Buick Paint Code: Where to Find It and How to Read It
The exact label to look for on a Buick, how the code is printed, what people mistake it for, and 12 verified Buick colour codes.
NHTSA vPIC has no colour field, so no VIN decoder returns one. The label on the vehicle is the reliable route.
On a Buick the paint code sits on the Service Parts Identification (SPID) label, not the door jamb: inside the glove box on Enclave, LaCrosse, Rainier and Terraza; on the spare tire cover on LeSabre, Lucerne, Park Avenue and Skylark; on the trunk lid on Century and Regal. Read the BC/CC line — a three-character RPO starting with G, plus a WA number.
Where is the paint code on a Buick?
- Inside the glove box. The Service Parts Identification (SPID) label, on the inner face of the glove box door or the back wall of the compartment. AutomotiveTouchup's Buick chart names this spot specifically for Allure, Enclave, LaCrosse, Rainier, Terraza and Rendezvous (Rendezvous may instead use the left rear storage compartment door). It is not universal on modern Buicks: Lucerne (2006-2011) still used the spare tire area, so check the glove box first but do not assume it.
- Spare tire cover or trunk/cargo floor. The same SPID label, usually white paper, stuck to the spare tire cover or the wheel well beside it. AutomotiveTouchup lists this for LeSabre, Park Avenue, Skylark and Lucerne, and as one of two possible spots for Riviera. On several recent crossovers owners report it under the cargo floor panel on the driver's side rather than in the glove box, so lift the trunk floor before concluding the label is missing. Paper labels here tear, fade and fall off.
- Underside of the trunk lid. Century and Regal carry the label on the trunk deck lid rather than in the glove box, per AutomotiveTouchup's model-by-model chart. Riviera is documented in two places - the right wheelhouse or the spare tire cover - so check both. Wagons, vans and older body styles vary further: behind the rear seat, in the center console, under the hood deck lid, in the passenger-side rear compartment, or on a compartment door behind the rear wheel on the APV vans.
- Driver-side door jamb. Sources disagree, and the Buick-specific ones do not support it. AutomotiveTouchup's Buick location chart never lists the door jamb; DecodeRPO's general GM guidance says the SPID placard can be in the glove box, on the trunk floor or inside the driver's door panel, and refinish sites such as ChipFixx repeat the door jamb generically across makes. On most Buicks the sticker actually in the door jamb is the Tire and Loading Information / certification label, which carries tire pressures and weights but no colour code. Glance at it, then go to the glove box and trunk.
How to read the Buick paint code
Find the line prefixed BC/CC (basecoat/clearcoat). It carries two codes for the same colour: a three-character GM RPO code that on modern Buicks begins with G (GAZ, GBA, GB0, G1W, G9K, GXD, GZB), and a WA number - the letters WA plus four characters - that refinish suppliers order by (WA8624, WA140X, WA433E). Many labels print the WA number with a U or L prefix instead: U8555 rather than WA8555, where U is the upper/body colour and L the lower or bumper colour on two-tone cars. Older labels add a two-digit short code alongside it (41 = black, 50 = white). Ignore everything else: the VIN, the interior trim code, and the dozens of other three-character RPOs for wheels, seats, axles and options, which look identical in format and are the codes people most often copy by mistake.
- Open the glove box and look at the inner face of the door and the back wall for a paper or silver label headed SERVICE PARTS IDENTIFICATION. If it is not there, lift the trunk floor panel and check the spare tire cover and the wheel well, then the underside of the trunk lid.
- Read across the label to the line prefixed BC/CC. That prefix marks the paint line and separates it from the block of option RPOs above it.
- Write down both codes on that line: the three-character RPO starting with G, and the WA number (or its U-prefixed equivalent, e.g. U8624 = WA8624).
- If the car is two-tone, capture the L code as well - that is the lower body or bumper colour, and it is a different mix from the U code.
- Cross-check the pair against a refinish supplier's Buick listing for your model year; the colour name should match what you see on the car.
- If the label is gone, do not rely on a VIN decoder for the colour. Give the VIN to a Buick dealer's parts desk so they can pull the original build record.
Common Buick paint codes
| Code | Buick colour name | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| GAZ / WA8624 | Summit White | Buick's long-running solid white, still current on Envista and other models. Refinish databases and European suppliers also list this code as Olympic White; older labels show it as short code 50. |
| GBA / WA8555 | Black | Solid black, shown as short code 41 on older labels. Sold under several names across GM brands - Onyx, Black Raven for Chevrolet - but the code is the same. |
| GB8 / WA384A | Ebony Twilight Metallic | Documented on Enclave from roughly 2016. Chevrolet sells the same paint as Mosaic Black Metallic and Cadillac as Stellar Black Metallic. This is not the Encore or Envista code - see GB0 below. |
| GB0 / WA506B | Ebony Twilight Metallic | The other Ebony Twilight. GM Authority lists it on the 2018 Encore and paint databases carry it on 2025 Encore, Encore GX and Envista. Same colour name as GB8, different mix, so match the exact code on your label. |
| G1W / WA140X | White Frost Tricoat | Three-stage white used across Buick and GMC. Cadillac sells the same paint as Crystal White Tricoat; refinish databases also index it as Abalone White Tricoat. |
| GE8 / WA472B | White Frost Tricoat | A later tint of the same colour name, listed by AutomotiveTouchup on the 2025 Electra E5 as White Frost Tricoat Mica / Abalone White 2. Suppliers routinely sell G1W and GE8 as one kit, so confirm which one your label shows. |
| G9K / WA464C | Satin Steel Metallic | Listed by suppliers as Satin Steel Gray Metallic 3, on LaCrosse, Enclave and Envision through the late 2010s and early 2020s. The closely related RPO GIR pairs with WA500B, not with WA464C. |
| GIR / WA500B | Satin Steel Metallic | The companion Satin Steel code, recorded on the 2021 Envision. Sold interchangeably with G9K by some suppliers even though the mix differs. |
| GXD / WA130H | Sharkskin Metallic | Also sold as Sharkskin 1 Metallic and Sterling Gray Metallic, and shared with Cadillac and Chevrolet. Model and year coverage varies by supplier, so verify against your own label. |
| G59 / WA433E | Dark Moon Blue Metallic | Recorded on the 2021 Envision and offered on Enclave. GM ran several near-identical Darkmoon Blue codes at the same time - GLU is WA328E and G5J is WA434E - so the three-character RPO is what tells them apart. |
| GK9 / WA193J | Ocean Blue Metallic | Envista, mid-2020s. Confirmed by multiple refinish suppliers, not a single database. |
| GZB / WA180H | Moonstone Gray Metallic | Envista, 2025-2026. Often confused with Sharkskin; the two are separate codes. |
This list is not every colour Buick has sold. Always confirm against the label on your own vehicle before ordering paint.
