12 Ω resistor colour code
Four bands: Brown · Red · Black · Gold. The first two give the digits, the third multiplies, the fourth states how far off the real part may be.
Nominal
12 Ω
12 ohms
Real range at ±5%
11.4 Ω – 12.6 Ω
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 | Black | Multiplier — ×1 |
| 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 | 275 mA | 907 mW | 2 W |
| 5 V | 417 mA | 2.08 W | 5 W |
| 12 V | 1 A | 12 W | no standard part — needs a power resistor or a heatsink |
| 24 V | 2 A | 48 W | no standard part — needs a power resistor or a heatsink |
What you can actually get
Parts made
166
106th most of 1,465 values
In stock
17,314
across 4 of them
Cheapest at 100
$0.0027
each
Tolerances sold
±0.1% to ±10%
7 grades in all
Packages: 0805, 1206, 0603, 0402, 1210, 2010, 0201, 2512. Ratings: 30mW to 13W.
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
$18.94
$1.89 each · Cut Tape (CT) · minimum order 1
The reel price
$1.38
each, but only from 3,000 pieces up
Sitting in stock
9,958
across 1 part numbers
Stocked in ±1%, rated 16 W.
Cheapest part you can buy ten of: CPA2512Q12R0FS-T10 by Susumu — 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
BrownRedBlackGoldBrown
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 12 Ω — which is why measuring beats reading when it matters.
- 11 Ω10.45 Ω–11.55 Ω
- 11.3 Ω11.187 Ω–11.413 Ω
- 11.5 Ω11.385 Ω–11.615 Ω
- 11.8 Ω11.682 Ω–11.918 Ω
- 12.1 Ω11.979 Ω–12.221 Ω
- 12.4 Ω12.276 Ω–12.524 Ω
- 12.7 Ω12.573 Ω–12.827 Ω
- 13 Ω12.35 Ω–13.65 Ω
If you do not have one
Standard values that land within 1% of 12 Ω when combined.