1.2 kΩ resistor colour code
Four bands: Brown · Red · Red · Gold. The first two give the digits, the third multiplies, the fourth states how far off the real part may be.
Nominal
1.2 kΩ
1,200 ohms
Real range at ±5%
1.14 kΩ – 1.26 kΩ
A gold band allows this much drift.
Series
E12
Held in almost every parts drawer.
Band by band
| Band | Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brown | 1st digit — 1 |
| 2 | Red | 2nd digit — 2 |
| 3 | Red | Multiplier — ×100 |
| 4 | Gold | Tolerance — ±5% |
How much it can take
Current and dissipation across the resistor, and the package you need. The suggested rating keeps a factor of two in hand, which is what anyone building a board actually does.
| Across it | Current | Dissipated | Package to pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.3 V | 2.75 mA | 9.07 mW | 1/8 W |
| 5 V | 4.17 mA | 20.8 mW | 1/8 W |
| 12 V | 10 mA | 120 mW | 1/4 W |
| 24 V | 20 mA | 480 mW | 1 W |
What you can actually get
Parts made
194
46th most of 1,465 values
In stock
5,102
across 4 of them
Cheapest at 100
$0.0034
each
Tolerances sold
±0.01% to ±10%
9 grades in all
Packages: 0805, 1206, 0402, 0603, 1210, 2512, 2010, 0201. Ratings: 30mW to 20W.
What ten of them actually cost
The price everyone quotes is the reel price. If you want ten, you cannot buy the reel — and the real figure is usually several times higher per piece.
Ten pieces
$4.70
$0.47 each · Cut Tape (CT) · minimum order 1
The reel price
$0.27
each, but only from 30,000 pieces up
Sitting in stock
4,648
across 1 part numbers
Per piece, ten costs 1.7× the reel price. That gap is why a handful of resistors never costs what the headline price suggests.
Stocked in ±0.1%, rated 1/16 W.
Cheapest part you can buy ten of: ERA-2ARB122X by Panasonic Industry — see it at Digi-Key.
Assembly stock from the JLCPCB library, read 2026-09-24. Retail prices and stock from Digi-Key, read 2026-09-24. Prices move — check the product page before ordering. That is what a board house will place for you — not everything a distributor sells.
The same value, marked differently
Five bands
BrownRedBlackRedBrown
Three significant digits and a ±1% band.
Values that can overlap this one
At ±5% the tolerance bands of neighbouring values run into each other. A part sold as one of these could measure the same as a 1.2 kΩ — which is why measuring beats reading when it matters.
- 1.1 kΩ1.045 kΩ–1.155 kΩ
- 1.13 kΩ1.1187 kΩ–1.1413 kΩ
- 1.15 kΩ1.1385 kΩ–1.1615 kΩ
- 1.18 kΩ1.1682 kΩ–1.1918 kΩ
- 1.21 kΩ1.1979 kΩ–1.2221 kΩ
- 1.24 kΩ1.2276 kΩ–1.2524 kΩ
- 1.27 kΩ1.2573 kΩ–1.2827 kΩ
- 1.3 kΩ1.235 kΩ–1.365 kΩ
If you do not have one
Standard values that land within 1% of 1.2 kΩ when combined.