Land Rover Paint Code: Where to Find It and How to Read It
The exact label to look for on a Land Rover, how the code is printed, what people mistake it for, and 12 verified Land Rover colour codes.
NHTSA vPIC has no colour field, so no VIN decoder returns one. The label on the vehicle is the reliable route.
On most Land Rovers the paint code is on the vehicle identification plate in the driver's door shut; older models carry it on the radiator support at the front of the engine bay. Look for the colour name beside a short code — a three- or four-digit number, a three-letter code such as NER, or an LRC-prefixed number like LRC867. The VIN does not contain it.
Where is the paint code on a Land Rover?
- Driver-side door jamb. The vehicle identification plate in the driver's door shut, visible with the door open. PaintScratch calls this "The most common location" and says the code "may be on the pillar itself, the door edge, or near the latch" — so it is not reliably on the B-pillar. AutomotiveTouchup's locator diagram marks the driver's door area as its second numbered position. No source gives a model-year cut-off for this location, and the plate is not always black: PaintScratch describes the Color ID Tag as a sticker or metal plate with a silver, black or white background.
- Radiator support bar under the bonnet. A manufacturer's plate on the metal bar at the very front of the engine bay, visible with the bonnet open. PaintScratch: "Older models usually have them under the front hood on the radiator support," and describes it as "the metal bar at the very front of the engine bay". AutomotiveTouchup's diagram marks the front of the vehicle as position 1. PaintScratch also states that on older cars the locations include both the driver's door jamb and the radiator support, so check both rather than assuming older equals engine bay.
- Passenger-side door pillar (Defender only, disputed). PaintScratch's Defender page says to check the black manufacturer's plate "either on the radiator support bar under the hood or on the passenger-side door pillar." Treat this as unconfirmed: the paint-code panel on that same PaintScratch page says the driver's door jamb, and no manufacturer source or second supplier corroborates the passenger side. On any Defender, check both door pillars and the engine bay before concluding the label is missing.
How to read the Land Rover paint code
The plate prints the colour name with the code next to or beneath it. Older Land Rovers use a three-digit number (867 Fuji White, 820 Santorini Black); later colours run to four digits (1807, 2409, 2435). Newer JLR labels also carry a three-character code starting with a digit (1AA, 1AG, 1DF) and a three-letter supplier code (NER, PAB, PEC). Land Rover's own LRC prefix appears on the label itself, not only in databases — AutomotiveTouchup's locator diagram shows "LRC 798" under "Zermatt Silver", and PaintScratch notes labels may show either LRC961 or HAF for the same colour. Some codes are all letters with no digit at all (HAF, MNH). No source uses a "JLRC" prefix. Ignore the 17-character VIN, the wheelbase figures and the interior trim code on the same plate — none of those is the paint code.
- Open the driver's door and inspect the door shut — check the pillar itself, the door edge and the area near the latch for a sticker or metal identification plate.
- If nothing is there, open the bonnet and check the radiator support bar across the front of the engine bay; on a Defender, also check the passenger-side door pillar.
- On the plate, find the colour name — the paint code sits next to or beneath it.
- Write down every form printed: the three- or four-digit number, the three-letter code, and any LRC-prefixed number. All of them identify the same colour.
- Ignore the 17-character VIN, the wheelbase figures and the interior trim code on the same plate.
- Verify the code against a refinish supplier's Land Rover colour list for your model and year before ordering paint.
Common Land Rover paint codes
| Code | Land Rover colour name | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| 1AA / 867 / NER | Fuji White | Non-metallic white. Listed by PaintScratch on Defender, Discovery Sport and Range Rover Sport. Also appears as NDH and LRC867. |
| 1AG / 820 / PAB | Santorini Black Pearl | PaintScratch titles it Santorini Black Pearl. Found on Defender, Discovery Sport and Range Rover Sport. The claim that it is sold as "Ultimate Black Metallic" could not be verified and has been dropped. |
| 1AT / 1807 / PEC | Narvik Black | PaintScratch pairs 1AT with PEC and 1807 — not 921. A separate, older Narvik Black is listed as 921/PVM. PaintScratch spells the name "Narvick". The code 1CE could not be verified. |
| 1AB / 873 / LKH | Corris Grey Metallic | Verified on PaintScratch's Discovery Sport page. Also LRC873. The alternate number 2136 could not be verified. |
| 1AC / 863 / MEN | Indus Silver Metallic | Verified on PaintScratch's Defender and Discovery Sport pages. Also LRC863. The alternates MFT and 2130 could not be verified. |
| 1AF / 868 / CAH | Firenze Red Pearl | PaintScratch lists it as a pearl, not a metallic. Verified on Discovery Sport and Range Rover Sport. Also LRC868. The alternate number 2144 could not be verified. |
| 1AQ / 2201 / NAK | Yulong White Metallic | Verified on PaintScratch's Defender page. Also listed as a tricoat under 2201, and as LRC2201. |
| 1AU / 2204 / LKT | Carpathian Grey Metallic | Verified in PaintScratch's Land Rover colour database. Also LRC2204. |
| 1BN / 2213 / MVU | Gallium Silver Metallic | Correction: this code is Gallium Silver, not Silicon Silver. No colour named Silicon Silver appears in Land Rover's list. Verified on Defender, Discovery Sport and Range Rover Sport. |
| 1DF / 2409 / LRA | Eiger Grey Metallic | Verified on PaintScratch's Defender page. Written LRC2409 — no "JLRC" prefix exists in any source checked. |
| 1DJ / 2407 / HIH | Pangea Green Metallic | Verified on PaintScratch's Defender (L663) page. Written LRC2407, not JLRC2407. |
| 1DK / 2435 / BAQ | Gondwana Stone Metallic | Verified in PaintScratch's Land Rover colour database as a 2020-on Defender colour. Written LRC2435, not JLRC2435. |
This list is not every colour Land Rover has sold. Always confirm against the label on your own vehicle before ordering paint.
