22 kΩ resistor colour code (22k)
E6 series
22 kΩ reads as Red · Red · Orange in bands. With ±5% it may sit anywhere from 20900 Ω to 23100 Ω.
Five bands
The first two bands are digits; the third is how many zeros follow. The gold band at the end is the ±5% tolerance.
- Value
- 22000 Ω
- 4k7 notation
- 22k
- Four bands
- Red · Red · Orange · Gold
- Five bands
- Red · Red · Black · Red · Gold
- Multiplier
- ×10³
- Tolerance
- ±5%
- Actual range
- 20900 – 23100 Ω
- Series
- E6 series · E12 series · E24 series
Which end to start from · The tolerance band sits a little apart from the rest. Start from the crowded end. If you can see gold or silver, that band is the last one.
Same decade
The same twenty-four values repeat with a different number of zeros — 47 Ω, 470 Ω and 4.7 kΩ all start with the same two colours.
Nearby values
How to read this
- Colours are digits: black 0, brown 1, red 2, orange 3, yellow 4, green 5, blue 6, violet 7, grey 8, white 9.
- The third band counts the zeros. Yellow, violet, red means 47 with two zeros — 4.7 kΩ.
- A five-band resistor reads three digits, so its multiplier band drops by one step.
- The tolerance band sits slightly apart, which is how you know which end is the back.
Frequently asked questions
Q. What are the colour bands for 22 kΩ?
Red · Red · Orange · Gold in four bands, or Red · Red · Black · Red · Gold in five.
Q. How is 22 kΩ read?
The first two digits are 22, followed by 3 zeros, giving 22000 Ω. In short form, 22k.
Q. What is the real value once tolerance is counted?
At ±5% it lies between 20900 Ω and 23100 Ω.
Q. Is 22 kΩ a common value?
It belongs to E6. That is the coarsest series, so it turns up everywhere.