Acura Paint Code: Where to Find It and How to Read It
The exact label to look for on a Acura, how the code is printed, what people mistake it for, and 12 verified Acura colour codes.
NHTSA vPIC has no colour field, so no VIN decoder returns one. The label on the vehicle is the reliable route.
On every Acura, the paint code is on the white vehicle certification label in the driver's-side door jamb, printed toward the bottom of the sticker below the VIN. AutomotiveTouchup's Acura locator states this holds for all Acura models, and current-model pages repeat it. The code is one or two letters, two or three digits, then usually a finish letter — NH731P, B588P, YR651P.
Where is the paint code on a Acura?
- Driver-side door jamb. On the white vehicle certification label inside the driver's door opening — the same sticker carrying the VIN, GVWR and tire pressures. The paint code sits toward the bottom of the label, below the VIN. AutomotiveTouchup's Acura paint code locator states that all paint codes for all Acura models are in the driver-side door jamb, and lists that same position for CL, CSX, Integra, Legend, MDX, NSX, RDX, RL, RSX, SLX, TL, TSX and Vigor. Its current-model pages, such as the 2024 Integra chart, repeat that paint codes are found on the driver-side door jamb.
- Anywhere in the driver's door opening. If you cannot see the label straight away, open the door fully and check the whole opening, including the body-side pillar and the rear face of the door itself. No Acura-specific source documents a location other than the driver's side, so treat a missing label as damage or a repaint rather than looking on the passenger side. PaintScratch's general guidance notes only that common label spots vary by make and year and include the door, door jamb, glove box, trunk and under the hood.
- Not on the dashboard VIN plate. The plate visible through the base of the windshield shows only the 17-character VIN and carries no colour field, on every Acura model year. The same is true of the VIN stamped on the chassis and printed on registration and insurance documents. If a source claims it read your paint code 'from the VIN plate', it did not read it from the plate itself.
How to read the Acura paint code
On the lower portion of the door-jamb certification label, below the VIN and the GVWR/tire-pressure blocks, typically under a COLOR or EXTERIOR COLOR heading. Five to seven characters: one or two letters, then two or three digits, then usually a finish letter — NH731P, B588P, NH797M, YR651P, R94. The leading letters are the colour family: NH for whites, blacks, silvers and greys; B blue; R red; G green; YR bronze and brown; PB violet and gunmetal; BG blue-green; RP maroon. The final letter is the finish — P pearl, M metallic, no letter means solid (NH730 Authentic Black, R81 Milano Red). The label prints the code without a hyphen; some paint databases add one (NH-731P) for the same colour. A trailing X is part of the factory code as printed on the label (NH797MX, NH830MX), whereas trailing -2, -4 or -5 are refinish-supplier variant formulas. Ignore two things on the same label: the 17-character VIN, which is far longer and carries no colour field, and the interior trim code.
- Open the driver's door fully and find the white vehicle certification label in the door jamb — the sticker that also carries the VIN, GVWR and tire pressures.
- Read past the VIN and the weight and tire-pressure blocks to the lower part of the label, where the exterior colour code is printed, often under a COLOR or EXTERIOR COLOR heading.
- Copy the code exactly as printed, including any trailing X (NH797MX, NH830MX) — the X is part of the factory code, not a typo.
- Ignore the 17-character VIN and the interior trim code on the same label; neither is the paint code.
- If the label is missing, illegible or painted over, check the rest of the driver's door opening including the rear face of the door before concluding it is gone.
- Verify the code by looking it up on a refinish supplier's chart for your exact year and model, or by matching it to a genuine Acura touch-up part number in the form 08703-<code>AA-A1.
Common Acura paint codes
| Code | Acura colour name | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| NH731P | Crystal Black Pearl | Genuine touch-up part 08703-NH731PAA-A1. Acura's long-running black, listed across MDX, RDX, TLX, TL and ILX from around 2011 through current model years. |
| NH883P | Sparkle White Pearl | Also sold under the factory name Platinum White Pearl — AcuraPartsWarehouse names genuine part 08703-NH883PAA-A1 Platinum White Pearl while AutomotiveTouchup lists the same code as Sparkle White Pearl. Common on 2019 and newer ILX, RDX, TLX, MDX and Integra. |
| NH797M | Modern Steel Metallic | Genuine touch-up part 08703-NH797MAA-A1 lists 2017-2019 ILX, 2017-2018 MDX, 2017-2018 RDX and 2017-2020 TLX. Also appears on door labels as NH797MX. |
| NH830M | Lunar Silver Metallic | Also appears as NH830MX, and as Prata Platinum Metallic on some charts. Genuine part 08703-NH830MAA-A1 lists 2016-2017 MDX, 2017-2018 RDX, 2017-2020 TLX and 2019 ILX; still listed on the 2024 Integra. |
| B588P | Obsidian Blue Pearl | Genuine touch-up part 08703-B588PAA-A1 lists 2015-2018 MDX, 2016-2018 RDX, 2013-2014 TL and 2015-2020 TLX. Still listed on the 2022 MDX and RDX and the 2024 Integra. |
| NH603P | White Diamond Pearl | Genuine touch-up part 08703-NH603PAA-A1 lists 2015-2018 MDX, 2011-2018 RDX and 2011 TL. |
| NH788P | Bellanova White Pearl | This is the Acura factory name on genuine part 08703-NH788PAA-A1. Refinish charts list the same code as White Orchid Pearl or New Global White Pearl, which are the Honda-side names for it. |
| NH782M | Graphite Luster Metallic | Genuine touch-up part 08703-NH782MAA-A1, listed on MDX, TL and other models from about 2011 to 2016, and still carried on current refinish charts. |
| R548P | Basque Red Pearl II | Genuine touch-up part 08703-R548PAA-A1, listed on TL, TLX, MDX and RDX from about 2012 onward. The earlier, separate code R530P is plain Basque Red Pearl. |
| R94 | San Marino Red | Genuine touch-up parts 08703-R94AH-A1 and 08703-R94AA-A1 list 2017-2018 ILX, 2017-2019 TLX and 2018 MDX. Refinish charts also show the variants R94X and R94-2 under the same name. |
| YR600M | Kona Coffee Metallic | Genuine touch-up part 08703-YR600MAA-A1 lists 2014-2018 RDX. Still carried on the 2022 RDX refinish chart. |
| NH885M | Liquid Carbon Metallic Tricoat | A three-stage finish carried under one code. Listed on the 2022 MDX and RDX and the 2024 Integra. |
This list is not every colour Acura has sold. Always confirm against the label on your own vehicle before ordering paint.
