Are there different shades of the same paint colour?

I ordered a spray touch-up paint (and primer) for my wife's Kia Picanto from an online supplier called Autopaint St Helens. The door plate gives the colour as KCS, which is called 'Sparkling Silver'. Having followed the instructions, after 3 coats of topcoat the colour does not match well and is more blue in tone. The car has not faded, as we are both long retired, and it is always kept in our garage when not in use.

I emailed the company with a photo and asked for advice. They replied that there are 3 shades of this colour (seems bizarre to me) and they sent the "standard" one as advised on their website. Their ordering system does not say when there are different shades, nor do they provide a box to enter a shade.

I then asked how I could find out what 'shade' to ask for - did they need the reg no, the VIN, or a photo of the body plates? Their answer is that they do not know the shade, but that they would provide the right one if we send the fuel filler flap to them.

Meanwhile, my wife asked our local main dealer, whose staff know nothing of shades - simply that the colour is KCS Sparkling Silver. I also emailed another online paint supplier (PaintNuts) who tell me that they will guarantee to supply the correct matching colour if I quote the registration number in the order.

Are there different "shades" of car paint within a single paint code?

Asked on 15 August 2025 by James Turpy

Answered by David Ross

Generally speaking a paint code should represent the same shade, and should result in a paint match that is at least close if not perfect. However, achieving a perfect match is a difficult process - some specialists will ask for a vehicle registration or VIN instead of or as well as a paint code in order to allow for changes in the paint made by the manufacturer. It may also rely on the paint supplier mixing the colour to the correct specification, and even though your vehicle has been garaged the paint will still have faded to some degree - if the car were being repainted by a bodyshop they would still need to blend the new paint into the old in order to achieve a good finish. As much as suppliers will match a colour to the best of their abilities it cannot account for the minute variations in customer's vehicles.

Tags: bodywork paint codes

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