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Four Bands

12 kΩ resistor colour code

Four bands: Brown · Red · Orange · Gold. The first two give the digits, the third multiplies, the fourth states how far off the real part may be.

12×1000±5
Brown1Red2Orange×1 kGold±5%

Nominal

12 kΩ

12,000 ohms

Real range at ±5%

11.4 kΩ – 12.6 kΩ

A gold band allows this much drift.

Series

E12

Held in almost every parts drawer.


Band by band

BandColourMeaning
1Brown1st digit — 1
2Red2nd digit — 2
3OrangeMultiplier — ×1 k
4GoldTolerance — ±5%

The same value on a five-band part

Precision resistors carry three significant digits instead of two, so the same 12 kΩ looks different.

BrownRedBlackOrangeBrown