Resistor color code calculator
Resistor color code calculatorThis calculator is a quick way to decipher the values of resistors marked with color bands. Simply select the number of bands and their colors, and the tool will immediately provide the resistance value. Indispensable in service, prototyping, and analysis of older circuits where descriptions may be unreadable or absent.
Did you know that...
- The striped markings on resistors were introduced in the 1920s when electronic components were becoming smaller. The inscriptions didn't fit, so a color code was used—universal, legible, and recognizable without a magnifying glass. Today, 4-, 5-, and even 6-band codes are used. Additional bands provide information about tolerance and temperature coefficient. It's one of the most successful electronics standards—still in use today without changes.
- The name "kilogram" is the only SI unit containing a prefix in its base name.
- A "second" is defined based on transitions between energy levels of the cesium-133 atom.
- In nuclear physics, unusual units are used. A barn denotes an area "easy to hit," which is 10⁻²⁸m². The name comes from the saying "as big as a barn." In nuclear reactors, 1 shake is 10 nanoseconds—the name comes from the idiom "two shakes of a lamb’s tail" (meaning very quickly).