What to know before you order paint
- Your VIN does not contain the paint code. As PaintScratch puts it, the VIN identifies the vehicle but does not include the paint code - colour is held in the manufacturer's build record, not encoded in the 17 characters. A dealer parts desk can look it up from the VIN; a free online VIN decoder generally cannot.
- The glove box is the right first guess but not a rule. AutomotiveTouchup's model-by-model Buick chart puts Century and Regal on the trunk deck lid, LeSabre, Park Avenue, Skylark and Lucerne on the spare tire cover, and Riviera on either the right wheelhouse or the spare tire cover.
- One colour name can have several codes. GM Authority and the paint databases show Ebony Twilight Metallic as both GB8/WA384A and GB0/WA506B, and White Frost Tricoat as both G1W/WA140X and GE8/WA472B. Ordering by name alone will eventually get you the wrong mix.
- Cross-brand names differ for identical paint: TouchUpDirect sells GB8/WA384A as Cadillac Stellar Black Metallic, while ACDelco lists the same code as Mosaic Black Metallic. The code travels; the marketing name does not.
- On two-tone cars the label prints two WA numbers. AutomotiveTouchup notes that U plus four characters is the upper body colour and L plus four characters is the lower body or bumper colour.
Buick and refinish sources
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- Paint Code Locations for Buick (model-by-model chart)AutomotiveTouchup
- Buick Envista Touch Up Paint & Paint Color CodesTouchUpDirect
- 2018 Buick Encore Exterior Colors (RPO and WA codes)GM Authority
- How to Find Your Car Paint Code: Color ID Tag and VIN HelpPaintScratch
- Buick Envista Paint Codes and Code LocationChipFixx
Buick paint code questions
Where is the paint code on a Buick?
On the Service Parts Identification label. Inside the glove box on Enclave, LaCrosse, Allure, Rainier, Rendezvous and Terraza; on the spare tire cover or trunk floor on LeSabre, Park Avenue, Skylark and Lucerne; on the underside of the trunk lid on Century and Regal. Riviera uses either the right wheelhouse or the spare tire cover, so check both.
Can I get my Buick paint code from the VIN?
No. The VIN identifies the vehicle but does not encode the paint colour - that lives in GM's build record, linked to the VIN rather than stored inside it. Free VIN decoders will not return a reliable colour code. If the label is missing or unreadable, give the VIN to a Buick dealer's parts department and ask them to pull the original build sheet.
Which line on the label is the paint code?
The line prefixed BC/CC, for basecoat/clearcoat. It shows a three-character RPO code starting with G and a WA number, sometimes printed with a U prefix instead of WA. Every other three-character code on the label is an option RPO for wheels, seats, axles or trim, and those are what people most often copy by mistake.
Is the paint code in the driver's door jamb?
Usually not on a Buick. General GM guidance mentions the driver's door panel as one possible SPID location, and many touch-up sites repeat it generically, but Buick-specific location charts point to the glove box, spare tire area and trunk lid. The sticker normally in a Buick door jamb is the Tire and Loading Information label, which lists tire pressures and weights, not colour.
What is the difference between the G code and the WA code?
They name the same paint. The three-character code starting with G is GM's RPO - the code the factory ordered the colour by. The WA number is the refinish industry's code for the same mix, and it is what a paint supplier will ask for. Your label normally prints both on the BC/CC line, so quote both when ordering.
My Buick's label is missing or the paper has fallen off. What now?
Common on the full-size sedans, where the label is paper stuck to the spare tire cover. Check every alternative spot first - trunk lid, wheel well, glove box, under the cargo floor. If it is genuinely gone, a dealer can retrieve the build record from the VIN, or a body shop can spectrophotometer-match the existing paint, which also accounts for fading.
Two Buicks have the same colour name but different codes. Which do I order?
Order the code, never the name. Ebony Twilight Metallic exists as both GB8/WA384A and GB0/WA506B, and White Frost Tricoat as both G1W/WA140X and GE8/WA472B. The variants are visibly different once sprayed. Read the code off your own BC/CC line and match that exactly, even if a supplier's page shows a different code under the same name.
What does the U or L before the number mean?
U is the upper body colour and L is the lower body or bumper colour on two-tone vehicles. A label reading U8555 means the same paint as WA8555. If your car is two-tone you will see both a U code and an L code, and they are separate mixes - ordering only the U code leaves the lower panels unmatched.