Mitsubishi Paint Code: Where to Find It and How to Read It
The exact label to look for on a Mitsubishi, how the code is printed, what people mistake it for, and 11 verified Mitsubishi 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 Mitsubishis the paint code sits on the vehicle information code plate riveted to the underside of the hood, not the door jamb. Mitsubishi prints that line as COLOR, TRIM or COLOR, INT, and the body color code is the first value after COLOR. It is three characters, usually one letter and two digits, like W13 or X42.
Where is the paint code on a Mitsubishi?
- Underside of the hood. Mitsubishi rivets the vehicle information code plate to the inner panel of the hood, near the front edge. Mitsubishi's own owner's manuals show this exact position for the Lancer (2008-2017), Lancer Evolution X, ASX/Outlander Sport, Eclipse Cross, Outlander and Mirage, and for the current L200/Triton. On the 2011 Lancer the manual shows two positions: left half of the hood underside on non-turbo cars, right half on turbocharged cars.
- Driver-side door opening, center pillar. Some builds carry a vehicle data label (a sticker, not a riveted plate) on the B-pillar inside the front door opening, just above the sill. The current L200/Triton manual points to this label for the option, paint and trim codes, and the 2020 Outlander manual shows a vehicle information code label in the same door-opening position on plants that use it. Check here if the hood underside is bare.
- Engine bay, firewall or radiator support. On 1990s and early-2000s Mitsubishis the plate is riveted in the engine compartment rather than to the hood. PaintScratch places Mitsubishi tags in the firewall area, the panel between the engine and the cabin; AutomotiveTouchup says only that the codes are most often under the hood and that the exact position varies by model and year. Both descriptions are right, for different generations.
How to read the Mitsubishi paint code
Three characters, printed on the plate line labeled COLOR, TRIM (Mirage, L200/Triton) or COLOR, INT (Lancer, ASX/Outlander Sport, Eclipse Cross, Outlander). The body color code is the first and longest box on that line, immediately after the word COLOR: one letter then two digits, such as W13, X42, U17, A31, P62. The one or two short boxes after it are the interior/trim code and the option code, and neither is paint. Lancer, ASX/Outlander Sport, Eclipse Cross and Outlander plates also carry a separate field labeled EXT, which Mitsubishi's manuals call the exterior code — also not the paint code. Some 1980s and 1990s Mitsubishis used three digits instead of letter-plus-digits, such as 403 or 572.
- Open the hood and look at its underside near the front edge for a small riveted metal plate headed MITSUBISHI MOTORS CORPORATION or MITSUBISHI MOTORS (THAILAND) CO.,LTD.
- If the hood underside is bare, open the driver's door and check the center pillar just above the sill for a vehicle data label; on 1990s and early-2000s cars, check the firewall at the back of the engine bay.
- Find the row labeled COLOR, TRIM or COLOR, INT and read the first value on it — the longest box, immediately after the word COLOR.
- Ignore the short boxes after it (interior/trim code and option code) and ignore any field labeled EXT or MODEL; none of those is the paint code.
- Write the code down exactly as stamped — one letter and two digits, e.g. U17 — and photograph the plate, because the stamping is shallow and 0/O and 5/S are easy to confuse.
- Verify by checking that the code maps to a Mitsubishi color name that matches the car in front of you, or read the code to a Mitsubishi dealer parts counter; if the name doesn't match, you read the wrong field.
Common Mitsubishi paint codes
| Code | Mitsubishi colour name | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| W13 | Diamond White Pearl | Three-stage white listed for Lancer, Outlander, Outlander Sport, Eclipse Cross and Mirage through about 2020. |
| X42 | Labrador Black Pearl | Mitsubishi's long-running black, marketed as Amethyst Black Pearl outside the U.S. Appears on Mirage, Lancer, Outlander, Outlander Sport and Eclipse Cross. |
| U17 | Mercury Gray Metallic | Called Titanium Grey Metallic in other markets. Listed for Mirage, Outlander, Outlander Sport and Eclipse Cross from roughly 2011 through 2025. |
| A31 | Cool Silver Metallic | 2000s and 2010s silver; listed for Outlander, Outlander Sport, Lancer and i-MiEV. |
| U25 | Alloy Silver Metallic | Also listed as Sterling Silver Metallic or Blade Silver Metallic. Outlander, Outlander Sport and Eclipse Cross. |
| P26 | Rally Red Metallic | Marketed as Orient Red Metallic in other markets. Outlander and Outlander Sport. |
| P62 | Red Diamond | Three-stage red; listed for Outlander, Outlander Sport and Eclipse Cross from about 2017 on. |
| W85 | White Diamond | Three-stage white on current Mirage, Outlander, Outlander PHEV, Outlander Sport and Eclipse Cross. |
| X47 | Black Diamond Pearl | The current black; listed for 2024-2025 Outlander, Outlander Sport and Eclipse Cross. Sold as Black Metallic in some catalogs. |
| D06 | Octane Blue Pearl | Lancer Evolution and Ralliart blue; also listed for Outlander, Outlander Sport and Eclipse Cross. |
| M11 | Sunshine Orange Pearl | Outlander Sport and Outlander orange; listed as Bright Orange Pearl Metallic in international catalogs. |
This list is not every colour Mitsubishi 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. Decoding a 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander VIN through NHTSA's free vPIC API returns 154 fields — make, model, plant, engine, restraint systems — and not one of them is a color or paint field. Any site advertising a Mitsubishi paint code from a VIN is either reading a manufacturer build record behind the scenes or guessing from the model. Free VIN Lookup does not return paint codes.
