Why two paint codes?

[visualpoet]

Does anyone know why so many of the paint colors for our car are two different codes? What does the "-3" designate, and how much difference is there between the two? I would obviously use the code to match the sticker in my door jamb, but it made me curious.

Color Code Color Description

B45P Madison Blue Pearl

B54P Cobalt Blue Prl
B54P-3 Cobalt Blue Prl

B56M-3 Saxony Blue Met.

B58M Concord Blue Met.
B58M-3 Concord Blue Met.

BG23M Brittany Bl-Grn Met.
BG23M-3 Brittany Bl-Grn Met.

BG26M Hampshire Green Met.
BG26M-3 Hampshire Green Met.

NH503P Granada Black Prl
NH503P-3 Granada Black Prl

NH531M Charcoal Granite Met
NH531M-3 Charcoal Granite Met

NH536M Solaris Silver Met.
NH536M-3 Solaris Silver Met.

NH537M Pewter Gray Met.
NH537M-3 Pewter Gray Met.

NH538 Frost White
NH538-3 Frost White

R51 Phoenix Red
R51-3 Phoenix Red

R74P Mulberry Red Prl
R74P-3 Mulberry Red Pearl

R78P Bordeaux Red Prl
R78P-3 Bordeaux Red Prl

YR501M Cappucino Brown Met.
YR501M-3 Cappucino Brown Met.

YR94M Seattle Silver Met.
YR94M-3 Seattle Silver Met.

[cb7inct]

im glad you asked this because i would like to know also!

[mj213]

I think the 3 designates the factory. I'm not positive.

[CB7 Sleeper]

I HAD THE EXACT SAME QUESTION!

Wow, somebody please clear this up.

[casterX]

with cobalt blue.. quite sure -3 had a 1HG vin.. anyone with a different color confirm this..?

http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=78048

[visualpoet]

Ok, everybody check their color codes and vins, we'll start a tally of JHM vs 1HG. I'm fairly sure mine says -3 and I know it's 1HG, but I'll double check tomorrow.

[lilb_1979]

Ok, everybody check their color codes and vins, we'll start a tally of JHM vs 1HG. I'm fairly sure mine says -3 and I know it's 1HG, but I'll double check tomorrow.

I will go out there tomorrow, I don't wanna go out in the cold and rain right now.

[wherm]

I'm gonna say that it determines where the car was painted, and is there because aftermarket paint companies like PPG, DuPont, Sikkens, etc. will have a different formula for each one due to variances between the colors at their respective locations.

Subaru did this with their paint codes, it determined whether it was painted in Japan or the US.

[4CYLPOWER92]

My color isn't listed, or I would tell you.

[visualpoet]

I'm gonna say that it determines where the car was painted, and is there because aftermarket paint companies like PPG, DuPont, Sikkens, etc. will have a different formula for each one due to variances between the colors at their respective locations.

Subaru did this with their paint codes, it determined whether it was painted in Japan or the US.

I doubt there'd be that much difference in the paint. The formula should be identical between plants, or you'd run into batch differences at each plant as well, which would mean my cappucino would be a different shade than one that came off the line a week later from the same plant and both different than one the next week. I'm thinking it's Japanese built vs. US built.

[MikeW]

I wouldnt. I bet Japanese paint is different that US paint. Chemically anyway. But i dont see how why that would matter. If you're having the car re-painted, who cares what the last color was. Unless the Japanese paint has certain chemicals that have to removed a certain way, in case of re-paint.

[KeeleDesign]

actually wherm is right, down to the T

The dash tells automotive paint companies the difference in variences that the paint has, as they didn't clean their previous paint vats out before adding the new color, which changes the color.

sometimes making it lighter, darker, corser, finer, reder bluer, greener, a backwards flop, etc..... it goes on and on.

the 11'th digit in your vin will also give a better alternate than the dash in your jam.
it's as easy as that.


the better the paint company the more variences of the original color they will carry.

[visualpoet]

actually wherm is right, down to the T

The dash tells automotive paint companies the difference in variences that the paint has, as they didn't clean their previous paint vats out before adding the new color, which changes the color.

sometimes making it lighter, darker, corser, finer, reder bluer, greener, a backwards flop, etc..... it goes on and on.

the 11'th digit in your vin will also give a better alternate than the dash in your jam.
it's as easy as that.


the better the paint company the more variences of the original color they will carry.

I understand about batch codes for pigment colors, I did graphic design in a print shop for years, so I understand there will be variances, but Honda only supplies at most, two for our car's colors. the color, and the hyphen color. A few of the colors only have one code. By your and wherms thinking, there should be at least dozens of variations that need to be accounted for and aren't.
I would expect that the better the paint company, the less variances they would have for a single color name. (since there is a recipe for the color. some differences will occur because of flake density, method and direction of application, etc, but they should be infinitessimal and almost infinite differences between batches) At which point does it stop becoming a variance and become another color?

[KeeleDesign]

incorrect.
the better the paint company the more variences of each color they will have.
Thus keeping an inexperienced so called wanabe painter,from complaining when they need to tint on a color and don't have a clue as to how,because they were never taught by traind technicians.

Automotive paint is much more different than any other paint substance. the binders hardeners and solvents all need to work co-dependant of one another to properly react.

It becomes another color when they change out their vats with a new forumla with another color.

GM has many colors that i have over 16 different alternate color chips of the exzact same color.,, is this overdone? absolutely not, when you constantly have cars that have all faded differently from the factory, or painted differently from the factory every varient you can look at before you decide which is right to mix your paint is key. even if none of them match perfect, their will be at least one that should be blendable...

Your trying to overcomplicate an easy answer to a question that is in no manner a hard answer,which many reliable technicians who do this for a living have givin you.

[KeeleDesign]

as for automotive paints, the chemicals are the same, and our government is really cracking down on the voc's that are being put out everywhere, just last month i had to be certified through our state by the epa , otherwise it is illegal for anyone who is not certified through them to spray any solvant based product, starting in the year 2011.

most all our paint like spies hecker or autocolor all comes from germany anyways,