Lincoln Paint Code: Where to Find It and How to Read It
The exact label to look for on a Lincoln, how the code is printed, what people mistake it for, and 12 verified Lincoln colour codes.
NHTSA vPIC has no colour field, so no VIN decoder returns one. The label on the vehicle is the reliable route.
Lincoln prints the paint code on the Safety Compliance Certification Label in the driver's door jamb or door edge — the sticker headed "MFD. BY FORD MOTOR CO." Read the two characters after "EXT PNT" (older labels spell out "EXTERIOR PAINT"), for example UM or GS. A 17-character VIN does not encode paint; NHTSA's VIN decoder returns no color field.
Where is the paint code on a Lincoln?
- Driver-side door jamb or door edge. The Safety Compliance Certification Label — the sticker headed "MFD. BY FORD MOTOR CO." AutomotiveTouchup and PaintScratch independently place Lincoln codes here for all models; AutomotiveTouchup adds "door edge or door jamb," so open the door fully and check both the body pillar and the rear edge of the door itself. This holds from the 1970s through current model years.
- Bottom code band of that label. The code is in the small grid of build codes below the barcode and VIN, in the box labeled EXT PNT. On labels from roughly 2000 onward the code is printed after "EXT PNT:" (a 2002 Ford label reads EXT PNT: FL). On mid-1990s labels the field is spelled out and the code sits above it (a Feb 1996 label reads SH above "EXTERIOR PAINT").
- Pre-1970 Lincolns. Same driver's-door data plate, but PaintScratch warns that pre-1970 Lincolns are unreliable: the same color name was used with different codes across years, and on some plates the color is embossed rather than printed where you expect it. Match by model year, and confirm with a paint supplier before ordering.
How to read the Lincoln paint code
Two characters, letters or digits or a mix: UM, GS, D4, N5, M7, and on older cars 9D or 1C. The code follows the printed field "EXT PNT:" or sits directly above it, never below it. Mid-1990s labels spell the field out as "EXTERIOR PAINT" with the code above the words. Do not copy the neighboring boxes: "INT TR" is the interior trim code, and TP/PS, AXLE, TR, SPR, RC and DSO are build codes. Supplier listings sometimes show GS/M7415 or M7415A — the M-number is Ford's mixing formula, not what is on the car.
- Open the driver's door and find the certification label — a white or silver sticker headed "MFD. BY FORD MOTOR CO." — on the door jamb or on the rear edge of the door itself.
- Look at the strip of small boxes running across the bottom of the label, below the barcode and the printed VIN.
- Read the two characters printed after "EXT PNT:". On mid-1990s labels there is no abbreviation — the code sits just above the words "EXTERIOR PAINT".
- Ignore the neighboring boxes: INT TR is the interior trim code, and TP/PS, AXLE, TR, SPR, RC and DSO are build codes, not colors.
- If the label is gone or unreadable, call Ford Motor Company at 1-800-392-3673 with the VIN, or ask a Lincoln dealer to pull the build record for that VIN.
- Verify before ordering: match the two characters to a Lincoln color list for your model year (UM to Agate Black Metallic, GS to Ceramic Pearl) and check the name against the car in daylight, since a repainted panel will not match the label.
Common Lincoln paint codes
| Code | Lincoln colour name | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| UM | Agate Black Metallic | Listed for 2020 through 2026 Lincolns; AutomotiveTouchup also files it as Infinite Black Metallic. |
| UG | White Platinum Tri-Coat | Long-running Ford/Lincoln code, on Lincoln lists from 2015 through 2026; also written White Platinum Pearl. |
| AZ | Pristine White Tri-Coat | Verified on 2020, 2023, 2024 and 2026 lists; AutomotiveTouchup also calls it Star White Pearl. |
| GS | Ceramic Pearl Tri-Coat | Verified on 2020 Navigator, 2023 Corsair and 2024 lists. |
| D4 | Lucid Red Pearl Tri-Coat | 2020 onward; the same Ford code appears as Rapid Red on Ford models. |
| JS | Iconic Silver Metallic | 2020 onward; older cross-references name it Silver Radiance Metallic. |
| M7 | Carbonized Gray Metallic | Verified on the 2023 Corsair and on 2024 and 2026 lists; also listed as Asher Gray Metallic. |
| XF | Chroma Caviar Pearl | 2020 onward, mainly Navigator and Aviator; also filed as Chroma Caviar Metallic and Dark Gray Pearl Metallic. |
| R3 | Burgundy Velvet Tri-Coat | Verified on 2020 Navigator and 2023 Corsair lists; also listed as Royal Crimson Pearl. |
| N5 | Rhapsody Blue | Verified on 2020 Lincoln lists, including Navigator. |
| FT | Blue Diamond Metallic | Verified on 2020 Lincoln lists, including Navigator. |
| AR | Iced Mocha Pearl | Verified on 2020 Lincoln lists, including Navigator. |
This list is not every colour Lincoln 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. Queried live, NHTSA's vPIC DecodeVinValues endpoint returned 154 fields for a 2020 Lincoln Navigator VIN and none of them is color or paint (vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov). Any site returning a "paint code from VIN" is reading a manufacturer build record or inferring from the model.
