Cadillac Paint Code: Where to Find It and How to Read It
The exact label to look for on a Cadillac, how the code is printed, what people mistake it for, and 12 verified Cadillac colour codes.
NHTSA vPIC has no colour field, so no VIN decoder returns one. The label on the vehicle is the reliable route.
Cadillac prints the paint code on the Service Parts Identification label, not in the VIN. Sedans carry it in the trunk under the floor or spare-tire cover; Escalade and most SUVs carry it inside the glove box. Read the bottom line marked BC/CC: a U or L, then a four-character number. Add WA to get the GM code. On 2018-and-newer cars it may exist only as a barcode on the center-pillar label.
Where is the paint code on a Cadillac?
- Trunk, under the floor or spare-tire cover. Cadillac sedans keep the Service Parts Identification label in the trunk, but the exact spot moved. GM's own manuals put it on the spare tire cover (2006 DTS, 2008 CTS), on the load floor under the spare tire cover (2013 ATS), and under the passenger-side floor cover (2015 CTS). The 2020 CT6 and 2021 CT4 and CT5 manuals say only "a label inside the trunk", so lift the mat, check the spare well, then check the side trim panels.
- Inside the glove box. Escalade and most Cadillac SUVs carry the label on the inside of the glove box. The 2008, 2018 and 2021 Escalade owner manuals all say so. From 2018 the wording turns conditional ("There may be a label on the inside of the glove box"), so a truck built without a printed label will have only the center-pillar barcode. Check the inner side walls and the back of the glove box door.
- Rear cargo area or liftgate edge (SRX). Sources disagree by year on the SRX. The 2006 SRX manual sends you to the passenger-side rear storage compartment or the lower edge of the liftgate. The 2012 SRX manual says the inside of the rear side cargo management cover. On a 2004-2016 SRX, check all three places before concluding the label is gone.
- Driver-side center (B) pillar certification label. From roughly 2018, GM began carrying the same build data in a large barcode on the certification label on the center pillar, visible with the driver's door open. The 2020 CT6 and the 2021 CT4, CT5 and Escalade manuals all describe it. This barcode is not human-readable and there is no printed paint code beside it, so it takes a scanner at a dealer or body shop.
How to read the Cadillac paint code
Find the line labeled BC/CC (basecoat/clearcoat) along the bottom of the Service Parts Identification label. It reads as one letter and a four-character group, for example "BC/CC U 8555" or "BC/CC U 401E". U means the upper body color, L the lower. Put WA in front of the four characters to get the GM paint code: WA8555, WA401E. The code sitting further right on that same line (92C, 83C) is the interior trim code, not paint, and it is the single most common thing people copy by mistake. In the block of RPO codes above, the exterior color appears again in short form: two digits followed by U on older cars (34U, 40U), or three characters starting with G on 2015-and-newer Cadillacs (GBA, G1W, GXD).
- Open the trunk on a sedan, or the glove box on an Escalade or SUV, and find the white sticker headed SERVICE PARTS IDENTIFICATION - DO NOT REMOVE.
- Read the bottom line, the one labeled BC/CC. Write down the letter and the four characters after it, such as U 8555.
- Add WA to the front of those four characters. U 8555 is GM paint code WA8555. On a two-tone, record the L entry as well as the U entry.
- In the block of RPO codes above the BC/CC line, find the three-character code starting with G (GBA, G1W, GXD). That is the same color in Cadillac's order-code form, and body shops often ask for it.
- If there is no printed label, open the driver's door and look at the certification label on the center pillar. On 2018-and-newer cars the data is a barcode there, and a dealer or body shop has to scan it.
- Verify before you buy paint: WA8555 and GBA should both come back as Black Raven. If the name does not match the car in front of you, you read the wrong line.
Common Cadillac paint codes
| Code | Cadillac colour name | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| GBA / WA8555 | Black Raven | The standard black on CT4, CT5, CTS, Escalade and XT models. Prints as 8555 on the BC/CC line; legacy GM code 41. |
| G1W / WA140X | Crystal White Tricoat | Three-stage finish. Listed on CT4, CT5, CT6, Escalade, LYRIQ, XT4, XT5 and XT6 from 2015 onward. |
| G9K / WA464C | Satin Steel Metallic | Very common from 2018 on: CT4, CT5, CT6, Escalade, LYRIQ, XT5, XT6. |
| GB8 / WA384A | Stellar Black Metallic | A metallic black, easily confused with Black Raven. Check the four characters: 384A versus 8555. |
| GAZ / WA8624 | Summit White | Solid, non-metallic white on CT4 and CT5. Legacy GM code 50. |
| GAN / WA636R | Radiant Silver Metallic | Long-running silver on CT6, Escalade, XT4, XT5 and XT6. Legacy GM code 17. |
| GJI / WA626D | Shadow Metallic | Dark gray on 2019-2020 CT4, CT5, CT6, Escalade and XT models. |
| G1E / WA405Y | Red Passion Tintcoat | Extra-cost red on Escalade and XT5. A tinted multi-stage finish, not a plain basecoat. |
| GXD / WA130H | Argent Silver Metallic | 2023 onward on CT4, CT5, Escalade, XT4, XT5 and XT6. Buick and Chevrolet also use GXD, so the number alone can return another brand's name. |
| G6M / WA618G | Galactic Gray Metallic | Escalade and XT4 from 2022. Cadillac's US site spells it Galactic Grey. |
| GLU / WA328E | Dark Moon Blue Metallic | Escalade, CT4, CT5 and XT5. Some parts systems shorten the name to Dark Moon. |
| GNT / WA170H | Radiant Red | 2023 onward on CT4, CT5, Escalade, XT4, XT5 and XT6. Supplied as a multi-stage finish, so buy the midcoat with it. |
This list is not every colour Cadillac has sold. Always confirm against the label on your own vehicle before ordering paint.
