Resistor Reference
E-Series Preferred Resistor Values Reference
Complete IEC 60063 preferred number tables for E3, E6, E12, E24, E48, E96, and E192 resistor series.
- Reading Time
- 12 min
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Last Updated
- July 11, 2026
Overview
Preferred resistor values are standardized nominal values used to simplify component selection, manufacturing, stocking, and replacement. The E-Series system divides each decade into logarithmically spaced values so the percentage step between adjacent values remains broadly consistent.
IEC 60063 defines preferred number series including E3, E6, E12, E24, E48, E96, and E192. The same base values repeat by decade: a base value can represent ohms, tens of ohms, kilohms, megohms, or other decade-scaled values.
Quick Comparison Table
| Series | Values per decade | Typical tolerance | Typical applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| E3 | 3 | ±40% or rough selection | Very coarse values, simple ranges, early estimates |
| E6 | 6 | ±20% | Low precision circuits, broad pull-ups, basic consumer products |
| E12 | 12 | ±10% | General-purpose values, older designs, low-cost circuits |
| E24 | 24 | ±5% | Common through-hole values, LED resistors, dividers, everyday design |
| E48 | 48 | ±2% | Moderate precision analog, tighter dividers, calibration-adjacent values |
| E96 | 96 | ±1% | Precision feedback, sensing, gain networks, professional designs |
| E192 | 192 | ±0.5% or tighter | Instrumentation, references, precision networks, specialty parts |
How to Scale Values by Decade
E-Series tables list base values for one decade. Actual resistance values are created by multiplying a base value by a power of ten.
Actual resistance = preferred base value × 10^n
The base value is the preferred number from the table, the decade multiplier is a power of ten, and exponent n selects the decade.
Base value 1.0
Base value 4.7
Base value 82
E3 Reference Table
E3 is a very coarse preferred-number series used for rough selection, broad ranges, and early estimates where exact nominal value is not important.
- Values
- 3
- Tolerance
- ±40% or rough selection
- Use
- E3
| Value 1 | Value 2 | Value 3 | Value 4 | Value 5 | Value 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 2.2 | 4.7 |
Typical applications: Very coarse values, simple ranges, early estimates.
E6 Reference Table
E6 provides six logarithmically spaced values per decade and is commonly associated with low precision or broad-tolerance component selection.
- Values
- 6
- Tolerance
- ±20%
- Use
- E6
| Value 1 | Value 2 | Value 3 | Value 4 | Value 5 | Value 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 4.7 | 6.8 |
Typical applications: Low precision circuits, broad pull-ups, basic consumer products.
E12 Reference Table
E12 is a general-purpose preferred-value series often used for economical designs where 10% tolerance is acceptable.
- Values
- 12
- Tolerance
- ±10%
- Use
- E12
| Value 1 | Value 2 | Value 3 | Value 4 | Value 5 | Value 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 2.7 |
| 3.3 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 5.6 | 6.8 | 8.2 |
Typical applications: General-purpose values, older designs, low-cost circuits.
E24 Reference Table
E24 is widely used for 5% resistors and everyday circuit design, balancing practical availability with useful value spacing.
- Values
- 24
- Tolerance
- ±5%
- Use
- E24
| Value 1 | Value 2 | Value 3 | Value 4 | Value 5 | Value 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 3.0 |
| 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 5.1 |
| 5.6 | 6.2 | 6.8 | 7.5 | 8.2 | 9.1 |
Typical applications: Common through-hole values, LED resistors, dividers, everyday design.
E48 Reference Table
E48 provides finer value spacing for moderate precision resistor selection and is commonly associated with 2% tolerance components.
- Values
- 48
- Tolerance
- ±2%
- Use
- E48
| Value 1 | Value 2 | Value 3 | Value 4 | Value 5 | Value 6 | Value 7 | Value 8 | Value 9 | Value 10 | Value 11 | Value 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00 | 1.05 | 1.10 | 1.15 | 1.21 | 1.27 | 1.33 | 1.40 | 1.47 | 1.54 | 1.62 | 1.69 |
| 1.78 | 1.87 | 1.96 | 2.05 | 2.15 | 2.26 | 2.37 | 2.49 | 2.61 | 2.74 | 2.87 | 3.01 |
| 3.16 | 3.32 | 3.48 | 3.65 | 3.83 | 4.02 | 4.22 | 4.42 | 4.64 | 4.87 | 5.11 | 5.36 |
| 5.62 | 5.90 | 6.19 | 6.49 | 6.81 | 7.15 | 7.50 | 7.87 | 8.25 | 8.66 | 9.09 | 9.53 |
Typical applications: Moderate precision analog, tighter dividers, calibration-adjacent values.
