Enter your Input Power, Output Power, Input Voltage, Output Voltage, and Current values into the Power Conversion Calculator to get Efficiency, Power Loss, Input/Output Current, and a full Conversion Summary for your circuit.
Inductance Value
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Tolerance
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Minimum Value
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Maximum Value
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For 4-band inductors, the first two bands represent digits, the third band is the multiplier, and the fourth band is tolerance. Read from left to right and multiply the two-digit number by the multiplier value.
5-band inductors have an additional third digit for higher precision, while 4-band inductors use only two significant digits. 5-band inductors also sometimes include a military identifier band.
The tolerance band shows the acceptable variation from the nominal inductance value as a percentage. For example, ±5% means the actual value can be 5% higher or lower than the calculated value.
Smaller inductors often use printed numbers because color bands would be too small to read accurately. Surface-mount inductors typically use numerical coding systems instead of color bands.
Inductance is measured in henries (H), with common sub-units being millihenries (mH), microhenries (µH), and nanohenries (nH). Most small inductors are measured in microhenries.
Color-coded inductors typically have tolerances ranging from ±1% to ±20%, with ±5% and ±10% being most common. Higher precision inductors usually have tighter tolerances but cost more.
Yes, this calculator works for any color-coded inductor regardless of core material. The color code standard applies to air core, ferrite core, and other types of inductors.
Use good lighting and compare with a color chart. If still unclear, measure the inductance with an LCR meter for accuracy. Some colors like orange/red or brown/violet can be difficult to distinguish.