The Resistor Calculator decodes resistor color bands into resistance and tolerance for 3, 4, 5 and 6 band resistors.
5.6 kΩ ±5%
| Resistance | 5.6 kΩ |
| Tolerance | ±5% |
| Range | 5.32 kΩ – 5.88 kΩ |
Enter any two values to find the others.
| Voltage (V) | 12 V |
| Current (I) | 0.002143 A |
| Resistance (R) | 5600 Ω |
| Power (P) | 0.025714 W |
Small resistors are marked with colored bands instead of printed numbers. Each color stands for a digit: black 0, brown 1, red 2, orange 3, yellow 4, green 5, blue 6, violet 7, grey 8, white 9. Gold and silver are used for multipliers below 1 and for tolerance.
4-band: two digits, a multiplier and a tolerance. 5-band: three digits, multiplier, tolerance. 6-band adds a temperature coefficient. Read from the end with bands grouped closer together; the tolerance band is usually gold or silver and slightly separated.
Worked example (defaults): green-blue-red-gold = 56 × 100 = 5,600 Ω = 5.6 kΩ ±5%.
V = I × R relates voltage, current and resistance, and P = V × I gives power. Use the Ohm's law section to check a resistor's current and power in a circuit, and choose a resistor rated for at least twice the power it will dissipate.
What does tolerance mean? How far the real value may differ from the marked value.
What is the E12 series? Standard values like 10, 12, 15, 18, 22, 27, 33, 39, 47, 56, 68, 82.
Mnemonic? "Big Boys Race Our Young Girls But Violet Generally Wins."