Lexus Paint Code: Where to Find It and How to Read It
The exact label to look for on a Lexus, how the code is printed, what people mistake it for, and 12 verified Lexus colour codes.
NHTSA vPIC has no colour field, so no VIN decoder returns one. The label on the vehicle is the reliable route.
Lexus prints the paint code on the color ID plate in the driver's door jamb, on the line labelled C/TR. Read the three characters immediately after C/TR — in a real example, C/TR 3P1 FA09, the code is 3P1 and FA09 is the interior trim. A 17-character VIN does not encode paint; the label is the reliable source.
Where is the paint code on a Lexus?
- Driver-side door jamb. On the color ID plate you see when the driver's door is open — the same printed tag that carries the model and VIN — on the line reading C/TR. AutomotiveTouchup's Lexus page states "All paint codes for all Lexus models are located in the driver side door jamb" and that "The C/TR is where the exterior color code starts." PaintScratch's Lexus page independently states "On all models, a color ID plate on the driver's door jamb shows C/TR followed by the paint code." Neither source records the position changing in any model year; both describe it as covering every Lexus model. What did change is the tag itself — AutomotiveTouchup shows older Lexus and Toyota vehicles with a white tag and newer cars such as the IS 250 with a dark tag, in the same jamb position.
How to read the Lexus paint code
Three characters, printed on the door-jamb plate on the line that begins C/TR (color/trim). Real plates read C/TR 3P1 FA09 and C/TR: 1D4/FH13. Lexus mixes digits and letters — 223, 085, 202, 1J7, 8X1, 6X4 — with a digit first and either type in the remaining two. Ignore everything after the slash or space: FA09 and FH13 are interior trim codes, not paint. The plate carries no separate roof, pearl or midcoat code.
- Open the driver's door and find the printed plate on the jamb — the one that also carries the model and VIN.
- Find the line that starts with C/TR. On older Lexus vehicles the tag is white and on newer ones it is dark, but the C/TR line sits in the same place.
- Read the three characters immediately after C/TR. That is the paint code — 3P1 in C/TR 3P1 FA09, or 1D4 in C/TR: 1D4/FH13.
- Ignore everything after the slash or the space. FA09 and FH13 are interior trim codes and will not match any paint.
- Write the code down with the model year and model — for example "2023 Lexus ES, 223" — because refinish suppliers mix by year as well as by code.
- Check the code against the color you can actually see: 223 is Caviar, 212 is Obsidian, 085 is Eminent White Pearl. If it does not match, ask a Lexus dealer to pull the build record from your VIN.
Common Lexus paint codes
| Code | Lexus colour name | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| 223 | Caviar | Dark near-black gray. Listed on ES, IS, LC, GX, NX, RX and RZ across 2021-2025; AutomotiveTouchup mixes it as Caviar Metallic. |
| 212 | Obsidian | Lexus's long-running gloss black, listed on ES, LC, NX, RX and RZ through 2021-2025. |
| 202 | Black Onyx | A separate, older black from 212. Listed on GX 2021 and 2023 and LX 2024; suppliers often label it simply Black. |
| 085 | Eminent White Pearl | Listed on ES, IS, GX, LX, NX and RZ 2021-2025. Sold as a tricoat; also mixed under the name Sonic Quartz. |
| 083 | Ultra White | Solid white, listed on IS, LC and ES 2021-2025. Refinish suppliers list the same code as White Nova GF. |
| 089 | Wind Chill Pearl | Appears from about 2025. PaintScratch sells it as a tricoat. |
| 1J7 | Atomic Silver | Listed on GX, IS and LC 2021-2025. AutomotiveTouchup mixes the same code under the name Sonic Titanium Metallic. |
| 1H9 | Nebula Gray Pearl | Listed on ES, GX, LX, NX and RX. Mixed by suppliers as Mercury Gray Mica. |
| 1L1 | Cloudburst Gray | Listed on IS, ES and LC 2021-2025. Mixed by suppliers as Sonic Chrome Metallic. |
| 1L2 | Iridium | Listed on ES, IS and LC 2021-2025; also sold as Sonic Iridium Metallic. |
| 3R1 | Matador Red Mica | Listed on ES and IS 2021-2025. Sold as a tricoat, so it needs a midcoat between base and clear. |
| 8X1 | Ultrasonic Blue Mica 2.0 | Listed on ES, IS, LC and NX 2021-2025. |
This list is not every colour Lexus 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 carries no paint information. NHTSA's vPIC variable list holds 144 variables and not one contains "color" or "paint", and decoding a real Lexus VIN through vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov returns 154 populated fields with no color field among them. Services advertising "paint code by VIN" are reading a manufacturer build record behind the scenes or guessing from the model.