E96 Reference Table
E96 is commonly used with 1% resistors for precision feedback networks, sensing circuits, gain setting, and professional electronic designs.
- Values
- 96
- Tolerance
- ±1%
- Use
- E96
| Value 1 | Value 2 | Value 3 | Value 4 | Value 5 | Value 6 | Value 7 | Value 8 | Value 9 | Value 10 | Value 11 | Value 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00 | 1.02 | 1.05 | 1.07 | 1.10 | 1.13 | 1.15 | 1.18 | 1.21 | 1.24 | 1.27 | 1.30 |
| 1.33 | 1.37 | 1.40 | 1.43 | 1.47 | 1.50 | 1.54 | 1.58 | 1.62 | 1.65 | 1.69 | 1.74 |
| 1.78 | 1.82 | 1.87 | 1.91 | 1.96 | 2.00 | 2.05 | 2.10 | 2.15 | 2.21 | 2.26 | 2.32 |
| 2.37 | 2.43 | 2.49 | 2.55 | 2.61 | 2.67 | 2.74 | 2.80 | 2.87 | 2.94 | 3.01 | 3.09 |
| 3.16 | 3.24 | 3.32 | 3.40 | 3.48 | 3.57 | 3.65 | 3.74 | 3.83 | 3.92 | 4.02 | 4.12 |
| 4.22 | 4.32 | 4.42 | 4.53 | 4.64 | 4.75 | 4.87 | 4.99 | 5.11 | 5.23 | 5.36 | 5.49 |
| 5.62 | 5.76 | 5.90 | 6.04 | 6.19 | 6.34 | 6.49 | 6.65 | 6.81 | 6.98 | 7.15 | 7.32 |
| 7.50 | 7.68 | 7.87 | 8.06 | 8.25 | 8.45 | 8.66 | 8.87 | 9.09 | 9.31 | 9.53 | 9.76 |
Typical applications: Precision feedback, sensing, gain networks, professional designs.
E192 Reference Table
E192 offers the finest common preferred-value spacing and is used for high precision resistor networks, instrumentation, references, and specialty designs.
- Values
- 192
- Tolerance
- ±0.5% or tighter
- Use
- E192
| Value 1 | Value 2 | Value 3 | Value 4 | Value 5 | Value 6 | Value 7 | Value 8 | Value 9 | Value 10 | Value 11 | Value 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00 | 1.01 | 1.02 | 1.04 | 1.05 | 1.06 | 1.07 | 1.09 | 1.10 | 1.11 | 1.13 | 1.14 |
| 1.15 | 1.17 | 1.18 | 1.20 | 1.21 | 1.23 | 1.24 | 1.26 | 1.27 | 1.29 | 1.30 | 1.32 |
| 1.33 | 1.35 | 1.37 | 1.38 | 1.40 | 1.42 | 1.43 | 1.45 | 1.47 | 1.49 | 1.50 | 1.52 |
| 1.54 | 1.56 | 1.58 | 1.60 | 1.62 | 1.64 | 1.65 | 1.67 | 1.69 | 1.72 | 1.74 | 1.76 |
| 1.78 | 1.80 | 1.82 | 1.84 | 1.87 | 1.89 | 1.91 | 1.93 | 1.96 | 1.98 | 2.00 | 2.03 |
| 2.05 | 2.08 | 2.10 | 2.13 | 2.15 | 2.18 | 2.21 | 2.23 | 2.26 | 2.29 | 2.32 | 2.34 |
| 2.37 | 2.40 | 2.43 | 2.46 | 2.49 | 2.52 | 2.55 | 2.58 | 2.61 | 2.64 | 2.67 | 2.71 |
| 2.74 | 2.77 | 2.80 | 2.84 | 2.87 | 2.91 | 2.94 | 2.98 | 3.01 | 3.05 | 3.09 | 3.12 |
| 3.16 | 3.20 | 3.24 | 3.28 | 3.32 | 3.36 | 3.40 | 3.44 | 3.48 | 3.52 | 3.57 | 3.61 |
| 3.65 | 3.70 | 3.74 | 3.79 | 3.83 | 3.88 | 3.92 | 3.97 | 4.02 | 4.07 | 4.12 | 4.17 |
| 4.22 | 4.27 | 4.32 | 4.37 | 4.42 | 4.48 | 4.53 | 4.59 | 4.64 | 4.70 | 4.75 | 4.81 |
| 4.87 | 4.93 | 4.99 | 5.05 | 5.11 | 5.17 | 5.23 | 5.30 | 5.36 | 5.42 | 5.49 | 5.56 |
| 5.62 | 5.69 | 5.76 | 5.83 | 5.90 | 5.97 | 6.04 | 6.12 | 6.19 | 6.26 | 6.34 | 6.42 |
| 6.49 | 6.57 | 6.65 | 6.73 | 6.81 | 6.90 | 6.98 | 7.06 | 7.15 | 7.23 | 7.32 | 7.41 |
| 7.50 | 7.59 | 7.68 | 7.77 | 7.87 | 7.96 | 8.06 | 8.16 | 8.25 | 8.35 | 8.45 | 8.56 |
| 8.66 | 8.76 | 8.87 | 8.98 | 9.09 | 9.20 | 9.31 | 9.42 | 9.53 | 9.65 | 9.76 | 9.88 |
Typical applications: Instrumentation, references, precision networks, specialty parts.
