Yellow | 4 | ×10k | — |
| Green | 5 | ×100k | ±0.5% |
| Blue | 6 | ×1M | ±0.25% |
| Violet | 7 | ×10M | ±0.1% |
| Grey | 8 | ×100M | ±0.05% |
| White | 9 | ×1G | — |
| Gold | — | ×0.1 | ±5% |
| Silver | — | ×0.01 | ±10% |
A five-band resistor reads as three digits, a multiplier and a tolerance. Brown-black-black-brown-brown is 1, 0, 0 times 10, so 1 kΩ at ±1% — the same nominal value as a four-band part but guaranteed five times tighter.
How to read a 5 band resistor
Five bands exist because the E48 and E96 series need three digits. Values like 4.99 kΩ, 2.21 kΩ and 1.07 kΩ cannot be expressed in two, and those are exactly the values a 1% design reaches for. The practical difficulty is that a five-band part often has a brown tolerance band, which is the same colour as a digit, so unlike a four-band resistor there is no gold or silver to anchor the orientation. The tie-breaker is spacing: the gap before the tolerance band is wider than the gaps between the others.
Questions
1 kΩ at ±1%. The three digits are 1, 0, 0 and brown multiplies by 10.
By spacing. The gap before the tolerance band is wider. On a five-band part there may be no gold or silver to help.
Because the E48 and E96 precision series contain values like 4.99 and 2.21 that two digits cannot express.
Usually 1% (brown) or 2% (red), but the band tells you rather than the count.
Yes; 1 kΩ can be marked either way. The five-band version simply promises a tighter tolerance.