- Two independent sources put the label in the same place and name the same field: AutomotiveTouchup's Lexus paint-code page ("driver side door jamb"; "The C/TR is where the exterior color code starts") and PaintScratch's Lexus page ("a color ID plate on the driver's door jamb shows C/TR followed by the paint code").
- Codes are stable but marketing names are not. PaintRef lists 1J7 as Atomic Silver while AutomotiveTouchup mixes the same code as Sonic Titanium Metallic, and PaintScratch warns that the same paint carries different names across models, citing 3P1 as Impulse Red Metallic, Red Metallic or Wine Metallic. Order by code, not by name.
- Several common Lexus finishes are three-stage. PaintScratch sells 083, 085, 089, 3R1 and 3T5 as tricoats, meaning basecoat, a pearl midcoat and clear — three products from the single code on the jamb plate.
- free-vin-lookup.com does not return a paint code from a VIN, and no VIN decoder can. Only the physical label on the car or a Lexus dealer's build record holds it.
Lexus and refinish sources
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
Lexus paint code questions
How can I find the Lexus Caviar color code for my vehicle?
Caviar is Lexus paint code 223. Confirm it on your own car rather than assuming: open the driver's door, find the C/TR line on the color ID plate, and check that the three characters read 223. PaintRef lists 223 as Caviar on the ES, IS, LC, GX, NX, RX and RZ across the 2021 through 2025 model years, and AutomotiveTouchup mixes the same code as Caviar Metallic.
Can I get my Lexus paint code from the VIN?
No. A 17-character VIN does not encode the paint code. Decoding a Lexus VIN through NHTSA's vPIC API returns 154 fields — make, model, year, plant, body, restraints — and not one of them is color or paint. Sites advertising "paint code by VIN" are either querying a manufacturer build record behind the scenes or guessing from the model. Read the door-jamb label instead.
What does C/TR mean on the Lexus door jamb plate?
C/TR stands for color and trim. The characters after C/TR are the exterior paint code; the group after the slash or space is the interior trim code. In PaintScratch's example, C/TR 3P1 FA09, 3P1 is the paint and FA09 is the interior. AutomotiveTouchup shows the same layout as C/TR: 1D4/FH13. Ordering paint against the trim half is the most common mistake.
Where is the paint code on an older Lexus?
Same place — the driver's door jamb. AutomotiveTouchup states that all paint codes for all Lexus models sit in that position, and shows examples from both an older Lexus with a white tag and a newer IS 250 with a dark tag. The plate's color and layout changed over the years; the position did not. Neither source names a model year when the label moved.
My Lexus is a pearl or tri-coat. Is there a second code?
No. The C/TR field carries one three-character code no matter how many layers the finish has. PaintScratch sells 083, 085, 089, 3R1 and 3T5 as tricoats, meaning basecoat, a pearl midcoat and clear — three products from one code. Tell the paint supplier the code plus the model year so they mix the correct midcoat. A single-stage touch-up pen will not match a tri-coat.
What about a two-tone Lexus with a contrasting roof?
The C/TR line still shows a single three-character code. AutomotiveTouchup and PaintScratch both describe one code for all Lexus models, and refinish suppliers list two-tone cars under the body color alone — the 2024 RZ appears as 8Z2 Ether Metallic with no separate roof entry. If you need the roof color specifically, ask a Lexus dealer to read the build record from the VIN.
The door jamb sticker is missing. What now?
Ask a Lexus dealer's parts counter to look up the color code from your VIN. Dealers can read the factory build record, which does hold the paint code even though the VIN itself does not — PaintScratch states plainly that dealers can provide the color code via VIN. AutomotiveTouchup also lists Lexus Customer Assistance at 1-800-255-3987 for owners who cannot find the label.
Does one code always mean one color name?
No. The code is stable; the marketing name is not. PaintScratch warns that the same paint carries different names across models, giving 3P1 as Impulse Red Metallic, Red Metallic or Wine Metallic. PaintRef calls 1J7 Atomic Silver while AutomotiveTouchup mixes the same code as Sonic Titanium Metallic. Order by the three-character code, not by the name, and give the model year too.