Wirecora resistor guide
How to Read a 6-Band Resistor Color Code
Understand all six resistor bands: three significant digits, multiplier, tolerance, and temperature coefficient in parts per million per kelvin.
Direct answer: A 6-band resistor uses the same first five roles as a 5-band resistor, then adds a sixth band for temperature coefficient of resistance, usually expressed in parts per million per kelvin.
Band-by-band explanation
- Band 1 · First digitBrown
- Band 2 · Second digitBlack
- Band 3 · Third digitBlack
- Band 4 · MultiplierRed
- Band 5 · ToleranceBrown
- Band 6 · Temperature coefficientBrown
The Brown TCR band is read at the right-hand end. Its temperature coefficient is ±100 ppm/K; the applicable reference temperature comes from the component specification.
How it works
- Read the first three bands as one three-digit significant number.
- Use the fourth band as the multiplier and the fifth as the tolerance percentage.
- Decode the sixth band as temperature coefficient in ppm/K, keeping it separate from the room-temperature tolerance.
Practical example
Brown, Black, Black, Red, Brown, Red is 100 × 100 = 10 kΩ, with ±1% tolerance and a 50 ppm/K temperature coefficient. A 40 K change corresponds to about 20 Ω of temperature-related change.
Common mistakes
Check these points before relying on a color-code reading or component substitution.
Do not read the sixth band as another tolerance band; it describes resistance change with temperature.
Do not combine tolerance and TCR percentages directly because they describe different operating effects and use different units.
Related resistor values
Open a worked color-code page generated from the same resistor engine as the calculator.
Related guides
How to Read a 5-Band Resistor Color Code
Decode a 5-band resistor using three significant digits, its multiplier, and tolerance, with guidance for precise resistance values.
Resistor Temperature Coefficient Explained
Learn how resistor TCR in ppm/K estimates resistance change with temperature and how the sixth color band differs from ordinary tolerance.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to questions that commonly arise with this resistor topic.
What unit is used for the sixth resistor band?
The sixth band is normally stated in parts per million per kelvin, abbreviated ppm/K.
Does a lower TCR number mean better temperature stability?
Generally yes: a smaller ppm/K magnitude permits less resistance change for the same temperature change, subject to the component datasheet.
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