There is no standard for color codes. The chart you found seems to be using the resistor color codes, but shifted by 1 for some reason.

You're just going to have to "buzz out" the connections one-by-one using an ohmmeter or something.

Answer from Dave Tweed on Stack Exchange
๐ŸŒ
Shrubbery Networks
shrubbery.net โ€บ ~heas โ€บ rs232 โ€บ rs232.html
RS232 Cables, Wiring and Pinouts
RS232D has chosen to use Pin 1 as a multi-function pin (DSR/RI) to provide maximum flexibility with modems - in particular it allows for DCD which is a meaningful signal from a modem but not we suggest from a peer PC. We have chosen to use a minor variation on the normal DB9 Null modem pinout above - specifically we have allowed for RI which could be used from a peer PC to commence a transmission sequence. The actual colors are unimportant but the suggested configuration is one way to provide the shortest use of the adjacent (twisted) pairs.
People also ask

What wire colors are used for RS232 DB9 cables?
TIA/EIA-561 standard: Pin 1=Black, Pin 2=Brown, Pin 3=Red, Pin 4=Orange, Pin 5=Yellow, Pin 6=Green, Pin 7=Blue, Pin 8=Violet, Pin 9=Gray. Not all manufacturers follow this โ€” always verify with a meter.
๐ŸŒ
electronics.alibaba.com
electronics.alibaba.com โ€บ question โ€บ rs232-cable-pinout-guide-straight-vs-null-modem
What Is the RS232 Cable Pinout? DB9 Male/Female Wiring Explained
How do I wire a DB9 male to DB9 female RS232 cable?
For straight-through: solder male pin X directly to female pin X for all 9 pins. For null modem: cross pins 2โ†”3, 4โ†”6, and 7โ†”8; connect pin 5โ†’5; leave pins 1 & 9 unconnected or tie to GND.
๐ŸŒ
electronics.alibaba.com
electronics.alibaba.com โ€บ question โ€บ rs232-cable-pinout-guide-straight-vs-null-modem
What Is the RS232 Cable Pinout? DB9 Male/Female Wiring Explained
What is the standard pinout for RS-232?
For DB9 connectors: Pin 1=DCD, Pin 2=RX, Pin 3=TX, Pin 4=DTR, Pin 5=GND, Pin 6=DSR, Pin 7=RTS, Pin 8=CTS, Pin 9=RI. This is the DTE pinout per EIA/TIA-232-F.
๐ŸŒ
electronics.alibaba.com
electronics.alibaba.com โ€บ question โ€บ rs232-cable-pinout-guide-straight-vs-null-modem
What Is the RS232 Cable Pinout? DB9 Male/Female Wiring Explained
๐ŸŒ
Metabee
metabeeai.com โ€บ home โ€บ blog โ€บ rectangular connectors โ€บ db9 vs rs232: understanding the keyย difference
DB9 vs RS232: Understanding the Key Difference - MetabeeAI
October 17, 2025 - In such cases, only Pin 2 (TXD), Pin 3 (RXD), and Pin 5 (GND) are essential, while the remaining pins are less significant. Thereโ€™s no official color code for RS232 wiring, but most pre-made cables use a common standard.
๐ŸŒ
Details Pin
detailspin.com โ€บ home โ€บ rs232 db9 pinout wire colors
RS232 DB9 Pinout Wire Colors: A Comprehensive Guide
November 22, 2025 - Exploring the labyrinthine network of wires within the RS232 DB9 pinout, we venture into a realm where every color carries significance and meaning. These wires, intricately intertwined, form the backbone of a cohesive system that bridges the gap between devices, facilitating the transfer of ...
๐ŸŒ
Extron
extron.com โ€บ download โ€บ files โ€บ userman โ€บ RS-232cablecard68-1353-01A.pdf pdf
Extron Electronics, USA 1230 South Lewis Street Anaheim, CA 92805 USA
Extron Electronics, USA ยท 1230 South Lewis Street ยท Anaheim, CA 92805 ยท 714.491.1500 ยท Fax 714.491.1517 ยท Extron Electronics, Europe ยท Beeldschermweg 6C ยท 3821 AH Amersfoort ยท The Netherlands ยท +31.33.453.4040
Top answer
1 of 2
3

The original serial connectors were 25 pins, with some/many/most of the pins used. The DB-9 RS-232 connector just takes the nine most popular pins from the DB-25 connector. In either DB-25 or DB-9 connector, which pins are actually used depends on the hardware/software implementation of the serial protocol. At minimum, for two-way serial communication you need just three pins:

  • RX (Receive) - connected to TX on the other end. Pin 2 on standard DB-9 and DB-25
  • TX (Transmit) - connected to RX on the other end . Pin 3 on standard DB-9 and DB-25
  • GND (Signal ground) - Pin 5 on standard DB-9 and pin 7 on standard DB-25

(Note that sometimes particular serial cables are wired in non-standard way, but this is very rare. Indeed, there is a number of possible serial connectors). If your serial communication is one-way then you might only use two pins: TX/RX and GND.


