Check a 4.7k resistor in the calculator
The calculator is set to 4.7 kΩ with a gold tolerance band. Switch to 5 or 6 bands, change the tolerance, or choose “Read the bands” to decode a resistor you are holding.
4.7k resistor colour bands
A 4.7 kΩ resistor carries the same value in every marking system; only the number of bands changes. Read from the end with the bands bunched closest to it, with the tolerance band, usually gold or brown and set slightly apart, on the right.
| Marking | Colours | Drawing | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 bands, ±5 % | yellow, violet, red, gold | The most common through-hole marking | |
| 5 bands, ±1 % | yellow, violet, black, brown, brown | Precision metal-film resistors | |
| 6 bands, ±1 %, 100 ppm/K | yellow, violet, black, brown, brown, brown | Adds a temperature-coefficient band | |
| 3 bands, ±20 % | yellow, violet, red | Old parts with no tolerance band |
How to read yellow, violet, red, gold
- First band, yellow: first digit 4.
- Second band, violet: second digit 7, giving 47.
- Third band, red: multiply by 100, giving 4,700 Ω = 4.7 kΩ.
- Fourth band, gold: tolerance ±5 %.
On the 5-band version the first three bands are digits (470) and the fourth is the multiplier (×10), which comes to the same 4.7 kΩ. Check any other combination with the resistor color code calculator.
What a 4.7k resistor should measure
Tolerance is how far the real resistance may sit from the marked value. Measured out of circuit with a meter, a good 4.7 kΩ resistor reads within these limits:
| Tolerance | Band | Lowest | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| ±1 % | Brown | 4.653 kΩ | 4.747 kΩ |
| ±2 % | Red | 4.606 kΩ | 4.794 kΩ |
| ±5 % | Gold | 4.465 kΩ | 4.935 kΩ |
| ±10 % | Silver | 4.23 kΩ | 5.17 kΩ |
| ±20 % | None (no band) | 3.76 kΩ | 5.64 kΩ |
Measure it out of circuit, or with one leg lifted: anything connected in parallel in the circuit pulls the reading down. Set a manual meter to the first range above 4.7 kΩ.
Is 4.7k a standard resistor value?
Yes. 4.7 kΩ belongs to the E3, E6, E12, E24, E192 series of IEC 60063, so it is made in the ±5 % and ±10 % ranges, though not in the ±1 % E96 range. The neighbouring E12 values are 3.9 kΩ below and 5.6 kΩ above. All the series are listed on our E-series resistor values page.
SMD code for 4.7 kΩ
- 3-digit code (usually ±5 %):
472. - 4-digit code (usually ±1 %):
4701. - EIA-96 code (±1 % chips in 0603 and smaller): none: 4.7 kΩ is not an E96 value, so 1 % chips of this value carry the 4-digit code instead.
Decode any chip marking with the SMD resistor code calculator.
Current, power and wattage
By Ohm’s law, I = V ÷ R and P = V² ÷ R. With the whole supply across a 4.7 kΩ resistor:
| Across | Current | Power | Rating to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.3 V | 702 µA | 2.32 mW | ⅛ W |
| 5 V | 1.06 mA | 5.32 mW | ⅛ W |
| 12 V | 2.55 mA | 30.6 mW | ⅛ W |
| 24 V | 5.11 mA | 123 mW | ¼ W |
A ¼ W 4.7 kΩ resistor reaches its full rating at 34.3 V (V = √(P × R)). In series with a red LED (about 2 V) on a 5 V supply it passes 638 µA, too little to light most LEDs visibly. The LED resistor calculator finds the right value for any LED and supply.
What a 4.7k resistor is used for
4.7 kΩ (written 4k7) is the textbook I²C pull-up resistor for 100 kHz buses at 3.3 and 5 V, and the pull-up that the DS18B20 temperature sensor’s datasheet specifies for its 1-Wire data line. It is also a common bias resistor and a gentle pull-up for long switch wires.
Mistakes when reading a 4.7k resistor
The multiplier band moves the value by a factor of ten for every colour step, so it is the band to check twice, in good light. These are the misreadings that catch people out with 4.7 kΩ:
- Red read as brown. Yellow, violet, brown, gold would be 470 Ω, 10 times too low.
- Red read as orange. Yellow, violet, orange, gold would be 47 kΩ, 10 times too high.
- Reading the 4-band code backwards. It can’t be done: gold is not a digit colour, which is how you know which end comes first.
- Reading the 5-band code backwards. Brown, brown, black, violet, yellow reads as 1.1 GΩ ±0.02 %, a plausible value, so this mistake goes unnoticed. The tolerance band is usually a little apart from the others; if you can’t tell, measure it.
Making 4.7 kΩ from other values
No 4.7 kΩ in the drawer? Two common E12 values can stand in, within 1 %: in series, 820 Ω + 3.9 kΩ = 4.72 kΩ; in parallel, 6.8 kΩ ∥ 15 kΩ = 4.679 kΩ. Two 4.7 kΩ resistors give 9.4 kΩ in series and 2.35 kΩ in parallel.
Colour codes for other common values
- 1 ohm resistor: brown, black, gold
- 100 ohm resistor: brown, black, brown
- 220 ohm resistor: red, red, brown
- 330 ohm resistor: orange, orange, brown
- 470 ohm resistor: yellow, violet, brown
- 1k resistor: brown, black, red
- 10k resistor: brown, black, orange
- 100k resistor: brown, black, yellow
- 1M resistor: brown, black, green
Colours follow IEC 60062:2016. Codes, ranges and currents on this page are computed by the same engine as the resistor colour code calculator; see our methodology.