What to know before you order paint
- A VIN does not yield a paint code. The 17-character VIN encodes make, model, body, engine, plant and serial, and no position in it carries an exterior colour field — which is why the dashboard VIN plate, the chassis stamping and your registration document all show a VIN but no colour code. A dealer can look your colour up from the VIN because their parts system maps it to the original build record, not because the number itself contains the colour. The door-jamb label is the only place the code is printed on the car.
- Colour names drift between sources while the code stays fixed, so match on the code and not the name. AcuraPartsWarehouse names genuine part 08703-NH883PAA-A1 Platinum White Pearl, while AutomotiveTouchup lists NH883P as Sparkle White Pearl; NH788P appears as Bellanova White Pearl on the genuine part and as White Orchid Pearl or New Global White Pearl on refinish charts.
- The door label prints the code without a hyphen. AutomotiveTouchup's Acura locator gives real-world label examples as 'YR562PX or YR562P' from a TL and 'NH583M' from an Integra, and a customer question on AcuraPartsWarehouse quotes a door reading 'NH797MX'. Hyphenated forms such as NH-731P appear in some paint databases and refer to the same colour.
- A trailing X belongs to the factory code as printed on the label, but trailing -2, -4 and -5 are refinish-supplier variant formulas for the same factory colour. AutomotiveTouchup lists 'NH700M, NH700M-4' under Alabaster Silver Metallic and 'R94, R94X, R94-2' under San Marino Red — one colour, several mixing formulas.
- Not every code on an Acura chart follows the letter-prefix pattern. AutomotiveTouchup's 2018 MDX listing also carries '849' and 'N031' for Iron Gray Metallic alongside the standard NH, B, R, G and YR codes, so a short all-numeric code on the label is not necessarily an error.
Acura and refinish sources
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
Acura paint code questions
Where exactly is the paint code on an Acura?
On the white vehicle certification label inside the driver's-side door jamb, toward the bottom of the sticker, below the VIN and the weight and tire-pressure information. AutomotiveTouchup's Acura paint code locator states that all paint codes for all Acura models sit in the driver-side door jamb, and lists that same position for every model from the Legend and Integra through the MDX, RDX and TLX.
Can I get my Acura paint code from the VIN?
No. The 17-character VIN has no exterior colour field, so no VIN decoder can read a paint code out of it, and the dashboard VIN plate, chassis stamping and registration document show no colour either. A dealer can find your colour from the VIN only because their parts system looks up the original build record. On the car itself, the door-jamb label is the source.
What does the X at the end of my Acura paint code mean?
It is part of the factory code as printed on the label, not an error or an aftermarket addition. Codes such as NH797MX, NH830MX and YR562PX appear on real door labels — AutomotiveTouchup's own locator uses YR562PX as an example. Order paint for the base code and the X variant of the same colour; suppliers list both under one colour name.
Is NH731P the same as NH-731P?
Yes, they are the same colour. The door-jamb label and Acura's genuine part numbers print the code without a hyphen, as in NH731P and part 08703-NH731PAA-A1. Some paint databases and parts catalogues insert a hyphen for readability. Search either way and you will land on Crystal Black Pearl; the hyphen carries no meaning.
The colour name on the paint site does not match what my dealer called it. Is the code wrong?
Probably not — Acura colour names vary between sources while the code stays fixed. NH883P is sold as Platinum White Pearl on the genuine Acura part and listed as Sparkle White Pearl by AutomotiveTouchup. NH788P appears as Bellanova White Pearl, White Orchid Pearl and New Global White Pearl. Always order against the code, never the name.
What if the door jamb label is missing or painted over?
Open the door fully and check the whole opening, including the body-side pillar and the rear face of the door itself, before concluding it is gone. A missing label usually means accident repair or a repaint. No Acura-specific source documents a passenger-side or engine-bay location, so if it is genuinely absent, ask a dealer to pull the original colour from the build record using your VIN.
Does the paint code tell me whether my Acura needs clear coat?
Indirectly. The final letter indicates the finish — P for pearl and M for metallic, both of which are basecoat colours that require a clear coat over them. A code with no final letter, such as NH730 Authentic Black or R81 Milano Red, is a solid colour. In practice Acura has used basecoat/clearcoat across the modern range, and three-stage codes such as NH885M need extra steps.