- The field label is visible on real labels: AutomotiveTouchup publishes photographs of two Ford Motor Company certification labels — an April 2002 label reading "EXT PNT: FL" and a February 1996 Ford of Canada label with "SH" printed directly above the words "EXTERIOR PAINT".
- Color names vary by source and market for the same code. AutomotiveTouchup lists UM as both Agate Black Metallic and Infinite Black Metallic, and AZ as both Pristine White Pearl and Star White Pearl, while PaintScratch uses one name each — so order by the two-character code, not by name.
- Two sources disagree on some recent codes, so they are excluded above: PaintScratch lists K1 as Whisper Blue on 2024 and 2026 Lincolns, while AutomotiveTouchup lists K1 as Vapor Blue Metallic on the 2023 Corsair; C8 is Midnight Blue on PaintScratch and Flight Blue Metallic on AutomotiveTouchup.
- When the door or label is missing, AutomotiveTouchup directs Lincoln owners to call Ford Motor Company at 1-800-392-3673 with the VIN in hand — a person reads the build record, which is the same route commercial "VIN to paint code" services take behind the scenes.
Lincoln and refinish sources
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- Paint Codes For Lincoln Cars and TrucksAutomotiveTouchup (Microfinish LLC)
- Lincoln Touch Up Paint — Find Your Lincoln Paint CodePaintScratch
- vPIC VIN Decoder API (DecodeVinValues)NHTSA
- 2020 Lincoln Navigator Colors of Touch Up PaintAutomotiveTouchup (Microfinish LLC)
- 2020 Lincoln Touch Up Paint (28 OEM Colors)PaintScratch
Lincoln paint code questions
Can I get my Lincoln's paint code from the VIN?
No. A 17-character VIN does not carry a paint code. NHTSA's vPIC decoder returns 154 fields for a Lincoln VIN — make, model, plant, engine, restraint systems — and not one of them is color. Services advertising "paint code by VIN" either have someone pull Ford's build record for that VIN or guess from the model's palette. The door label is the reliable source.
Where is the paint code on a Lincoln Navigator, Aviator, or Corsair?
Open the driver's door and read the certification label on the jamb or the rear edge of the door. On a Navigator, Aviator, Corsair, Nautilus, MKZ or MKX the code sits in the strip of small build-code boxes across the bottom of that label, in the box headed EXT PNT. AutomotiveTouchup and PaintScratch both place every Lincoln model in that same spot.
What does a Lincoln paint code look like?
Two characters, letters or digits or a mix — UM, GS, D4, N5, M7. Older Lincolns use the same length: a 1975 car reads 9D for White or 1C for Black. The characters follow "EXT PNT:" or sit directly above it. If you are reading four digits or a code that starts with WA, you are looking at another manufacturer's system, not Lincoln's.
Which box on the label is the paint code — EXT PNT or INT TR?
EXT PNT is the exterior paint code. INT TR is the interior trim code and is the one people copy by mistake. The bottom band of a Ford or Lincoln label runs EXT PNT and INT TR, then boxes for TP/PS, AXLE, TR and SPR, with RC and DSO numbers to the right. Only the EXT PNT value is used to mix paint.
My Lincoln is a tri-coat like Ceramic Pearl. Is there more than one code?
One code, three stages. Lincoln tri-coats such as Ceramic Pearl (GS), Pristine White (AZ), Burgundy Velvet (R3) and Lucid Red (D4) carry a single two-character code on the door label, but the repair needs a basecoat, a translucent midcoat and clear over the top. Tell your paint supplier it is a tri-coat when you order — tri-coat kits ship with both a base and a midcoat.
The door label is missing or unreadable. What now?
Call Ford with the VIN. AutomotiveTouchup tells Lincoln owners to phone Ford Motor Company at 1-800-392-3673 and have the VIN ready when the door or the label is gone, and a dealer parts counter can do the same by pulling the build record. That build record — not the VIN itself — is where a paint code actually comes from.
Why does one code have two different color names?
Because Lincoln renames colors and sells them across markets. UM is listed as Agate Black Metallic and as Infinite Black Metallic; AZ appears as Pristine White and as Star White; JS shows up as Iconic Silver and as Silver Radiance. The two-character code is the constant. Order by the code and treat the name as a description, not an identifier.
Does free-vin-lookup.com return a paint code?
No. We decode what the VIN actually encodes: manufacturer, model year, assembly plant, body, engine and the equipment data NHTSA publishes. Color is not in that data for any make, so we do not return a paint code, and no tool working from the VIN alone can. Read the two characters off the door label, or have a dealer pull the build record.