The particular cable you have connects the six most popular lines. Cables that connect only some of the DB-9 serial lines are widely available, though do not assume that the same six pins are connected on all DB-9 cables. Depending on your needs, the six connected pins may or may not be sufficient. If you know which pins your hardware/software needs, then you would look for a cable that has those pins actually wired. For most modern needs (if "modern" can be used to apply to serial port in 2013) six wires is sufficient.


Unfortunately, there is no standard for color coding serial lines. You might hope that signal ground is black/brown, though often it is green, or some other random color. TX/RX are often yellow and green, but again you cannot count on this. The only way to know which color is connect to what pin is to test with a multimeter.

2 of 2
1

Assuming your connector is for RS-232 (notice that a DB9 may be used for other interfaces too) there are pins that aren't used in some cases. For instance, a cable to connect two computers doesn't need the RI (ring indicator) pin; also one of the pairs RTS/CTS or DSR/DTR may not be connected, since either one or the other is used in most transmission modes. Take a look at http://pinouts.ru/SerialPorts/Serial9_pinout.shtml

Find elsewhere
๐ŸŒ
Amazon
amazon.com โ€บ JUXINICE-Connector-Serial-Provided-Terminals-Black โ€บ dp โ€บ B0DBKRQDT5
Amazon.com: JUXINICE 4Pack DB9 Connector RS232 Serial Cable 5FT, DB9 Female to Bare Wire,D-SUB 9-Pin Connector RS232 to Bare Wire Cable,9 Wire All Provided with Wiring Terminals-Black : Electronics
ใ€Color-Coded Wiringใ€‘:1-black, 2-brown, 3-red, 4-orange, 5-yellow, 6-green, 7-blue, 8-gray, 9-white(DB9 to wire sequence).Clear wire sequence simplifies accurate connections, reducing setup errors for both beginners and professionals.โ€‹ ...
๐ŸŒ
Febo
febo.com โ€บ reference โ€บ rs232.html
RS-232 Wiring
May 6, 2026 - I haven't found any standard mapping of wire color to pin number for the modular RJ45 to DB-9 adapters that I use, so this is what I came up with. Note that it cleverly appears to wire the two connectors with exactly opposite pin numbers. Oh, well... Copyright 1996 - 2019 by John Ackermann unless otherwise noted above. See Copyright and Other Legal Stuff for more information. /reference/rs232.html was last updated: Tuesday, 15-Apr-2025 17:25:06 UTC This site was created with vi
๐ŸŒ
Alibaba
electronics.alibaba.com โ€บ question โ€บ rs232-cable-pinout-guide-straight-vs-null-modem
What Is the RS232 Cable Pinout? DB9 Male/Female Wiring Explained
April 30, 2026 - Configuration is always manual via hardware jumpers, DIP switches, or software settings. What is the standard pinout for RS-232? For DB9 connectors: Pin 1=DCD, Pin 2=RX, Pin 3=TX, Pin 4=DTR, Pin 5=GND, Pin 6=DSR, Pin 7=RTS, Pin 8=CTS, Pin 9=RI.
๐ŸŒ
Smarts4K
smarts4k.com โ€บ rs232-db9-pinout-wire-colors
Rs232 Db9 Pinout Wire Colors - 4K Wallpapers Review
Rs232 cable wiring diagrams rs232 connector pinout configuration lan bridge commandfusion harde
๐ŸŒ
Custom Cable Connection
customcableconnection.com โ€บ products โ€บ serial-cable-db9-female-blunt
DB9 RS-232 Female to Blunt - All 9 Pins - 24 AWG - Serial Breakout Cab โ€“ Custom Cable Connection
DB9 Serial Breakout CableDB9 FemaleMetal HoodFully Wired all 9 Pins Stripped and Tinned24 AWG WirePVC Jacket Color Code:1 Black2 White3 Red4 Green5 Blue6 Yellow7 Orange8 Purple9 GreyShield to Shield
๐ŸŒ
Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/electricalengineering โ€บ i need help with db9/rs232 wiring
r/ElectricalEngineering on Reddit: I need help with DB9/RS232 wiring
June 23, 2022 -

