Gold band on a resistor
On a resistor, a gold band at the end is a tolerance of ±5%. As the third band of four it is the multiplier ×0.1, for values under 10 ohms.
Easily confused with
How to read it
In the IEC 60062 color code gold is not a digit. As the tolerance band it is ±5%, TT Electronics’ tolerance letter J, and as the multiplier it is ×0.1. Panasonic says a gold or silver band is a tolerance and is the last band, so the bands are read from the other end. The University of Texas at Dallas lab manual puts the multiplier as “divide previous numbers by 10”, for values under 10 Ω: brown, black, gold is 1 Ω. TE Connectivity reads the same three bands as a 1 Ω three-band resistor, and gives brown, green, red, gold as 1,500 Ω ±5%. With no tolerance band at all the tolerance is ±20%, and a silver one is ±10%.
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This explains what a resistor’s markings mean. Marking schemes vary between makers and series, and the part’s own datasheet takes precedence. It is not a guide to building or repairing electronics.
Gold in third place
A gold third band on a four-band resistor is the multiplier, not a tolerance: the value is the two digits divided by 10. Vishay, TT Electronics, Panasonic and the University of Central Florida all list ×0.1 for gold.
Look-alikes
Yellow is the digit 4 and the multiplier ×10,000, with no tolerance value.
Read next
- Next in Resistor color codesSilver band on a resistorOn a resistor, a silver band at the end is a tolerance of ±10%. As the third band of four it is the multiplier ×0.01, for values under 1 ohm.
- The same shape in Smoke and CO alarm soundsLow-frequency 520 Hz alarm (sleeping rooms)A fire alarm in a sleeping room that sounds a low buzz in place of a high-pitched beep. It is the three-beep fire alarm rhythm at 520 Hz, which NFPA 72 requires of alarms provided to wake people in sleeping areas.
More resistor color codes
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with letters and numbers or lines.
Sources
- Surface Mount Resistor Marking, Document number 20020 (revision 25 May 2010), Vishay Draloric (Vishay Intertechnology), Color code table
- Technical Note TN004: Methods for Marking Values on Resistors, TN004 (09.24), TT Electronics, Colour code table
- Resistor Color Codes: Thorough Explanations of How to Interpret, Calculate, and Remember Them!, Technical article (24 October 2025), Panasonic Industry, §2 color-to-value chart; §3 orientation
- III. Standard Resistor Color Code, EEL 3123 Linear Circuits II Lab Manual, Appendix III (revised March 2023), University of Central Florida, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Table A – 1 Electronic Color Code
- Appendix B: Color Code for Composite Carbon Resistors, EE 1202 lab manual, Appendix B, The University of Texas at Dallas, Tolerance; values under 10 Ω; example 3
- Resistor Color Codes: What Do the Color Bands Mean?, Resistors resource page, TE Connectivity, 3-band resistors
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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