Resistor Color Code

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5 band resistor color code

5 Band Resistor Color Code

Five bands, three of them digits: that is what separates this part from the common four-band resistor. Green, brown, red, red, brown reads 5, 1, 2, then ×100, then ±1%, which gives 51,200 Ω or 51.2 kΩ. The calculator opens with these colors already set, so you can swap any band and watch the value change.

Three digits, one multiplier, one tolerance

The first three bands are digits and the fourth is the multiplier. Green (5), brown (1) and red (2) make 512, and red in the multiplier slot is ×100, so 512 × 100 = 51,200 Ω. The fifth band, brown, means ±1%, which puts the real resistance somewhere from 50,688 Ω to 51,712 Ω. The extra digit is the whole point of the layout: a four-band part can only store two figures, so a value such as 4.75 kΩ or 51.2 kΩ cannot be written on it. Five bands leave room for the three figures of the E48 and E96 series, which is why tight-tolerance parts use this arrangement. The rule of thumb is the four-five rule: with five or more bands, three of them are digits.
Which end do you start from? If there is a gold or silver band, it sits at the tail, so you read from the opposite side. Five-band parts with a brown or red tolerance band give no such hint, and the answer is to look at the spacing: a wider gap before one end band suggests that end is the tail, and the tolerance band is often about 50% wider than the rest. The margin between the body and the first band also tends to be tighter at the head. When in doubt, read both ways: green-brown-red-red-brown gives 51.2 kΩ, but the reversed sequence, brown-red-red-brown-green, would be 122 × 10 = 1,220 Ω at ±0.5%, and only one of the two readings matches what a meter shows.
There is one trap: not every five-band part follows the three-digit rule. Some resistors carry only two digits and use the fifth band for other information, such as a reliability level. Reading such a part as three digits produces the wrong value. When the number looks odd for the circuit, measure the component out of the board and compare the result with the nominal value and its tolerance window.

Five bands, five readings

Green, brown, red, red, brown

Input: green-brown-red-red-brown
Expected output: 51k2 ±1%

512 × 100 = 51,200 Ω, written 51k2 in RKM notation. The ±1% window runs from 50,688 to 51,712 Ω.

Brown, black, black, brown, brown

Input: brown-black-black-brown-brown
Expected output: 1k ±1%

100 × 10 = 1,000 Ω. The same 1 kΩ a four-band part writes as brown-black-red, only here with three digits.

Red, red, black, black, brown

Input: red-red-black-black-brown
Expected output: 220R ±1%

220 × 1 = 220 Ω. Black in the multiplier slot is ×1, so the trailing zero already sits in the third digit.

Yellow, violet, green, brown, brown

Input: yellow-violet-green-brown-brown
Expected output: 4k75 ±1%

475 × 10 = 4,750 Ω, an E96 value that no four-band code can express.

Orange, orange, black, black, brown

Input: orange-orange-black-black-brown
Expected output: 330R ±1%

330 × 1 = 330 Ω at ±1%, between 326.7 and 333.3 Ω.

Full tool FAQ

Which end do I start reading a resistor's bands from?

Start from the end opposite the tolerance band. The tolerance band is usually gold or silver (or visibly set apart from the rest with a wider gap), so it's always read last, and tells you which end to begin at.

Why do gold and silver never represent a digit?

What's the difference between 4-, 5- and 6-band resistors?

Is there a trick to memorize the color order?

What does a resistor's tolerance actually mean in practice?

Frequently asked questions

How do you read a 5 band resistor?

Join the first three bands into a single number, multiply by the fourth band, then read the fifth as tolerance. Orange, orange, black, black, brown becomes 3, 3, 0, so 330, times 1 from the black, giving 330 Ω ±1%.

Why do some resistors have five bands instead of four?

Because the third digit allows three-figure values, such as those of the E96 series (96 values per decade) at ±1%. Four bands only hold two figures, which is enough for the E12 and E24 series.

