Japanese import paint code: where to find it, and what it can't tell you

On a Japanese car, the paint code is on a plate or a label on the car itself. It isn't on the Japanese papers. The code tells you the colour the car was built in. It doesn't tell you whether the paint you're looking at is still that colour, or still the original paint.

Where the paint code is on a Japanese car

Japan's shaken certificate doesn't help here. The transport ministry lists what's printed on the certificate: the chassis number, the model code, the engine model, the body type and more. Colour isn't one of them. So the code has to come from the car.

Where it is depends on the maker and the model:

• Toyota. The model plate has a box marked COLOR. On our own car, a Toyota Prius α, it reads 1G3. Toyota Japan's colour chart for the Prius α (the Welcab version) lists 1G3 as Grey Metallic, so the plate and the maker's chart agree. You can see the plate and what its other boxes mean on our page about Japan car history checks.
• Nissan. Nissan Japan has a page for each model saying where the chassis number and the model number plate are. On the R35 GT-R, for example, the model number plate is under a cover next to the brake fluid reservoir, on the driver's side of the engine bay. Those pages don't say which plate or label carries the colour code, so ask the seller for photos of the plate and of any colour label they can find.
• Honda. Honda Japan lists each model's colour names and colour codes, and says the car has a label showing its colour code. Honda codes look like NH-883P (Platinum White Pearl on the N-ONE).

We don't give one location that works for every car, because there isn't one. The plate or label moves with the maker, the model and the year. The maker's own page for that model is the safest guide.

What the paint code can't tell you

• Whether the panels are still the original paint. The code is the factory colour. A door or a bumper that's been repainted carries the same code, because the plate doesn't change. Our page on how to tell if a car has been repainted covers what to look for.
• Whether the colour has faded. Sun and age change paint. The code stays the same.
• Whether a part-repaint will match. In my experience, on a red or white car, a panel repainted on its own stands out even with the same code. It makes you want to repaint the whole car. Honestly, though, as long as there's no rust, I don't mind much.
• What the car looks like in the photos. Light, the camera and the screen all change how a colour looks. A listing photo isn't a colour sample.
• The name you'll find at home. Toyota Japan calls 1G3 Grey Metallic. A paint supplier outside Japan may use another name for it. Go by the code, not the name, and check it with the supplier.

If the code on the plate doesn't match the paint you see, ask the seller why. If it does match but you'd like the paint looked at in daylight, panel by panel, send us the listing. We'll tell you what can be judged at the dealer and what can't.

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How to find it from abroad

1. Ask the seller for a photo of the model plate or colour label, close enough to read. Ask them to cover the end of the chassis number if it's on the same plate.
2. Toyota: read the COLOR box. Then look the code up in Toyota's colour chart for that model, if you can find one.
3. Nissan: look up the model on Nissan Japan's FAQ to see where the model number plate is, tell the seller where to look, and ask for any colour label as well.
4. Honda: look up the model on Honda Japan's FAQ for its colour names and codes, then ask the seller for the label.
5. Compare the code with the paint in the photos. If the colour looks completely different, the car may have been resprayed a new colour. Ask.
6. If you'll need touch-up paint later, give the supplier the code, not the colour name.

Written by Yoshiaki Sagara, a paintless dent repair and detailing technician in Japan. He looks at cars for overseas buyers through Ninja Desk Japan. About us

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