120 kΩ resistor colour code
Four bands: Brown · Red · Yellow · Gold. The first two give the digits, the third multiplies, the fourth states how far off the real part may be.
Nominal
120 kΩ
120,000 ohms
Real range at ±5%
114 kΩ – 126 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 | Yellow | Multiplier — ×10,000 |
| 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 | 27.5 µA | 90.7 µW | 1/8 W |
| 5 V | 41.7 µA | 208 µW | 1/8 W |
| 12 V | 100 µA | 1.2 mW | 1/8 W |
| 24 V | 200 µA | 4.8 mW | 1/8 W |
What you can actually get
Parts made
193
50th most of 1,465 values
In stock
3,468
across 2 of them
Cheapest at 100
$0.0018
each
Tolerances sold
±0.1% to ±5%
6 grades in all
Packages: 0805, 1206, 0402, 0603, 1210, 2512, 2010, 0201. Ratings: 30mW to 5W.
Assembly stock from the JLCPCB library, read 2026-09-24. That is what a board house will place for you — not everything a distributor sells.
The same value, marked differently
Five bands
BrownRedBlackYellowBrown
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 120 kΩ — which is why measuring beats reading when it matters.
- 110 kΩ104.5 kΩ–115.5 kΩ
- 113 kΩ111.87 kΩ–114.13 kΩ
- 115 kΩ113.85 kΩ–116.15 kΩ
- 118 kΩ116.82 kΩ–119.18 kΩ
- 121 kΩ119.79 kΩ–122.21 kΩ
- 124 kΩ122.76 kΩ–125.24 kΩ
- 127 kΩ125.73 kΩ–128.27 kΩ
- 130 kΩ123.5 kΩ–136.5 kΩ
If you do not have one
Standard values that land within 1% of 120 kΩ when combined.