Selection Guide for Through Hole Resistors

Design Tools and Resources Product Selection Guide
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What is a through hole resistor?

Through hole resistors are devices which oppose the flow of current. They have two or more wire terminals which are designed to be inserted and soldered to a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) or used in a breadboard. The primary characteristics are resistance (0 ohms to 500 G ohms), tolerance (±0.001% to ±5%), power (watts), and composition (carbon composition, carbon film, ceramic, metal element, metal film, metal foil, metal oxide film, thick film, thin film, or wirewound).

Image showing the variety of through hole resistors offered by DigiKey.
Image showing the variety of through hole resistors offered by DigiKey.2068×1185 238 KB

Introduction to DigiKey’s Product Selection Guide

This page is one of many in DigiKey’s Product Selection Guide (PSG). This particular page is focused on through hole resistors. It provides a description of the individual parameters used to characterize the part. This information will allow you to better understand and navigate DigiKey’s parametric search engine. Click here for a case study showing how to use the search tools.

How are through hole resistors categorized?

Through hole resistors are characterized using a variety of descriptors and parameters. This list identifies and then provides a brief description for each item.

  • Resistance: Characterizes the nominal resistance of a current path through a device.

  • Tolerance: Characterizes the extent of permitted variability of overall device resistance among samples of a given part number, resulting from variations in manufacturing.

  • Power (Watts): The maximum continuous output power a device is designed to produce.

  • Composition: Indicates the basic material type/construction method used to construct a product’s resistive element.

  • Features: These are different capabilities of the device such as anti-arc, flame proof, or moisture resistant.

  • Temperature Coefficient: The temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) is a constant that represents the resistance change per degree Celsius of temperature change over a specific temperature range; it’s expressed as ppm/°C (parts per million per degree centigrade).

  • Operating Temperature: Recommended operating temperature, typically given in a range or as a maximum. Exceeding these temperatures may affect performance or damage the device and/or other system components.

  • Package/Case: The protective case on an electronic component which allows for easy handling, installation, and protects the device. This is what we determined is the closest industry standard to the supplier device package. Typically, it is best to use the actual dimensions from the datasheet rather than to go by this terminology when designing your circuit.

  • Supplier Device Package: This is what the manufacturer calls the package of this device. They are manufacturer specific. It is typically best to use the actual dimensions from the datasheets rather than to go by this terminology when designing your circuit.

  • Size/Dimension: The physical dimensions of the device. Typically diameter and length.

  • Height-Seated(Max): How far the device will extend above the surface it is attached to.

  • Number of Terminations: Number of electrical contacts on the resistor.

  • Failure Rate: A factor used for reliability calculations that accounts for initial production quality, per MIL-HDBK-217. Typically N/A for parts not manufactured to military specification.

Examples of through hole resistors

This section contains a small sample of the through hole resistors available at DigiKey.com.

  • The Ohmite brand OY104KE is a fixed ceramic resistor ideal for circuitry associated with surges, high peak power, or high energy. Datasheet

Image of the Ohmite OY104KE resistor.


Image of the Riedon FPR2A-1RF1 resistor


  • The Ohmite brand SM102031005FE is precision thick film resistor. The non inductive resistor offers an alternative to traditional high voltage resistors. Datasheet

Image of the Ohmite SM102031005FE resistor.


Schematic symbol

The schematic symbol for the typical through hole resistor is shown below.

Schematic symbol of the resistor.

Schematic symbol courtesy of Scheme-it. Please see their website for more information and symbols.

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Follow up

If you have any general questions on the specifications for selecting through hole resistors, please reply using the button below. If you have questions on specific through hole resistors, please post those questions in the Resistors category.

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