-2-
IDENTIFYING RESISTOR VALUES
Use the following information as a guide in properly identifying the value of resistors.
BAND 1
1st Digit
Color
Digit
Black
0
Brown
1
Red
2
Orange
3
Yellow
4
Green
5
Blue
6
Violet
7
Gray
8
White
9
BAND 2
2nd Digit
Color
Digit
Black
0
Brown
1
Red
2
Orange
3
Yellow
4
Green
5
Blue
6
Violet
7
Gray
8
White
9
Multiplier
Color
Multiplier
Black
1
Brown
10
Red
100
Orange
1,000
Yellow
10,000
Green
100,000
Blue
1,000,000
Silver
0.01
Gold
0.1
Resistance
Tolerance
Color
Tolerance
Silver
+10%
Gold
+5%
Brown
+1%
Red
+2%
Orange
+3%
Green
+.5%
Blue
+.25%
Violet
+.1%
BANDS
1
2
Multiplier
Tolerance
IDENTIFYING CAPACITOR VALUES
Capacitors will be identified by their capacitance value in pF (picofarads), nF (nanofarads), or
μ
F (microfarads). Most
capacitors will have their actual value printed on them. Some capacitors may have their value printed in the following
manner. The maximum operating voltage may also be printed on the capacitor.
Second Digit
First Digit
Multiplier
Tolerance
The letter M indicates a tolerance of +20%
The letter K indicates a tolerance of +10%
The letter J indicates a tolerance of +5%
For the No.
0
1
2
3
4
5
8
9
Multiply By
1
10
100
1k
10k 100k .01
0.1
Multiplier
Note: The letter “R” may be used at times
to signify a decimal point; as in 3R3 = 3.3
103K
100V
Maximum Working Voltage
The value is 10 x 1,000 = 10,000pF or .01
μ
F 100V
10
μ
F 16V
METRIC UNITS AND CONVERSIONS
Abbreviation
Means
Multiply Unit By
Or
p
Pico
.000000000001
10
-12
n
nano
.000000001
10
-9
μ
micro
.000001
10
-6
m
milli
.001
10
-3
–
unit
1
10
0
k
kilo
1,000
10
3
M
mega
1,000,000
10
6
1. 1,000 pico units = 1 nano unit
2. 1,000 nano units = 1 micro unit
3. 1,000 micro units= 1 milli unit
4. 1,000 milli units = 1 unit
5. 1,000 units
= 1 kilo unit
6. 1,000 kilo units = 1 mega unit