What if one end has a gold band?

Then that end is the tail and you start from the other one. Gold is tolerance (±5%) or multiplier (×0.1), never a digit, so it cannot be the first band.

Can a five-band part have only two digits?

It can. On some parts the fifth band carries other information, such as reliability. If the three-digit reading makes no sense, confirm it on the datasheet or measure with a multimeter.

Next steps

5 Band Resistor Color Code

Three digits, one multiplier, one tolerance

The first three bands are digits and the fourth is the multiplier. Green (5), brown (1) and red (2) make 512, and red in the multiplier slot is ×100, so 512 × 100 = 51,200 Ω. The fifth band, brown, means ±1%, which puts the real resistance somewhere from 50,688 Ω to 51,712 Ω. The extra digit is the whole point of the layout: a four-band part can only store two figures, so a value such as 4.75 kΩ or 51.2 kΩ cannot be written on it. Five bands leave room for the three figures of the E48 and E96 series, which is why tight-tolerance parts use this arrangement. The rule of thumb is the four-five rule: with five or more bands, three of them are digits.

Which end do you start from? If there is a gold or silver band, it sits at the tail, so you read from the opposite side. Five-band parts with a brown or red tolerance band give no such hint, and the answer is to look at the spacing: a wider gap before one end band suggests that end is the tail, and the tolerance band is often about 50% wider than the rest. The margin between the body and the first band also tends to be tighter at the head. When in doubt, read both ways: green-brown-red-red-brown gives 51.2 kΩ, but the reversed sequence, brown-red-red-brown-green, would be 122 × 10 = 1,220 Ω at ±0.5%, and only one of the two readings matches what a meter shows.

There is one trap: not every five-band part follows the three-digit rule. Some resistors carry only two digits and use the fifth band for other information, such as a reliability level. Reading such a part as three digits produces the wrong value. When the number looks odd for the circuit, measure the component out of the board and compare the result with the nominal value and its tolerance window.

Five bands, five readings

Green, brown, red, red, brown

Input: green-brown-red-red-brown
Expected output: 51k2 ±1%

512 × 100 = 51,200 Ω, written 51k2 in RKM notation. The ±1% window runs from 50,688 to 51,712 Ω.

Brown, black, black, brown, brown

Input: brown-black-black-brown-brown
Expected output: 1k ±1%

100 × 10 = 1,000 Ω. The same 1 kΩ a four-band part writes as brown-black-red, only here with three digits.

Red, red, black, black, brown

Input: red-red-black-black-brown
Expected output: 220R ±1%

220 × 1 = 220 Ω. Black in the multiplier slot is ×1, so the trailing zero already sits in the third digit.

Yellow, violet, green, brown, brown

Input: yellow-violet-green-brown-brown
Expected output: 4k75 ±1%

475 × 10 = 4,750 Ω, an E96 value that no four-band code can express.

Orange, orange, black, black, brown

Input: orange-orange-black-black-brown
Expected output: 330R ±1%

330 × 1 = 330 Ω at ±1%, between 326.7 and 333.3 Ω.

Full tool FAQ

Which end do I start reading a resistor's bands from?

Why do gold and silver never represent a digit?

What's the difference between 4-, 5- and 6-band resistors?

Is there a trick to memorize the color order?

What does a resistor's tolerance actually mean in practice?

Frequently asked questions

How do you read a 5 band resistor?

Why do some resistors have five bands instead of four?

Because the third digit allows three-figure values, such as those of the E96 series (96 values per decade) at ±1%. Four bands only hold two figures, which is enough for the E12 and E24 series.

What if one end has a gold band?

Then that end is the tail and you start from the other one. Gold is tolerance (±5%) or multiplier (×0.1), never a digit, so it cannot be the first band.

Can a five-band part have only two digits?

It can. On some parts the fifth band carries other information, such as reliability. If the three-digit reading makes no sense, confirm it on the datasheet or measure with a multimeter.