Brown Red Black Black Brown — 120 Ω
Read left to right, starting from the end where the bands are grouped. The brown band is the tolerance and always sits alone at the far end. Five bands means three significant digits — this is a precision part.
What each band says
| Band | Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brown | 1st digit — 1 |
| 2 | Red | 2nd digit — 2 |
| 3 | Black | 3rd digit — 0 |
| 4 | Black | Multiplier — ×1 |
| 5 | Brown | Tolerance — ±1% |
In a circuit
Across 5 V
41.7 mA · 208 mW · 1/2 W part
Across 12 V
100 mA · 1.2 W · 5 W part
Surface-mount marking for the same value: 121.
If you misread one band
Brown and red, or orange and red, are easy to confuse under a desk lamp. These are the codes one band away from this one.