Jeep Paint Code: Where to Find It and How to Read It
The exact label to look for on a Jeep, how the code is printed, what people mistake it for, and 12 verified Jeep colour codes.
NHTSA vPIC has no colour field, so no VIN decoder returns one. The label on the vehicle is the reliable route.
On Jeeps from roughly 2000 on, the exterior paint code is printed on the barcoded vehicle information sticker in the driver-side door opening, on the B-pillar or the shut face of the door itself. Read the field marked PNT, spelled PAINT on some labels: three characters, almost always starting with P, such as PW7 or PX8. Older Jeeps carry it on a metal body code plate on the radiator support.
Where is the paint code on a Jeep?
- Driver-side door jamb (B-pillar). White barcoded vehicle information sticker inside the driver-side door opening, normally on the B-pillar and separate from the tire and loading label; the paint code follows the field PNT. This is the standard position on Chrysler and Stellantis-era Jeeps, roughly the 2000s to today: Wrangler JK and JL, Gladiator JT, Grand Cherokee WK2 and WL, Cherokee, Compass and Renegade. Sources differ on how high it sits — PaintScratch and Wiltse's Auto Paint both put it plainly in the driver door jamb, while Wrangler owners frequently report it further up the pillar than expected.
- Shut face of the driver's door. The same barcoded sticker is applied to the edge of the door rather than the pillar on some builds; Quadratec, which sells Mopar factory touch-up paint, describes the label as being on the door jamb or on the door, and shows the example PAINT: PR4 for Flame Red. Open the door fully and check both surfaces before concluding the label is missing — the sticker is often hidden by weatherstrip or dirt.
- Radiator support, under the hood. Metal body code plate on top of the radiator/core support, the older Chrysler-era position, described by PaintScratch as where Jeep hid the codes under engine grease before the door jamb became standard. Expect this on roughly 1990s to mid-2000s vehicles: XJ Cherokee, TJ Wrangler, ZJ and WJ Grand Cherokee. TJ owners also report a build sheet with the same code under the driver's seat carpet, so if the plate is corroded that is worth a look.
How to read the Jeep paint code
Three characters, printed immediately after the field label PNT (spelled PAINT on some stickers): one letter followed by two characters that carry the colour itself — PW7, PX8, PAU, PDN, PRC. On every modern Jeep the first character is P. That leading letter is a year/generation prefix, not part of the colour: PaintScratch explains that only the last two characters identify the colour, which is why refinish databases list the same white as PW7/GW7 and the same black pearl as PXJ/KXJ, while the vehicle label shows the P version. Ignore the other strings on the same sticker: the 17-character VIN, the build-date code, and the two-character interior trim code (X9 Black, V5 Sepia, C5 Indigo in Chrysler's own 2018 colour guide). If what you found is longer than three characters, it is not the paint code.
- Open the driver's door and find the white barcoded vehicle information sticker in the door opening — check the B-pillar first, then the shut face of the door. It is not the tire and loading label.
- Read the field labelled PNT, or PAINT on some stickers. The three characters directly after it are the exterior paint code, for example PW7.
- If the sticker is missing or unreadable, check the metal body code plate on top of the radiator support under the hood; that is where 1990s to mid-2000s Jeeps carry it.
- If neither label survives, have a Jeep dealer's parts counter pull the factory build record by VIN, or retrieve the original window sticker through Mopar's owner VIN lookup. Both read the manufacturer's build record, which does contain the colour — the VIN by itself does not.
- Verify before buying paint: match the code to the manufacturer's colour name (PW7 is Bright White, PDN is Sting-Gray), then compare that name to the panel in daylight. A resprayed panel will not match what the label records.
Common Jeep paint codes
| Code | Jeep colour name | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| PW7 | Bright White | The most common Jeep white, used on every line from about 2011 to today; Mopar sells the matching touch-up pen as Bright White PW7. |
| PX8 | Black | Solid black on Wrangler, Gladiator, Compass and Renegade, shared with Dodge, Ram and Chrysler. |
| PXJ | Diamond Black Crystal Pearl | Grand Cherokee, Cherokee and Compass; a pearl black, not interchangeable with PX8. |
| PAU | Granite Crystal Metallic | The dark grey on most Jeep lines since about 2013 — Wrangler, Gladiator, Cherokee, Renegade, Grand Cherokee. |
| PSC | Billet Silver Metallic | Wrangler JK and JL, Cherokee and Grand Cherokee through about 2021; listed as Billet Metallic in Chrysler's 2018 colour guide. |
| PDN | Sting-Gray | Wrangler JL, Gladiator and 2020-onward Grand Cherokee. Mopar's own pen (68626622AA) is titled Sting Gray / Ceramic Grey — one code, two brand names. |
| PRC | Firecracker Red | Wrangler JL from 2018 through current model years, plus Gladiator and Cherokee. |
| PR4 | Flame Red | Long-running Wrangler red through the JK era; Quadratec uses PAINT: PR4 as its worked example of the door-jamb field. |
| PGG | Sarge Green | Wrangler JL in 2018 and again 2023-2024, and Gladiator; sold by Mopar as Sarge Green PGG. |
| PDS | Anvil | Wrangler 2018 and 2024-2025, Renegade 2017-2019, and Cherokee. |
| PRV | Velvet Red Pearl | Grand Cherokee 2018-2024. The same code appears as Snazzberry Pearl on 2021-2022 Wrangler, so check the model as well as the code. |
| PWD | Ivory 3-Coat Pearl | 2018-2021 Grand Cherokee, including Trackhawk. A three-stage colour: a body shop needs the ground coat plus the pearl mid-coat, not a single mix. |
This list is not every colour Jeep 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 colour. NHTSA's free vPIC decoder, which most VIN tools are built on, publishes 144 vehicle variables and not one is exterior colour or paint; decoding a 2018 Wrangler VIN through vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov returns make, model, plant and body class with no colour field at all (checked August 2026).
