3 Ω resistor colour code
Four bands: Orange · Black · Gold · Gold. The first two give the digits, the third multiplies, the fourth states how far off the real part may be.
Nominal
3 Ω
3 ohms
Real range at ±5%
2.85 Ω – 3.15 Ω
A gold band allows this much drift.
Series
E24
E24 only — stocked less often.
Band by band
| Band | Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orange | 1st digit — 3 |
| 2 | Black | 2nd digit — 0 |
| 3 | Gold | Multiplier — ×0.1 |
| 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 | 1.1 A | 3.63 W | no standard part — needs a power resistor or a heatsink |
| 5 V | 1.67 A | 8.33 W | no standard part — needs a power resistor or a heatsink |
| 12 V | 4 A | 48 W | no standard part — needs a power resistor or a heatsink |
| 24 V | 8 A | 192 W | no standard part — needs a power resistor or a heatsink |
What you can actually get
Parts made
120
137th most of 1,465 values
In stock
1,113
across 1 of them
Cheapest at 100
$0.0057
each
Tolerances sold
±0.1% to ±5%
5 grades in all
Packages: 1206, 0603, 0805, 0402, 1210, 2512, 1020, 2010. Ratings: 30mW to 10W.
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
Surface mount
300· three-digit, nearest only
3000· four-digit, precision parts
Three digits carry two significant figures, so they cannot write 3 Ω — 300 means 30 Ω. A part at this value is marked 3000.
Five bands
OrangeBlackBlackGoldBrown
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 3 Ω — which is why measuring beats reading when it matters.
- 2.87 Ω2.8413 Ω–2.8987 Ω
- 2.94 Ω2.9106 Ω–2.9694 Ω
- 3.01 Ω2.9799 Ω–3.0401 Ω
- 3.09 Ω3.0591 Ω–3.1209 Ω
- 3.16 Ω3.1284 Ω–3.1916 Ω
- 3.3 Ω3.135 Ω–3.465 Ω
If you do not have one
Standard values that land within 1% of 3 Ω when combined.