Department of Technical Education

ANDHRA PRADESH
Name of the faculty : KP Pratap
Designation : Lecturer in ECE
Branch : ECE
Institute : GMR Polytechnic Gajwel, Medak(dt)
Year : First year
Subject : Electronic components and devices
Subject code : EC-105
Topic : Capacitors
Duration : 50 minutes
Sub topic : Identifying value of capacitor using
color code
Teaching Aids : PPT’s
EC105.27 1
Objectives

Upon the completion of this topic you would be able to

Understand

• Identity value of paper and mica capacitor using colour

code.

EC105.27 2
Recap

Color code table

Color Sig. digits Multiplier Tolerance DC voltage

Black 0 1 ±20%

Brown 1 10 100

Red 2 100 200

Orange 3 1000 ±30% 300

Yellow 4 10000 400

EC105.27 3
Color Sig. digits Multiplier Tolerance DC voltage
Green 5 500

Blue 6 600

Violet 7 700

Gray 8 800

White 9 900

Gold 1000

silver ±10%

EC105.27 4
Color code for moulded paper tubular capacitor
• First and second color bands are significant digits.
• Third color band indicates multiplier.
• Fourth color band indicates tolerance.
• Fifth and sixth color bands indicates 1st and 2nd significance
digits of working voltage.

tolerance
1st & 2nd Sig. digits of
multiplier Working voltage
Fig. 1
1st & 2nd sig. digits

EC105.27 5
Color code for mica capacitors

• Mica capacitors uses from 3 dot color arrangement to

5 dot color arrangement to find capacitance value.

EC105.27 6
Table for mica capacitor
Multiplier Tolerance Temp.(ppm/°C DC working
Color Sig.
voltage
value

Black 0 1 ±20% 0 100

Brown 1 10 -30

Red 2 100 ±2% -80 300

Orange 3 1000 ±3% -150

EC105.27 7
 Multiplier tolerance Temp.(ppm/°C DC working
Color Sig.
voltage
value
Yellow 4 10000 -220 500

Green 5 ±5% -330

Blue 6 -470

Violet 7 -750

Grey 8 0.01 ±0.25% 30

white 9 0.1 10% 500

EC105.27 8
3 Dot color arrangement

• 1st & 2nd color dots indicates the significance digits.

• 3 dot color indicates the multiplier.

1st & 2nd Sig. digits

multiplier

Fig. 2
EC105.27 9
5 Dot color arrangement
• First color dot indicates temperature coefficient.
• 2nd and 3rd color dots indicates significance digits.
• Fourth color dot indicates multiplier.
• Fifth color dot indicates tolerance.

Temp. 1st & 2nd Sig. digits

coefficient

multiplier
tolerance
Fig. 3
EC105.27 10
6 Dot color arrangement
• First dot indicates EIA identifier (indicates mica capacitor).
• 2nd & 3rd color dots indicates significance digits.
• Fourth dot indicates the multiplier.
• Fifth dot indicates tolerance.
• Sixth dot indicates classification.

EIA identifier 1st & 2nd Sig. digits

multiplier
classification
Fig. 4 tolerance
EC105.27 11
9 Dot color arrangement

EIA identifier 1st & 2nd Sig. digits

multiplier
tolerance

classification

DC working Operating identifier

voltage Temp.
range
Fig. 5

EC105.27 12
Summary

• Identity value of paper and mica capacitors using

colour code.

• Identifying the value of paper and mica capacitors

using colour code.

EC105.27 13
Quiz
1. The first two bands of n capacitor indicate

c) Significant digits

e) Voltages

g) Power

i) Current

EC105.27 14
2. In a 3 dot color arrangement of a capacitor the third
dot indicates.

d) Digit

f) Multiplier

h) Temperature coefficient

j) None of the above

EC105.27 15
Frequently asked Questions

1. Explain the 6 dots code of a capacitor.

2. Explain the capacitance value calculation of a paper

tubular capacitor.

EC105.27 16
 Assignment questions
1. Write short on the colour code of
capacitors

EC105.27 17