Ram Paint Code: Where to Find It and How to Read It
The exact label to look for on a Ram, how the code is printed, what people mistake it for, and 12 verified Ram colour codes.
NHTSA vPIC has no colour field, so no VIN decoder returns one. The label on the vehicle is the reliable route.
On a Ram, the paint code sits on the vehicle safety certification label inside the driver's door jamb, in the block of three-character codes below the barcode, marked PNT. The code is three characters starting with P — PW7, PAU, PXR. Older Ram pickups carry it on a label at the radiator support instead. A 17-character VIN does not encode paint.
Where is the paint code on a Ram?
- Driver-side door jamb. On the white vehicle safety certification label attached to the door shut face, below the VIN barcode: a block of three-character codes with the paint code printed after PNT. This is the first place to look on modern Ram trucks. AutomotiveTouchup names the driver-side door jamb certification label as the primary Dodge/Ram location and PaintScratch says later models list the code on the driver's door jamb, but neither gives a clean cut-off model year, so check the jamb first on anything from the late 1990s onward and the engine bay on anything older. Some trucks leave the PNT row off the label entirely; if yours has no PNT, use the locations below.
- Front of the radiator, passenger side. AutomotiveTouchup lists this as the alternate location specifically for Ram trucks and Ram vans, and PaintScratch says older Dodge and Ram codes were placed on top of the radiator support, where engine grease and oil usually hide them. Wipe the surface before deciding it is not there. Check here first on 1990s and early-2000s trucks, and on any newer truck whose door label carries no PNT row.
- Body code plate on the floor pan. Chrysler's body code plate carries the paint code among the other build codes, and AutomotiveTouchup's Dodge location list puts it on the floor behind the passenger seat on full-size pickups. Only one of the sources checked names this spot, so treat it as a last resort on older trucks, after the door jamb and the radiator support.
How to read the Ram paint code
Three characters, printed after the field label "PNT:" — for example PNT: PW7. The first character is almost always P (FCA's sales code); the last two identify the colour. Refinish suppliers index the same colour under a paint/formula code that keeps those last two characters and changes the first letter: GW7 for PW7, LAU for PAU, AXR for PXR, KAR for PAR, NRV for PRV. The other three-character codes in the same block are interior trim, wheel and option codes, not paint — and the 17-character string above them is the VIN, not a colour code.
- Open the driver's door and find the white certification label on the door shut face, the flat surface the door closes against. It carries the VIN, GVWR and GAWR figures, and a barcode.
- Read the block of three-character codes below the barcode and find the one preceded by PNT. That is the paint code. The codes beside it are trim, wheel and option codes.
- If there is no PNT row, look for a second label at the front of the radiator on the passenger side, then the firewall and inner fender. On older full-size pickups, also check the body code plate on the floor pan behind the passenger seat.
- Write down all three characters including the leading P — PW7, not W7. If the truck is two-tone, note the second colour code as well, and note which panel you are repairing.
- If the label is missing or unreadable, give a Ram dealer your VIN. They can read the paint code off the factory build record, which the VIN itself does not contain.
- Verify the code against its colour name in FCA's Mopar touch-up paint guide or a refinish supplier's chart before buying. PXR, PXJ and PX8 are three different blacks, and a one-character misread sends you the wrong paint.
Common Ram paint codes
| Code | Ram colour name | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| PW7 | Bright White | Paint code GW7. Listed in every year section of FCA's Mopar touch-up guide from 2004 through 2022; the most common Ram colour. |
| PX8 | Black (Gloss/Pitch Black Clear Coat) | Paint code DX8. 2004-2022. Solid black, not the same paint as the pearl blacks PXR and PXJ. |
| PXR | Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl | Paint code AXR. In Mopar truck listings 2004-2022; also one of Ram's four two-tone accent colours. |
| PXJ | Diamond Black Crystal Pearl | Paint code KXJ. First appears in the Mopar guide for 2017 and runs through 2022. |
| PAU | Granite Crystal Metallic Pearl | Paint code LAU. 2013-2022. |
| PAR | Maximum Steel Metallic | Paint code KAR. 2012-2022. |
| PS2 | Bright Silver Metallic | Paint code WS2. 2004-2022, and one of the four accent colours Ram offers on two-tone trucks. |
| PR4 | Flame Red | One of the few colours where the sales code and paint code are the same three characters. In Ram truck sections 2004-2022. |
| PRV | Velvet Red Pearl | Paint code NRV. 2016-2022 on trucks. Ram marketing calls it Delmonico Red Pearl; AutomotiveTouchup cross-references Passion, Delmonico and Velvet Red to this code. |
| PPX | Patriot Blue Pearl | Paint code RPX. Appears in Mopar's 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2022 sections. |
| PUW | Walnut Brown Metallic | Paint code RUW. 2017-2022, and one of Ram's four two-tone accent colours. |
| PGW | Timberline Green Pearl | Paint code AGW. Listed for Ram in Sherwin-Williams' 2018 guide and in Mopar's 2021-2022 sections. |
This list is not every colour Ram 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. Decoding a 2020 Ram 1500 VIN through NHTSA's public vPIC API (vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov) returns 154 fields — make, model, series, plant, engine, safety systems — and none of them is a colour or paint field. Any service that returns a paint code from a VIN is reading a manufacturer build record or inferring from the model.