- Sites advertising a paint code from a VIN are doing one of two things: reading the manufacturer's build record behind the scenes, the way a Jeep dealer's parts counter or Mopar's owner VIN lookup does, or guessing from that model year's colour list. Free VIN Lookup does not return a paint code from a VIN; the label on the vehicle is the reliable route.
- One code can carry more than one marketing name. Mopar's own touch-up pen for PDN is sold as Sting Gray / Ceramic Grey, and Chrysler's 2018 Color Compatibility Guide lists PDN under the Chrysler-brand name while Jeep sells the identical code as Sting-Gray.
- Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Chrysler share the code system, so PW7 or PX8 on a Jeep label is the same paint as on a Ram or a Charger — confirmed by the single Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge/Ram guide Sherwin-Williams publishes for all four brands.
- The door label carries one exterior code only. On Wrangler and Gladiator the removable hardtop is a separate painted part with its own colour code — PaintScratch lists the factory black top as RXF Jet Black, and Chrysler's guide puts hardtop colours in a separate accent/accessory column.
Jeep and refinish sources
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- 2018 Chrysler / Jeep / Dodge / Ram Color Compatibility Guide (PDF)Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes
- Chrysler / Jeep paint code cross-reference by model and yearPaintRef.com
- Jeep Wrangler touch-up paint and Find Your Jeep Paint CodePaintScratch
- Mopar OEM touch-up paint catalogue (part titles carry code and colour name)Mopar Online Parts
- vPIC Vehicle Variable List (144 variables, no colour or paint field)NHTSA
Jeep paint code questions
Can I get my Jeep's paint code from the VIN?
No. A 17-character VIN does not encode paint colour. NHTSA's vPIC decoder, the free federal database most VIN tools are built on, publishes 144 vehicle variables and none of them is exterior colour; decoding a Jeep VIN returns make, model, plant and body class, no paint. Any site promising a paint code from a VIN is either reading Jeep's build record or guessing from the model's colour list.
Where is the paint code on a Jeep Wrangler or Gladiator?
Open the driver's door and look for the white barcoded sticker in the door opening. On Wrangler JK, JL and Gladiator JT it usually sits on the B-pillar, often higher than people expect, or on the shut face of the door itself. The code follows PNT or PAINT. Quadratec's worked example shows PAINT: PR4 for Flame Red on that door-aperture sticker.
How can I find the specific colour code for my Jeep Trackhawk?
The Trackhawk uses the same label as any other Grand Cherokee: the barcoded sticker in the driver-side door opening, code after PNT. There is no Trackhawk-only code system. It shares the 2018-2021 WK2 palette, which includes PW7 Bright White, PXJ Diamond Black Crystal Pearl, PSC Billet Silver Metallic, PAU Granite Crystal Metallic, PDN Sting-Gray, PRV Velvet Red Pearl and PWD Ivory 3-Coat Pearl.
How do I confirm the PX8 paint code on my Jeep?
PX8 is Black, and it runs across Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Chrysler. Confirm it on your own vehicle instead of assuming: open the driver's door and read the three characters after PNT on the barcoded sticker. Mopar sells the matching pen as Black PX8. Do not confuse it with PXJ Diamond Black Crystal Pearl or PXR Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl, which are pearl blacks and mix differently.
What does PNT mean on a Jeep door sticker?
PNT is the abbreviation for paint on the Jeep vehicle information sticker; some labels spell out PAINT instead. The three characters immediately after it are your exterior colour code. Everything else on that sticker is something else: the 17-character VIN, the build-date string, tire pressures, and the two-character interior trim code. If the string you found is longer than three characters, you are reading the wrong field.
My Jeep is two-tone or has a black hardtop. Is there a second code?
Jeep prints one exterior paint code on the door label, even on two-tone vehicles. A Wrangler or Gladiator hardtop is a separate painted part with its own colour code — the factory black top is sold as RXF Jet Black — so body-colour paint will not match it. Contrast roofs on Compass and Renegade work the same way: the second colour lives in the build record, not on the sticker.
The sticker is missing. How do I find the code?
Ask a Jeep dealer's parts department to pull the build record by VIN, or use Mopar's owner VIN lookup to retrieve the original window sticker; both read the factory record, which does list the colour. On 1990s to mid-2000s Jeeps, also check the metal body code plate on the radiator support under the hood. As a last resort, a body shop can scan the panel with a spectrophotometer.
Is the paint code the same as the interior trim code?
No. The interior trim code on the same label is two characters — X9 Black, V5 Sepia, C5 Indigo in Chrysler's own 2018 colour guide — and it describes the seats, not the body. The exterior paint code is three characters, starts with P on every modern Jeep, and sits after PNT. Ordering body paint from a trim code is the most common mistake people make.