220 Ohm Resistor Color Code - Electronics Reference

How to Read the 220 Ohm Resistor Color Code

The 220 Ohm resistor is one of the most common resistors in electronics. Like other color coded resistors, the value of a 220 Ohm resistor can be quickly determined just by looking at the color bands on the body of the resistor.

The 220 Ohm resistor color code allows us to quickly identify the resistance value and tolerance of a 220 ohm (220 Ω) resistor.

In this article, we’ll cover how to quickly identify and read 4 band, 5 band, and 6 band 220 Ohm resistors.

220 Ohm Resistor – 4, 5, 6 Band Color Code Chart

	Band One	Band Two	Band Three	Band Four	Band Five	Band Six
Four Band	Red	Red	Brown	± %	–	–
Five Band	Red	Red	Black	Black	± %	–
Six Band	Red	Red	Black	Black	± %	R(T°)

220 Ohm Resistor Color Bands

Each band on a resistor has a specific purpose.

In a four band resistor, the first three bands give us the resistor’s nominal value.

The 4th band gives us the tolerance of the resistor.

In a five band resistor, the first four bands tell us the nominal value of the resistor. Note that a five band resistor’s extra band is used to determine the nominal value. The fifth band identifies the tolerance.

Six band resistors add another color band that give us the temperature coefficient, or how sensitive the resistor is to temperature changes.

All resistors have a tolerance value, which means that the value is unlikely to be exactly 220 Ohms. Higher quality resistors have tighter tolerances.

Helpful Tips for Using Resistor Color Codes:

1) Identify the last band first. The last band is usually gold or silver and should be separated from the other bands by a small gap. This band gives us the tolerance of the 220 Ohm resistor.

2) After identifying the last band, look at the bands on the opposite side of the resistor. The first two bands give us a base value, which needs to be multiplied by the multiplier to identify the full resistance value.

3) The third band is the multiplier. Multiply the value designated by the first two bands with the multiplier to find the full value of the resistor.

This process is covered in greater detail below.

220 Ohm Resistor Color Chart

Band Number	Function	Color	Value
1	1st Digit	Red	2
2	2nd Digit	Red	2
3	Multiplier	Brown	x 10
4	Tolerance	Gold (or silver)	± 5% (± 10% for silver)
			Total Value: 220 ± 5% Ω

How To Read the 220 Ohm Resistor Color Code

Resistor color codes consist of digits followed by a multiplier and a tolerance value. Four band resistors have two bands for digits, while five band resistors have three bands for digits. Six band resistors also add a temperature coefficient.

It’s easiest to learn four band resistors first. Once you learn the four band system, it is very easy to understand five and six band resistor color codes.

The Four Band 220 Ohm Resistor

Each band on the resistor has a specific role:

Band One – 1^st Digit: This is the first digit of the resistance value. The first band is red, which corresponds to a value of 2.

Band Two – 2^nd Digit: The second digit of the resistance value. This band is also red, which again corresponds to the value 2. This is added to the right of the first digit (from band one).

Therefore the digits from band one and band two are: 22.

Band Three – Multiplier: Takes the digits and multiplies them by a value given by this band. The actual multiplier is 10ⁿ, where n is a value that corresponds to the color of the band. In this case, the third band is brown, which corresponds to the number 1. Therefore the multiplier is 10¹ = 10.

So the total value of the resistance given by the colors is 22 (from digits) x 10¹ (from multiplier) Ω = 220Ω.

Band Four – Tolerance: Gives the value of the tolerance for the resistor. The most common values are 5% (designated by a gold band), and 10% (designated by a silver band). This example uses a gold band, giving us a tolerance of 5%.

The total resistance is therefore: 220Ω ± 5% Ω.

Five percent of 220 Ω is 11 Ω. This means that the actual resistance value could be anywhere from 209 Ω (220 Ω – 11 Ω) to 231 Ω (220 Ω + 11 Ω).

If the fourth band is silver, the tolerance is 10% and the total resistance is 220Ω ± 10% Ω. The actual resistance should be between 198 Ω (220 Ω – 22 Ω) and 242 Ω (220 Ω + 22 Ω).

