Paint code by VIN — find the factory color code

Why a VIN decoder won't show the paint code

The 17 characters of a VIN identify the maker, the model, body and engine, the model year, the plant and a serial number. Color isn't one of them. So any tool that turns a VIN into a paint code is doing one of two things: reading the maker's build record for that VIN, or listing the colors offered for that model and year. Only the first is specific to your vehicle.

What the build sheet shows for paint

The build sheet is the maker's production record for one VIN. The paint is one of its rows, next to the interior trim and every option code. These are paint rows from three real build sheets:

Most recent vehicles have the factory paint code on the sheet; for older ones the maker often recorded only the color name. We show exactly what the maker recorded and never fill in a code. The sheet also gives the interior trim and every option code, which body shops and parts counters ask for alongside the paint.

It covers Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Genesis, GMC, Hyundai, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Polestar, Ram, Volkswagen and Volvo, each tested on real US vehicles first. Ford, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Subaru and Mazda aren't on that list, because their makers returned nothing, or too little, for US vehicles in our tests; for them, use the label on the vehicle, below.

Chevy and GM paint code by VIN

GM records the exterior paint as an RPO code, so it sits on the Service Parts Identification label with the rest of the vehicle's option codes. GM's TechLink bulletin for technicians says that label was often kept in the trunk or glovebox, and that from the 2018 model year GM also prints a QR code on the certification label on the driver-side door pillar (on a Corvette, on the driver's door). The paint code is printed in the QR code's lower left; the QR code doesn't carry every RPO code.

The GM build sheet lists the paint code with every other RPO code, for Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac. In our tests it came back for every 2016-to-2020 GM vehicle we tried. For 2022 and newer, GM's free original window sticker is the likelier record, and it names the color. More on the GM RPO codes, the Chevrolet window sticker and the Corvette build sheet.

Ford paint code by VIN

We don't sell Ford build sheets: Ford's US records came back for only one of the five vehicles we tested. Ford's own help page says the paint code is on the door jamb label, marked EXT PNT and normally followed by two characters; older vehicles can have more. The label is the Safety Compliance Certification Label on the driver's side door jamb.

If it's missing, Ford says a Ford dealer can supply a replacement label for vehicles up to five model years old, and that for older vehicles its Customer Relationship Center supplies a Technical Data Sheet when you give it the VIN. For some 2022 and newer Fords, FordDirect, the Ford dealer network's site, serves the original Ford window sticker, which names the color.

Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler

On most recent Stellantis vehicles the paint code is on the label in the driver's door jamb, usually three characters beginning with P: the Wrangler above is PX8. Stellantis's free equipment listing names the paint color by VIN, without the code, and our build sheet adds the code. See the Jeep build sheet for both.

Every other make: where the label usually is

Most makers print the paint code on a label in the driver's door jamb. Some put it under the hood, in the trunk or the spare-tire well, or in the glovebox, and the owner's manual usually says where. A dealer's parts department can often look it up from the VIN, too.

We aren't affiliated with any manufacturer, and we don't sell paint.

Before you buy touch-up paint

• Check the code on the label against the build sheet. They should agree; if a vehicle has been repainted a different color, both describe the factory color, not the current one.
• A code is a formula, not a guarantee of a match. Paint suppliers mix the same code slightly differently and paint fades, so a body shop may tint to match the panel.
• A two-tone vehicle has two paint codes, and some finishes need a separate clear coat or a three-stage process.

Where to find the VIN

• Through the windshield, at the bottom corner on the driver's side.
• On the sticker inside the driver's door jamb.
• On the title, the registration card and the insurance ID card.

A VIN always has 17 characters and never contains the letters I, O or Q.