8.2 kΩ resistor color code
An 8.2 kΩ resistor is Gray, Red, Red, Gold: 82 × 100 = 8,200 Ω, ±5%, so anything from 7.79 to 8.61 kΩ is in spec.
82 × 100 = 8,200 Ω = 8.2 kΩ
5-band version
Gray · Red · Black · Brown · Brown = 8.2 kΩ ±1%
820 × 10 = 8,200 Ω = 8.2 kΩ. Range 8.118–8.282 kΩ (±1%).
Open the 5-band version
Where you'll meet it
A button pull-down on a Raspberry Pi Pico 2
The button connects 3.3 V to input pin GP15, and an 8.2 kΩ resistor connects the same pin to ground, so the pin reads LOW while the button is up. On a Pico 2 the value matters: early RP2350 chips have a fault, erratum E9, that can leave a pin stuck partway up when only the chip's own pull-down holds it. Raspberry Pi's advice is an outside pull-down of 8.2 kΩ or less.
I = 3.3 V / 8.2 kΩ ≈ 0.4 mA
Button up: no current flows, the resistor holds the pin at 0 V and it reads LOW.
Button down: the pin is at 3.3 V and reads HIGH. The resistor turns 3.3 V × 0.4 mA ≈ 0.0013 W into heat, so any ¼ W part is fine.
The usual 10 kΩ is too weak for erratum E9. 8.2 kΩ is the next value down in the common E12 range, so it is the gentlest one that meets the advice.
On a 5 V Arduino, wire the button to 5 V instead: then 5 V / 8.2 kΩ ≈ 0.61 mA.
Wire the button to the Pico's 3.3 V output pin, never to its 5 V pins. Newer chips marked A4 have the fault fixed, and the resistor does no harm on them or on any other board. A real button also bounces for a few milliseconds when pressed; handle that in code.
On SMD parts
Look for 822 or 8201
- 822822 = 82 × 10² = 8,200 Ω (3-digit code).
- 82018201 = 820 × 10¹ = 8,200 Ω (4-digit code, usually ±1% parts).
There is no EIA-96 code, because 8.2 kΩ is not an E96 value (the nearest E96 values are 8.06 kΩ and 8.25 kΩ).
Don't mix it up
Only band 3 changes
These four share Gray, Red and Gold. Red (×100) is 8.2 kΩ; brown is ten times less and orange ten times more.
820 Ωband 3 brown- 8.2 kΩband 3 redThis page
82 kΩband 3 orange
820 kΩband 3 yellow
Check it with a meter
Read 7.79–8.61 kΩ
- Take the resistor out of the circuit.
- Set the meter to Ω, range 20 kΩ (or auto).
- Touch one probe to each lead. Keep your fingers off the metal: your body is a resistor too.
- Anything from 7.79 to 8.61 kΩ is a good ±5% part. A 5-band ±1% part should read 8.118 to 8.282 kΩ.
A meter has a small error of its own, so a reading a hair outside the range does not prove the part is bad. Measure again with firm contact before you swap it.
Spot it
Can you find 8.2 kΩ in a pile?
Practise reading it, and its look-alikes, in the resistor challenge.
Try the resistor challenge8.2 kΩ resistor FAQ
Why does a Pico 2 button need an 8.2 kΩ pull-down?
Early RP2350 chips, the chip on the Pico 2, have a fault called erratum E9: a pin held low only by the chip's own pull-down can stay stuck partway up after it was driven high. Raspberry Pi's advice is an outside pull-down of 8.2 kΩ or less. With 8.2 kΩ a pressed button costs only 3.3 V / 8.2 kΩ ≈ 0.4 mA.
What is the SMD code for an 8.2 kΩ resistor?
822 on 3-digit parts (82 × 10²) and 8201 on 4-digit parts (820 × 10¹). There is no EIA-96 code, because 8.2 kΩ is not an E96 value.
What are the 5-band colors for 8.2 kΩ?
Gray, Red, Black, Brown, Brown: 820 × 10 = 8.2 kΩ with ±1% tolerance, so 8.118 to 8.282 kΩ.
What does 8k2 mean?
8k2 is another way to write 8.2 kΩ. The k sits where the decimal point would be, so the point cannot get lost in small print or on a schematic. You will also see it written as 8.2k or 8K2.
Bands, ranges and codes come from the same engine as the calculator. Last reviewed .