You can use a multimeter to find out the actual resistance, but note that it will also vary with temperature. Resistors dissipate energy as heat, so temperature is an important consideration. In 6 band resistors, the temperature dependence is given by the last band (more on this below).

Multimeters are a great way to check any resistors you aren’t sure of or to determine the actual resistance of a specific resistor. Always remember to follow practical safety guidelines. Resistance must be measured with the power off so ensure that the circuit is disconnected and that all energy storing devices (batteries, capacitors) are disconnected or discharged.

4-Band vs. 5-Band vs. 6-Band 220 Ohm Resistor Color Code

You will probably encounter 5 band or even 6 band resistors.

It is very easy to read 5 or 6 band resistors if you already know how to use four band resistor color coding.

5 Band 220 Resistor Color Code

For 220 Ohm resistors with five bands, the first three bands will be red, red, and black (indicating 220) and the fourth band will be black indicating a multiplier of 10⁰ = 1.

Band Number	Function	Color	Value
1	1st Digit	Red	2
2	2nd Digit	Red	2
3	3rd Digit	Black	0
4	Multiplier	Black	x 1
5	Tolerance	Gold (or silver)	± 5% (or ± 10%)
			Total Value: 220 ± 5% Ω

4-Band vs. 5-Band vs. 6-Band 220 Resistor Color Code Table

	4-Band Resistor	5-Band Resistor	6-Band Resistor
1^st band	1^st digit of resistance value (red)	1^st digit of resistance value (red)	1^st digit of resistance value (red)
2^nd band	2^nd digit of resistance value (red)	2^nd digit of resistance value (red)	2^nd digit of resistance value (red)
3^rd band	Multiplier (brown, x 10)	3^rd digit of resistance value (black)	3^rd digit of resistance value (black)
4^th band	Tolerance (± %)	Multiplier (black, x 1)	Multiplier (black, x 1)
5^th band	N/A	Tolerance (± %)	Tolerance (± %)
6^th band	N/A	N/A	Temperature Coefficient R(T°)

4 Band vs. 5 Band 220 Ohm Resistor

Four band resistors have two bands for the value, one for the multiplier, and one for the tolerance.

Five band resistors add an extra band for the value.

Therefore five band resistors have three bands for the value, one for the multiplier, and one for the tolerance. The process of analyzing the resistor is the same as with a four band resistor. Start by looking for a small gap between the fourth and fifth bands. As with four band resistors, the last band tells us the tolerance. Then go back to the first four bands to calculate the resistance value.

For a 220 ohm resistor with five bands, we should see an order of: red (2), red (2), black (0), black (x1), gold or silver (± 5% or 10%).

6 Band 220 Ohm Resistor

Band Number	Function	Color	Value
1	1st Digit	Red	2
2	2nd Digit	Red	2
3	3rd Digit	Black	0
4	Multiplier	Black	x 10⁰ = 1
5	Tolerance	Gold (or silver)	± 5%
6	Temp. Coefficient	Any	See Chart Below
			Total Value: 220 ± 5% Ω

Six band resistors are exactly like five band resistors except they have an extra band to indicate the temperature coefficient, i.e. how much the resistance will change with temperature.

In this case, the last two bands (i.e. the fifth and sixth bands) should be closely spaced, with a gap between the fourth and fifth bands.

They are read exactly the same way as five band resistors, except that the (additional) last band tells us the temperature coefficient.

Color	Temperature Coefficient
Black	N/A
Brown	100 ppm/ºC
Red	50 ppm/ºC
Orange	15 ppm/ºC
Yellow	25 ppm/ºC
Green	N/A
Blue	10 ppm/ºC
Violet	5 ppm/ºC
Grey	N/A
White	N/A

The 220 Ohm resistor color code is relatively easy to learn for any type of resistor. The distinctive pattern of two red bands makes them easy to spot. Always confirm the actual resistance using an ohmmeter or multimeter if possible.