Reference Charts

Color codes, E-series, capacitor values & more

Resistor Color Code Chart

Color Swatch Digit Multiplier Tolerance

E12 Series ±10%

12 values per decade

E24 Series ±5%

24 values per decade

E96 Series ±1%

96 values per decade

Common Resistor Values & Uses

ValueCommon UseNotes
10 ΩCurrent sensing, inrush limiting0.25W at 1.5A
33 ΩUSB D+/D- terminationUSB 2.0 spec
100 ΩTransmission line terminationRS-485 line end
330 ΩLED current limiter (5V)~15mA with Vf=2V
470 ΩLED current limiterStandard 5V LED resistor
1 kΩTransistor base, LED seriesVery common
4.7 kΩI²C pull-up (3.3V fast)I²C spec 400kHz
10 kΩMCU pull-up/pull-downMost common MCU value
47 kΩOp-amp feedback, biasHigh-Z input bias
100 kΩADC input divider, biasLow current draw
1 MΩDischarge bleed, gate biasHigh impedance

Common Capacitor Values & Uses

ValueTypeCommon Use
10 pFCeramicCrystal load caps, RF tuning
22 pFCeramicCrystal oscillator load
100 pFCeramicRF bypass, high-freq filtering
1 nFCeramicEMI filtering, snubber
10 nFCeramicGeneral bypass, RC filter
100 nF (0.1µF)CeramicIC decoupling — most common!
1 µFCeramic/TantalumPower supply decoupling
10 µFElectrolytic/TantalumBulk decoupling, audio coupling
100 µFElectrolyticPower rail bulk cap
1000 µFElectrolyticPSU filter, motor drive

SI Prefixes (Electronics)

p
pico
10⁻¹²
n
nano
10⁻⁹
µ
micro
10⁻⁶
m
milli
10⁻³
—
base
10⁰
k
kilo
10³
M
mega
10⁶
G
giga
10⁹