5-band resistor color code

How to read it

Panasonic gives the layout as three bands for the value, the fourth for the multiplier and the fifth for the tolerance, and says this coding is frequently used for high-precision resistors. Vishay uses it for its resistors of ±1% and tighter, in the E48, E96 and E192 series, where values need a third digit. TT Electronics’ example reads yellow (4), violet (7), black (0), red (×100), brown (±1%) as 47K 1%. Because the multiplier comes one band later than on a four-band resistor, the same first colors read differently: brown, black, black, red is 100 × 100, 10 kΩ, where brown, black, red on a four-band resistor is 1 kΩ.

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Not only precision resistors

TE Connectivity describes five bands as the code for applications that need a third digit, and its own example has a silver band, ±10%: red, violet, black, orange, silver is 270 kΩ, between 243 kΩ and 297 kΩ. Vishay’s chart has five-band codes only for ±1% and tighter.

Which end is the first band

Precision resistors often have no gold or silver band to show the end. Panasonic says that, in general, the end band with the wider gap to its neighbour is the right-hand end, and TT Electronics says the tolerance band is wider than the others or further from them.

A fifth band that is not a tolerance

Vishay’s LCM0207SI resistors carry a four-band code with a fifth band for a special marking, so five bands can be something other than three digits.