What to know before you order paint
- The VIN does not yield a paint code. PaintScratch's paint-code guide asks "Can I use my VIN to find the paint code?" and answers: "No. The VIN does not contain your paint code." It adds that a VIN only helps identify formula variations once the correct code is already known. Never present a VIN lookup as returning a Land Rover paint code.
- No source supports a model-year boundary. PaintScratch distinguishes only "later model" from "older models" and explicitly states that on older cars the locations include both the driver's door jamb and the radiator support. The original claim's "broadly mid-2000s onward" cut-off is unsourced and has been removed.
- The LRC prefix appears on the vehicle label, not just in refinish databases. AutomotiveTouchup's Land Rover locator diagram shows a sample plate reading "Zermatt Silver / LRC 798", and PaintScratch states labels may show either LRC961 or HAF. Separately, the prefix "JLRC" returns zero matches across PaintScratch's entire Land Rover catalogue and should not be used.
- AutomotiveTouchup has no "position one" or "position 2" text. Its "Locate your Land Rover's Paint Code" section is a diagram image with two numbered callouts and no supporting prose, so that wording must not be presented as a quotation from the site. The diagram does place marker 1 at the front of the vehicle and marker 2 at the driver's door.
- The Defender passenger-side location rests on a single self-contradicting page. PaintScratch's Defender page names "the passenger-side door pillar" in its narrative text while its own paint-code panel on the same page says "drivers door jamb". Present it as a place to check, not as an established fact.
Land Rover and refinish sources
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- Land Rover Touch Up Paint Codes — Identifying your Color CodePaintScratch
- How to Find Your Car Paint Code: Color ID Tag and VIN HelpPaintScratch
- Land Rover Touch Up Paint — Locate your Land Rover's Paint CodeAutomotiveTouchup
- Land Rover Defender Touch Up Paint — Find Your Defender Paint CodePaintScratch
Land Rover paint code questions
Where is the paint code on a Land Rover?
Open the driver's door and check the identification plate in the door shut — it may sit on the pillar, the door edge or near the latch. If it is not there, open the bonnet and look at the radiator support bar across the front of the engine bay. PaintScratch describes the door jamb as the most common location, with older models more often using the radiator support.
Can I get my Land Rover paint code from the VIN?
No. PaintScratch's paint-code guide answers this directly: "The VIN does not contain your paint code." The 17-character VIN identifies the vehicle — plant, model, year and serial — but carries no colour field. A dealer can look your VIN up in their build records to retrieve the colour, but that is a database lookup, not decoding. Always read the code off the vehicle's own ID plate.
What does a Land Rover paint code look like?
The plate prints the colour name with the code beside or beneath it. Older Land Rovers use a three-digit number such as 867 or 820. Newer JLR labels often use a three-character code starting with a digit, like 1AA or 1DF, and later colours use four-digit numbers such as 2409. Some labels instead show a three-letter code like NER, or an LRC-prefixed number like LRC867.
Why does my Land Rover show two or three different codes for one colour?
Because Land Rover and its paint suppliers use parallel code systems for the same colour. Fuji White is listed as 1AA, as NER, and as 867 — PaintScratch titles the colour 1AA/NER/867 Fuji White. Any one of them identifies the same paint. Match whichever form appears on your plate, and give a supplier every form you can read to avoid ambiguity.
Where is the paint code on a Land Rover Defender?
Sources disagree, so check both sides. PaintScratch's Defender page says to look at the black manufacturer's plate on the radiator support bar under the bonnet or on the passenger-side door pillar — but the paint-code panel on that same page says the driver's door jamb. No manufacturer source settles it. On any Defender, check both door pillars and the engine bay before concluding the label is missing.
What is the difference between LRC867 and NER?
They are two labels for one colour. LRC is Land Rover's own colour-code prefix and NER is the three-letter supplier code; both can name the same paint. PaintScratch notes that labels may show either form, giving LRC961 and HAF as two codes for Epsom Green. AutomotiveTouchup's locator diagram likewise shows a plate reading Zermatt Silver with LRC 798 beneath the name.