Tolerance Associations
E-Series names are commonly associated with tolerance classes, but these associations are historical and practical guidelines, not an absolute rule for every manufactured resistor.
| Series | Common association | Important note |
|---|---|---|
| E3 | ±40% or rough selection | Verify the exact tolerance, package, power rating, and availability in the manufacturer datasheet. |
| E6 | ±20% | Verify the exact tolerance, package, power rating, and availability in the manufacturer datasheet. |
| E12 | ±10% | Verify the exact tolerance, package, power rating, and availability in the manufacturer datasheet. |
| E24 | ±5% | Verify the exact tolerance, package, power rating, and availability in the manufacturer datasheet. |
| E48 | ±2% | Verify the exact tolerance, package, power rating, and availability in the manufacturer datasheet. |
| E96 | ±1% | Verify the exact tolerance, package, power rating, and availability in the manufacturer datasheet. |
| E192 | ±0.5% or tighter | Verify the exact tolerance, package, power rating, and availability in the manufacturer datasheet. |
Standards and Accuracy
- IEC 60063 defines the preferred number system used for resistor nominal values.
- Preferred values are logarithmically spaced within each decade.
- Commercially available values depend on manufacturer, resistor technology, tolerance, package, and market availability.
- Production designs should verify distributor stock, manufacturer datasheets, and approved vendor lists before release.
Practical Lookup Examples
Is 4.7 kΩ an E12 value?
Is 4.99 kΩ an E96 value?
Nearby E24 value for 3.3 kΩ
Scale 82 across decades
E24 or E96 for a precision divider
Engineering Notes
- Tolerance does not automatically determine exact series availability.
- Precision values may have longer lead times or narrower package availability.
- The closest preferred value may be selected above or below a target depending on circuit requirements.
- Parallel or series resistor combinations can create nonstandard equivalent values.
- Production designs should verify distributor and manufacturer availability.
- Temperature coefficient and power rating remain separate resistor specifications.
Related Calculator
Related Reference
Support reference
FAQ
What is the resistor E-Series?
The resistor E-Series is a set of IEC preferred numbers used to standardize nominal resistor values within each decade.
What standard defines preferred resistor values?
IEC 60063 defines preferred number series such as E3, E6, E12, E24, E48, E96, and E192 for resistors and related components.
Why do E-Series values repeat every decade?
The base preferred values are multiplied by powers of ten, so the same relative spacing applies from ohms to kilohms, megohms, and beyond.
What is the difference between E12 and E24?
E12 has 12 preferred values per decade and is commonly associated with wider tolerances, while E24 has 24 values per decade and finer nominal spacing.
Is E96 always used for 1% resistors?
E96 is commonly associated with 1% resistors, but actual availability depends on manufacturer, technology, package, and market supply.
Is 4.7 kΩ an E12 value?
Yes. The base value 4.7 appears in E12, so 4.7 kΩ is an E12 decade-scaled value.
How do I find the nearest preferred resistor value?
Compare the target value with preferred values in the desired series and decade, then choose the nearest value that satisfies circuit tolerance and performance requirements.
Are all E192 values commercially available?
No. E192 defines preferred nominal values, but commercial availability depends on resistance range, tolerance, package, power rating, and manufacturer catalog coverage.
Can I combine resistors to create a nonstandard value?
Yes. Series or parallel combinations can create values between preferred numbers, but power rating, tolerance buildup, layout, and stability should be checked.
Does resistor tolerance equal resistor accuracy in every circuit?
No. Tolerance describes initial resistance spread, while circuit accuracy also depends on temperature coefficient, aging, loading, noise, and operating conditions.