2.2K Ohm Resistor - Electronics Reference

2.2k Ohm Resistor Color Code

The 2.2k Ohm resistor is one of the most common resistors in electronics. The four band 2.2k resistor is very easy to recognize with its’ distinctive pattern of three red color bands. The 5 and 6 band versions have a pattern of red, red, black, brown, followed by the tolerance band and temperature coefficient band on the 6 band version.

One difficulty is that the 2.2k ohm resistor is easy to confuse with a 220 ohm resistor, so keep this in mind and verify using the color code or a multimeter if possible.

In this article, we’ll cover how to quickly identify 4 band, 5 band, and 6 band 2.2k Ohm resistors.

2.2k 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	Red	± %	–	–
Five Band	Red	Red	Black	Brown	± %	–
Six Band	Red	Red	Black	Brown	± %	R(T°)

2.2k Ohm Resistor Color Bands

Each band on a resistor has a specific purpose.

All color-coded resistors (regardless of how many bands they have) have at least two digit bands, one multiplier band, and one tolerance. This is the structure of a four band resistor color code; five and six band resistors add to this basic structure.

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 add a digit to the nominal value. You can think of it as an extra digit band at the front, with the other bands retaining the same function as those of a four band resistor. The fifth band identifies the tolerance.

Six band resistors add another color band at the end of the resistor that tells us the temperature coefficient. This is an indication of how sensitive the resistor is to temperature changes.

All resistors have a tolerance value, which means that the value is unlikely to be exactly 2.2k Ohms. Higher quality resistors have tighter tolerances.

Helpful Tips for Using Resistor Color Codes:

1) Start by identifying the last band first. On four and five band resistors, 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 2.2k Ohm resistor. On six band resistors, the last two bands should be tightly grouped, and the first four bands should be tightly grouped. There should be a noticeable gap between the fourth and fifth band.

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.

2.2k Ohm Resistor Color Chart

Band Number	Function	Color	Value
1	1st Digit	Red	2
2	2nd Digit	Red	2
3	Multiplier	Red	x 100
4	Tolerance	Gold (or silver)	± 5% (± 10% for silver)
			Total Value: 2.2k ± 5% Ω

How To Read the 2.2k 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 2.2k Ohm Resistor

Each band on the resistor has a specific role:

Band One – 1^st Digit: The first digit of the resistance value. The first band on a 2.2k ohm resistor 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: 2 & 2 = 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 red, which corresponds to the number 2. Therefore the multiplier is 10² = 100.

The total value of the resistance is 22 (from digits) x 10² (from multiplier) Ω = 2.2kΩ.

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: 2.2kΩ ± 5% Ω.

Five percent of 2.2k Ω is 110 Ω. This means that the actual resistance value could be anywhere from 2090 Ω (2.2k Ω – 110 Ω) to 2310 Ω (2.2k Ω + 110 Ω).

If the fourth band is silver, the tolerance is 10% and the total resistance is 2.2kΩ ± 10% Ω. The actual resistance will be between 1980 Ω (2.2k Ω – 220 Ω) and 2420 Ω (2.2k Ω + 220 Ω).

You can use a multimeter to measure the 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).

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 2.2k Ohm Resistor Color Code

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

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

5 Band 2.2k Resistor Color Code

For 2.2k Ohm resistors with five bands, the first three bands will be red, red, and black (indicating 220) and the fourth band will be brown indicating a multiplier of 10¹ = 10.

Band Number	Function	Color	Value
1	1st Digit	Red	2
2	2nd Digit	Red	2
3	3rd Digit	Black	0
4	Multiplier	Brown	x 10
5	Tolerance	Gold (or silver)	± 5% (or ± 10%)
			Total Value: 2.2k ± 5% Ω

4-Band vs. 5-Band vs. 6-Band 2.2k Resistor Color Code Table

	4-Band Resistor	5-Band Resistor	6-Band Resistor
1^st band	1^st digit of resistance value (red – 2)	1^st digit of resistance value (red – 2)	1^st digit of resistance value (red – 2)
2^nd band	1^st digit of resistance value (red – 2)	1^st digit of resistance value (red – 2)	1^st digit of resistance value (red – 2)
3^rd band	Multiplier (red, x 100)	3^rd digit of resistance value (black – 0)	3^rd digit of resistance value (black – 0)
4^th band	Tolerance (± %)	Multiplier (brown, x 10)	Multiplier (brown, x 10)
5^th band	N/A	Tolerance (± %)	Tolerance (± %)
6^th band	N/A	N/A	Temperature Coefficient R(T°)

4 Band vs. 5 Band 2.2k 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 digit 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 2.2k ohm resistor with five bands, we should see an order of: red (2), red (2), black (0), brown (x10), gold or silver (± 5% or 10%).

6 Band 2.2k Ohm Resistor

Band Number	Function	Color	Value
1	1st Digit	Red	2
2	2nd Digit	Red	2
3	3rd Digit	Black	0
4	Multiplier	Brown	x 10¹ = 10
5	Tolerance	Gold (or silver)	± 5%
6	Temp. Coefficient	Any	See Chart Below
			Total Value: 2.2k ± 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 a six band resistor, 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 2.2k 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. However, they may be easily confused with 220 ohm resistors which also feature two red bands, so it’s important to verify using the color code or a multimeter if possible.