Rule of thumb · ElectricalNº 95 / 96

Resistor bands read digit-digit-multiplier

On a 4-band resistor: first two bands are significant digits, third is the power-of-ten multiplier, fourth is tolerance.

Why it works

IEC 60062 colour code. Gold/silver as the third band means 0.1/0.01 multipliers; as the fourth they mean 5%/10% tolerance.

Do it exactly

Estimate with the rule, then check it against the calculator that models it properly.

Open Resistor Colour Code →

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