- Mitsubishi's own owner's manuals for the Mirage, Lancer, Lancer Evolution X, ASX/Outlander Sport, Eclipse Cross, Outlander and L200 all name the item the vehicle information code plate and list the body colour code among its numbered fields — item 5 on the Mirage and L200 plates, item 4 on the Lancer, ASX, Eclipse Cross and Outlander plates.
- Mitsubishi's current L200/Triton manual is the clearest official statement of the door-opening alternative. Pointing to a vehicle data label inside the driver's door, it lists what to quote when ordering parts: "The option, paint, and trim codes — located on the Data Label."
- Sources disagree on the exact spot because Mitsubishi genuinely uses more than one carrier. AutomotiveTouchup says Mitsubishi codes are most often under the hood with the position varying by model and year; PaintScratch places them on a tag in the firewall area. The 2020 Outlander manual shows both a riveted hood plate and a door-opening label, depending on the assembly plant.
- The same three-character code carries different marketing names in different regions: X42 is Labrador Black Pearl in PaintScratch's U.S. listings and Amethyst Black Pearl in AutomotiveTouchup's international ones, and U17 is Mercury Gray Metallic in the U.S. and Titanium Grey Metallic abroad. Order paint by the code from the plate, never by the name.
Mitsubishi and refinish sources
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- 2019MY Mirage owner's manual — Vehicle labeling, page 11-02Mitsubishi Motors UK
- Owner's manuals library (Mirage, Lancer, Lancer Evolution X, ASX, Eclipse Cross, Outlander, L200)Mitsubishi Motors UK
- Find Your Mitsubishi's Color CodePaintScratch
- Mitsubishi touch-up paint by year and modelAutomotiveTouchup
- vPIC VIN decoder API (DecodeVinValues)NHTSA
Mitsubishi paint code questions
Where is the paint code on a Mitsubishi Mirage?
Open the hood and look at the underside of the hood panel near the front edge. Mitsubishi's 2019 Mirage owner's manual shows the vehicle information code plate riveted there and lists the body color code as field 5 on that plate. The line is printed COLOR, TRIM — read the value immediately after COLOR. Common Mirage codes include W13, U17, X42 and W85.
Can I get a Mitsubishi paint code from the VIN?
No. The 17-character VIN does not contain paint information. Running a Mitsubishi VIN through NHTSA's free vPIC decoder returns 154 fields, and none of them is a color field. Services advertising a paint code by VIN are either reading a manufacturer build record behind the scenes or guessing from the model and year. The plate on the car is the reliable source.
What does a Mitsubishi paint code look like?
Three characters: one letter followed by two digits, such as W13, X42, U17, A31 or P62. Some 1980s and 1990s Mitsubishis used three digits instead, like 403 or 572. The code is the first value on the plate line labeled COLOR, TRIM or COLOR, INT. Anything longer than three characters is almost certainly a model, engine, transmission or option code.
Which code on the Mitsubishi plate is the interior, not the paint?
The short box immediately after the body color code is the interior or trim code, and the box after that is the option code. Lancer, ASX/Outlander Sport, Eclipse Cross and Outlander plates also carry a separate field labeled EXT, which Mitsubishi's manuals call the exterior code. None of those three is paint. Only the long value directly after COLOR is the paint code.
Does Mitsubishi print two codes for a two-tone car?
No. The plate has a single body color field, so a two-tone Outlander or Eclipse Cross gives you one code, for the main body. The contrasting black roof is a separate factory finish that the plate does not identify. If you need to refinish the roof, a Mitsubishi dealer can pull the roof color from the build record using your VIN.
How do I refinish a Mitsubishi tri-coat like White Diamond?
Treat it as three sprayed layers, not one. W85 White Diamond, W13 Diamond White Pearl and P62 Red Diamond are three-stage finishes: a solid ground coat, a translucent pearl mid-coat, then clear. The plate still shows a single code. Spray a test panel first and count your mid-coat passes, because pass count shifts the final shade more than the code itself does.
My Mitsubishi's hood underside is blank. Where else should I look?
Check the driver's door opening on the center pillar, just above the sill. Mitsubishi puts a vehicle data label there on some builds, and the current L200/Triton owner's manual says the option, paint and trim codes are on that label. On 1990s and early-2000s Mitsubishis, check the firewall at the back of the engine bay instead. Photograph whatever you find.
Do Mitsubishi color names match across countries?
Not reliably. The same three-character code is marketed under different names by region: X42 is listed as Labrador Black Pearl by U.S. suppliers and as Amethyst Black Pearl elsewhere, and U17 is Mercury Gray Metallic in the U.S. but Titanium Grey Metallic abroad. Order paint by the code stamped on the plate, not by the name in a brochure or a listing.