I should state that I dont have experience with electronics, I can connect wires and that is all.
Problem I am about to describe is present on electrical weight, cable is connected to female socket, but I have no idea how the cable looks, since it comes from inside of the body of the weight.
I broke some pins on RS232(male) plug, at first I thought replacing it would be easy, cut the old plug, buy new cable, connect wires and that is it. I bought DB9 cable, but it had 10 wires. One on the weight has 4. I tried connecting 4 colored wires with matching colors out of 10, it did give output on the screen, but it was -71KG, and it wouldn't change by pressing on the weight. I am posting pictures of socket and wires I have. I am asking you tell me what color goes in what hole. I have a friend who will solder wires onto a plug, but he doesnt know combination.
Here is the link to photos of a socket and colored wires (there are only 4 on this cable)

๐ŸŒ
PBXDom
pbxdom.com โ€บ home โ€บ blog โ€บ engineering โ€บ rs-232 cables, wiring and pinouts
RS-232 Cables, Wiring and Pinouts - PBXDom
May 24, 2021 - These diagrams show the male (grey background) and female (black background) pin numbering for DB9 and DB25 sub-miniature connectors. Generally Pin 1 is marked on the front of the connector right next to the pin โ€“ though you may need a magnifying ...
๐ŸŒ
Zytrax
zytrax.com โ€บ tech โ€บ layer_1 โ€บ cables โ€บ tech_rs232.htm
Tech Stuff - RS232 Cables and Wiring
RS232D has chosen to use Pin 1 as a multi-function pin (DSR/RI) to provide maximum flexibility with modems - in particular it allows for DCD which is a meaningful signal from a modem but not, we suggest, from a peer PC. We have chosen to use a minor variation on the normal DB9 Null modem pinout above - specifically we have allowed for RI which could be used from a peer PC to commence a transmission sequence. The colors used are unimportant but the suggested configuration is one way to provide the shortest use of the adjacent (twisted) pairs.
๐ŸŒ
Scribd
scribd.com โ€บ document โ€บ 490246356 โ€บ Diagram-for-Wiring-optical-cable-pdf
Optical RS232 Wiring Diagram | PDF
This document provides a wiring diagram and color coding for an optical RS232 cable connecting a 3945/3945-B Power Pad Cable to a female DB-9 connector. It lists the pin numbers and color-coded wires for signals like transmit data, receive data, ground, and more.
๐ŸŒ
Cable Tester
cable-tester.com โ€บ home โ€บ pin out โ€บ rs232 pin out
RS232 Pin Out | Connector Reference Guide - Cable Tester
January 5, 2020 - The pin out of an RS232 male ... use only 3 wires for asynchronous data communication. In those cases, only pin 02 RXD, pin 03 TXD, and pin 05 GND are important....
๐ŸŒ
Amazon
amazon.com โ€บ JUXINICE-Connector-Serial-Provided-Terminals-Black โ€บ dp โ€บ B0CJL2S9SW
Amazon.com: JUXINICE 4Pack DB9 Connector RS232 Serial Cable 5FT,DB9 Male to Bare Wire,D-SUB 9-Pin Connector RS232 to Bare Wire Cable,9 Wire All Provided with Wiring Terminals-Black : Electronics
Usually: (RS232 connected to 235pin) (RS485 connected to 38 or 12 pin) 9 Wires Core color : 1-black, 2-brown, 3-red, 4-orange, 5-yellow, 6-green, 7-blue, 8-gray, 9-white Durable: db9 bare wire adopts black PVC molded and injection molded shell, ...
๐ŸŒ
Pinout Guide
pinoutguide.com โ€บ SerialPortsCables โ€บ Nullmodem9to9_pinout.shtml
RS-232 serial cable pinout signals @ PinoutGuide.com
DE-9 to DE-9, DE-9 to DE-25 cables. Use this cable to connect two devices equipped with serial RS-232 interface. This cable may be used to connect any RS-232 equipped device to computer, connect two computers via COM serial port and so on. RS232 cable colors included.