- FCA publishes two codes for every colour. The 2022 Mopar Touch-Up Paint Application Guide prints them in adjacent columns headed PAINT CODE and SALES CODE — GW7/PW7 Bright White, LAU/PAU Granite Crystal Met, AXR/PXR Brilliant Black Crystal, NRV/PRV Velvet Red. The door jamb prints the sales code; the last two characters are the same in both.
- Ram's two-tone accent colours are documented separately. Sherwin-Williams' 2018 Chrysler / Jeep / Dodge / Ram Color Compatibility Guide lists the same four accents against every Ram body colour: AXR Brilliant Black Pearl, HWL White Gold Metallic, RUW Walnut Brown Metallic and WS2 Bright Silver Metallic.
- The label prints the code but never the finish. Mopar's guide marks finish next to the colour name — C/C for clear coat, P/C for pearl coat — and carries separate tri-coat entries such as PWH Pearl White Tri-Coat, so check the code against a chart before assuming a single-stage touch-up will match.
- Sources disagree on when the code moved to the door. PaintScratch describes older Dodge codes on top of the radiator support and later models on the driver's door jamb; AutomotiveTouchup gives the driver-door certification label as primary while listing 'in front of radiator, passenger side' for Ram trucks. Neither names a changeover year, so check both places.
Ram and refinish sources
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- 2022 Mopar Touch-Up Paint Application Guide (PDF)FCA US LLC (Mopar)
- 2018 Chrysler / Jeep / Dodge / Ram Color Compatibility Guide (PDF)Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes
- How to Find Dodge Paint CodesAutomotiveTouchup
- 2019 Dodge Ram Series touch-up paint - paint code locationPaintScratch
- vPIC VIN decoding API (returns no colour field)NHTSA
Ram paint code questions
Can I find my Ram's paint code from the VIN?
No. The 17-character VIN does not encode paint colour. Decode a 2020 Ram 1500 VIN through NHTSA's free vPIC service and you get 154 fields — make, model, plant, engine, restraint systems — and not one of them is colour. Sites advertising a paint code from a VIN are either querying a manufacturer build record behind the scenes or guessing from the model. A Ram dealer can read that build record; the VIN alone cannot.
Where is the paint code on a Ram 1500?
On the driver-side door jamb, on the white certification label attached to the door shut face. Below the VIN barcode there is a block of three-character codes, and the paint code follows PNT. If your label has no PNT row, check for a label at the front of the radiator on the passenger side, then the firewall and the inner fender.
What does PNT mean on the door jamb sticker?
PNT is the field label for paint. The three characters printed after it are the factory colour — PW7 for Bright White, PAU for Granite Crystal Metallic Pearl. The other three-character codes in the same block cover interior trim, wheels and options, which is what people usually copy down by mistake. Read only the code directly after PNT.
My Ram's door label has no paint code. Where else should I look?
Check the front of the radiator on the passenger side first. AutomotiveTouchup lists that spot as the Ram truck alternate, and PaintScratch says older Dodge and Ram trucks carried the code on top of the radiator support, often buried under grease. Also check the firewall and the inner fender. If nothing turns up, a Ram dealer can pull the code from the factory build record using your VIN.
Why do I see two codes for one colour, like PW7 and GW7?
They are the same colour written two ways. FCA's own touch-up guide prints a sales code and a paint code side by side: PW7/GW7 Bright White, PAU/LAU Granite Crystal, PXR/AXR Brilliant Black Crystal, PRV/NRV Velvet Red. The door label shows the P-prefixed sales code; refinish suppliers often index the colour under the paint code. The last two characters always match, so either one identifies the colour.
How does a two-tone Ram show up on the label?
A two-tone Ram carries a second colour with its own code. Sherwin-Williams' 2018 Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge/Ram guide lists four accent colours offered against every Ram body colour: AXR Brilliant Black Pearl, HWL White Gold Metallic, RUW Walnut Brown Metallic and WS2 Bright Silver Metallic. Note which panel you are repairing, because the upper body and the lower two-tone section are different paints with different codes.
Is PXR the same as PXJ?
No. PXR is Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl, PXJ is Diamond Black Crystal Pearl, and PX8 is plain black clear coat. All three appear on Ram trucks and all three read as black in daylight. Copy every character off the label rather than matching by eye, and check the code against the colour name in a supplier chart before ordering paint.
Will the paint code guarantee a match?
The code identifies the paint the factory sprayed, not the paint on the truck today. A ten-year-old red, or a hood that has sat in the sun, has drifted from the factory formula. Pearl and tri-coat colours also need their mid-coat sprayed to match, which a single touch-up pen cannot do. Body shops handle this with a spray-out card. For a small chip, the code is usually close enough.