What to know before you order paint
- A 17-character VIN does not encode paint. NHTSA's vPIC API, the federal VIN decoder, publishes 144 vehicle variables and not one of them is color or paint. The VIN carries plant, body style, engine and a check digit, not the color that was sprayed, so no tool can derive a Cadillac paint code from the number alone.
- GM never standardized the label position. Cadillac's own owner manuals name four different spots between 2006 and 2021: the spare tire cover (2008 CTS), inside the glove box (2008 Escalade), inside the rear side cargo management cover (2012 SRX), and under the passenger-side trunk floor cover (2015 CTS). PaintScratch says the same thing plainly: GM "did not standardize the plate location".
- From 2018 the printed label became optional. The 2021 Cadillac Escalade owner manual says the data may sit in a large barcode on the certification label on the center pillar, and that the glove box label carries it only if there is no barcode. The 2021 CT4 and CT5 and the 2020 CT6 manuals give the trunk as the same fallback.
- Code pairings here come from PaintRef.com's Cadillac cross-reference, and the names are checked against Cadillac's own 2018 CTS, 2018 XT5 and 2019 Escalade brochures plus current cadillac.com model pages. Because Buick, Chevrolet and GMC share GM color codes, a code searched on its own can return a different brand's marketing name.
- AutomotiveTouchUp's photographs of GM Service Parts Identification labels show the BC/CC line reading "U 401E" and "U 8554", with the interior trim code (92C, 83C) printed further right on the same line. That trim code, and the 1SB/1SZ option-package codes above it, are what people usually mistake for the paint code.
Cadillac and refinish sources
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- 2021 Cadillac Escalade Owner Manual (PDF)Cadillac (General Motors)
- 2021 Cadillac CT4 Owner Manual (PDF)Cadillac (General Motors)
- 2019 Cadillac Escalade brochure, exterior colors page (PDF)Cadillac (General Motors)
- vPIC GetVehicleVariableList (full list of decodable VIN fields)NHTSA
- Cadillac paint color cross-referencePaintRef.com
Cadillac paint code questions
Can I find my Cadillac paint code from the VIN?
No. A 17-character VIN does not encode paint. NHTSA's free vPIC decoder returns 144 vehicle variables and not one of them is color or paint, so no VIN decoder can produce a paint code from the number alone. Sites advertising "paint code by VIN" are either querying a manufacturer build record behind the scenes or guessing from the model. Read the label on the car.
Where is the paint code on a Cadillac Escalade?
Inside the glove box. The 2008, 2018 and 2021 Escalade owner manuals all put the Service Parts Identification label there. Open the glove box and check the inner side walls and the back of the door for a white sticker headed SERVICE PARTS IDENTIFICATION. If no sticker is present, the 2021 manual says the same information is a barcode on the certification label on the center pillar.
Where is the paint code on a Cadillac CT4, CT5, CTS or ATS?
In the trunk. The 2013 ATS manual puts the label on the load floor under the spare tire cover. The 2015 CTS manual puts it under the passenger-side floor cover. The 2020 CT6 and the 2021 CT4 and CT5 manuals say only that it is on a label inside the trunk. Lift the trunk mat, check the spare well, then check the side trim panels.
What does BC/CC mean on the label?
BC/CC stands for basecoat/clearcoat, and it marks the line carrying the exterior paint number. It prints as a letter plus four characters, such as U 401E. U is the upper body color, L the lower body color on a two-tone. The GM paint code is those four characters with WA in front: WA401E. The code further right on that line is the interior trim code.
What color is Cadillac paint code WA130H?
WA130H is Argent Silver Metallic, Cadillac order code GXD. The PaintRef database lists it across the 2023 CT4, CT5, Escalade, XT4, XT5 and XT6, and Cadillac's own site shows the Escalade Sport in Argent Silver Metallic. Buick and Chevrolet use the same GXD code, which is why searching the number alone can return a different brand's name for it.
How do I touch up a Cadillac in Crystal White Tricoat?
Crystal White Tricoat is Cadillac's G1W, GM paint code WA140X, and it is a three-stage finish. One code covers the whole system: a white basecoat, a translucent pearl midcoat, then clear. A basecoat-only pen leaves the repair flat and too white. Order the tricoat kit that includes the midcoat, and test the result on the fuel door before touching a visible panel.
My Cadillac is two-tone. Which code do I use?
Both, and the prefix letter tells you which is which. A two-tone Cadillac carries a U entry for the upper body color and an L entry for the lower on the BC/CC line. PaintScratch gives BC/CC U316N and BC/CC L316N as the pattern. Match the prefix to the panel you are repairing. A single-color car shows only the U entry.
The label is missing or unreadable. What now?
A Cadillac dealer can pull the build record from the VIN. That record, not the VIN itself, holds the color the car was sprayed, which is how legitimate lookup services work. Take the VIN to a dealer parts counter or a body shop with a refinish system account. If the car has been resprayed, no record will match, and the shop must read the existing paint with a spectrophotometer.