Find nearest standard value
โ nearest value in each series
Browse values
Series overview
| Series | Values per decade | Max error | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| E6 | 6 | ยฑ20% | High tolerance (old stock, rough estimates) |
| E12 | 12 | ยฑ10% | General purpose, most common |
| E24 | 24 | ยฑ5% | Precision circuits, preferred for new designs |
| E48 | 48 | ยฑ2% | Precision resistors, metal film |
| E96 | 96 | ยฑ1% | High-precision, SMD, measurement circuits |
| E192 | 192 | ยฑ0.5% | Very high precision, specialty use |
About E-series
What is an E-series?
E-series (IEC 60063) defines preferred resistor values so that every value falls within the tolerance range of the nearest standard value. For example, E12 has 12 values per decade โ the steps are approximately equal on a logarithmic scale, each about 10^(1/12) โ 1.21ร apart.
Which series to choose?
- E12 โ good enough for most DIY and hobby projects
- E24 โ use when you need closer to a calculated value
- E96 โ precision circuits: filters, references, DACs
- SMD resistors are usually available in E24 and E96
- Through-hole resistors: mainly E12 and E24
How to read the table
All values shown are the base mantissa (1.0 โ 9.1). Multiply by any power of 10 to get the actual value:
E.g. E12 base value 4.7 โ available as 0.47 ฮฉ ยท 4.7 ฮฉ ยท 47 ฮฉ ยท 470 ฮฉ ยท 4.7 kฮฉ ยท 47 kฮฉ ยท 470 kฮฉ ยท 4.7 Mฮฉ
Tolerance & availability
- 1% metal film resistors (E96) are now cheap and widely available
- 5% carbon film = E24 typical
- If you can't find an exact value, use two standard values in series or parallel
- For pull-up/down resistors, exact value rarely matters โ use E12