Resistor Values E6 E12 E24 E48 E96 E192

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Standard EIA Decade Resistor Values Table

The Electronic Industries Association (EIA), and other authorities, specify standard values for resistors, sometimes referred to as the "preferred value" system. The preferred value system has its origins in the early years of the last century at a time when most resistors were carbongraphite with relatively poor manufacturing tolerances. The rationale is simple - select values for components based on the tolerances with which they are able to be manufactured. Using 10% tolerance devices as an example, suppose that the first preferred value is 100 ohms. It makes little sense to produce a 105 ohm resistor since 105 ohms falls within the 10% tolerance range of the 100 ohm resistor. The next reasonable value is 120 ohms because the 100 ohm resistor with a 10% tolerance is expected to have a value somewhere between 90 and 110 ohms. The 120 ohm resistor has a value ranging between 110 and 130 ohms. Following this logic, the preferred values for 10% tolerance resistors between 100 and 1,000 ohms would be 100, 120, 150, 180, 220, 270, 330 and so on (rounded appropriately); this is the E12 series shown in the table below. The EIA "E" series specify the preferred values for various tolerances. The number following the "E" specifies the number of logarithmic steps per decade. The table below is normalized for the decade between 100 and 1,000. The values in any decade can be derived by merely dividing or multiplying the table entries by powers of 10. The series are as follows: E3 50% tolerance (no longer used) E6 20% tolerance (now seldom used) E12 10% tolerance E24 5% tolerance E48 2% tolerance E96 1% tolerance E192 0.5, 0.25, 0.1% and higher tolerances While the "E" preferred value lists are the best way to insure one is stocking the optimum number of values for a given tolerance, a word of caution is in order with respect to what is actually available in the marketplace and certain real world practices. For instance, the E48 list is often used as a stock list for 1% resistors for inventory control (48 values per decade rather than 96), but this practice leaves "holes" or gaps in one's stock not covered by tolerance overlap, an
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Resistor Values E6 E12 E24 E48 E96 E192

undesirable practice in a prototype lab (less of an issue to the digital designer than to an analog circuit designer). The use of the E48 list for inventory control of 1% resistors works out well because every value on the E48 list just happens to also appear on the E96 list; the holes are thus symmetrical and easily filled by acquisition of one of the other 48 values per decade being omitted from stock. However, this is not always the case as can be seen by comparing the E24 and E96 lists. Nevertheless, many manufacturers make every single value on the E24 list in 1% tolerance even though the practice makes little mathematical sense (think about the obvious tolerance overlap between the 120 and 121 values for instance). Stocking only the E24 series in 1% will result in less symmetrical holes in stock than the practice of stocking only the E48 series. In any event, one should be aware of these practices to avoid confusion.

Standard EIA Decade Values Table (100 to 1,000 Decade)

E6 E12 E24 E48 E96 E192 100 100 102 100 105 105 107 100 110 110 113 110 115 115 118 100 121 100 101 102 104 105 106 107 109 110 111 113 114 115 117 118 120 121 220 261 240 249 249 255 220 237 237 243 220 226 226 232 215 221 E6 E12 E24 E48 E96 E192 215 215 218 221 223 226 229 232 234 237 240 243 246 249 252 255 258 261 470 562 510 536 536 549 470 511 511 523 470 487 487 499 464 475 E6 E12 E24 E48 E96 E192 464 464 470 475 481 487 493 499 505 511 517 523 530 536 542 549 556 562

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Resistor Values E6 E12 E24 E48 E96 E192

121 124 120 127 127 130 120 133 133 137 130 140 140 143 147 147 150 150 154 154 158 150 162 162 165 160

123 124 126 127 129 130 132 133 135 137 138 140 142 143 145 147 149 150 152 154 156 158 160 162 164 165 167 360 330 330 300 270 270

261 267 274 274 280 287 287 294 301 301 309 316 316 324 332 332 340 348 348 357

264 267 271 274 277 280 284 287 291 294 298 301 305 309 312 316 320 324 328 332 336 340 344 348 352 357 361 750 680 680 620 560 560

562 576 590 590 604 619 619 634 649 649 665 681 681 698 715 715 732 750 750 768

569 576 583 590 597 604 612 619 626 634 642 649 657 665 673 681 690 698 706 715 723 732 741 750 759 768 777

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Resistor Values E6 E12 E24 E48 E96 E192

169 169 174 150 178 178 182 180 187 187 191 180 196 196 200 200 205 205 210

169 172 174 176 178 180 182 184 187 189 191 193 196 198 200 203 205 208 210 213 430 390 390 330 365

365 374 383 383 392 402 402 412 422 422 432 442 442 453

365 370 374 379 383 388 392 397 402 407 412 417 422 427 432 437 442 448 453 459 910 820 820 680 787

787 806 825 825 845 866 866 887 909 909 931 953 953 976

787 796 806 816 825 835 845 856 866 876 887 898 909 920 931 942 953 965 976 988

Also see our reference pages on Mil Spec Resistor Data and 1% Resistor Color Codes.

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