Honda Paint Code
by VIN

Where the Honda paint code is

On most Hondas, the paint code is on a label on the driver’s side door jamb. Open the driver’s door and check the B-pillar and the edge of the door for a sticker with the VIN, a barcode and a short alphanumeric code like NH731P.

A few older Hondas, including some Civics, have been reported with the code under the hood, on the firewall or radiator support. If the door jamb label is missing or painted over, check there next, then ask a Honda dealer’s parts department to look up the color from your VIN.

What Honda paint codes look like

Honda codes are letters, then digits, often with a letter at the end. Some are written with a dash, like NH-731P. The pattern carries meaning:

• Prefix letters track the color family. Across Honda’s catalog, NH codes are whites, blacks, silvers and grays, R codes are reds, B codes are blues, and YR codes are browns, oranges and champagnes.
• The suffix shows the finish. P means pearl and M means metallic. No suffix usually means a solid color.

Real Honda colors and codes, as listed by touch-up paint suppliers:

Color name	Code
Crystal Black Pearl	NH731P
Platinum White Pearl	NH883P
Modern Steel Metallic	NH797M
Rallye Red	R513

Use these as examples. Confirm your own code on the door jamb label before ordering.

Why does a Honda paint supplier ask which plant built the car?

Honda has a twist other brands don’t: the factory can matter.

• Plant variations. Touch-up suppliers note that some Honda colors come in several slightly different versions depending on the plant that built the car. That’s why some suppliers ask for the 11th character of your VIN, which identifies the plant, and add it as a suffix to your code. A supplier example turns R517P into R517P-C for a car with C in the 11th position.
• Names get reused or renamed. Some suppliers list the same code under more than one name (B593M appears as both Aegean Blue Metallic and Brilliant Sporty Blue Metallic). A shared name doesn’t always mean a shared code either.
• Pearl vs. metallic vs. solid. Two “white” Hondas can be Platinum White Pearl (NH883P) or a solid white like Taffeta White (NH578), and they won’t match each other.

Does the 11th VIN character tell me my Honda’s color?

No, it only helps pick a plant variation after you know the code from the door jamb (why the VIN doesn’t contain the paint code).

What StickerByVIN can and can’t do for a Honda

We read paint colors from original window stickers, and we don’t have an original-sticker source for Honda. So for most Honda VINs we can’t name the factory color, and we won’t guess one.

What you do get, free, for every Honda VIN:

• The NHTSA decode: year, model, trim, body, engine, drivetrain and assembly plant where reported. The plant helps if your supplier asks for it.
• The NHTSA recall campaign count for that Honda model and year. A link lets you check whether any are open on your VIN.
• A pointer to the door jamb label, which is where the code actually lives.

If you need the original sticker or build details, ask the selling dealer, check your purchase paperwork, or contact Honda’s customer service with the VIN. See Honda window sticker for more on those options.

How do I touch up Crystal Black Pearl and other Honda pearls?

• Match the code, not the name. Order by the code on the door jamb, including the P or M.
• Give the plant character if asked. If your supplier asks for the 11th VIN character, provide it. It helps them pick the right variation.
• Pearls need clear on top. Crystal Black Pearl and other P colors look flat without clearcoat over the color.
• Test on a hidden spot, like the lower door edge, and let it dry before judging.
• Check for repaints. Compare the jamb with the outer panels. A respray won’t match the label.

If you drive another make, begin with the paint code lookup.

Sources

• Honda owners site, for manuals and owner support
• NHTSA vPIC VIN decoder, the free federal database behind our decode
• NHTSA recall lookup, to check open recalls on your exact VIN