1972 Chevelle Exterior Paint Codes - (Canada Paint Chart)

[ 1964 ] | [ 1965 ] | [ 1966 ] | [ 1967 ] | [ 1968 ] | [ 1969 ] | [ 1970 ] | [ 1971 ] | [ 1972 ]

It should be noted up front that there are no known numbers for any particular color whether it be a solid color or two tone. There are also no known numbers for the different colors of convertible or vinyl tops. So just how many red Malibus (or any other color, series, or body style) were built is not known and cannot even be calculated.

1972 COLORS
(9xx RPO)

PAINT CODE / SALES NAME *
Color
LUCITE RINSHED-MASON DITZLER
(904) 11 ~ Antique White - El Camino - Monte Carlo
White
5338L A-2080 2058
(924) 14 ~ Pewter Silver - El Camino - Monte Carlo
Silver
5624L A-2521 2429
(907) 24 ~ Ascot Blue - El Camino - Monte Carlo
(unk)
5270L A-2439 2328
(976) 26 ~ Mulsanne Blue - El Camino - Monte Carlo
(unk)
5327L A-2482 2213
(941) 36 ~ Spring Green - El Camino - Monte Carlo
(unk)
5436L A-2546D 2433
(928) 43 ~ Gulf Green - El Camino - Monte Carlo
(unk)
5428L A-2548 2435
(929) 48 ~ Sequoia Green - El Camino - Monte Carlo
(unk)
5429L A-2552 2439
(930) 50 ~ Covert Tan - El Camino - Monte Carlo
Light Covert
5431L A-2554 2441
(925) 53 ~ Placer Gold - El Camino - Monte Carlo
(unk)
5280L A-2449F 2339
(936) 56 ~ Cream Yellow - El Camino - Monte Carlo
Yellow
5443L A-2558G 2444
(932) 57 ~ Golden Brown - El Camino - Monte Carlo
Dark Covert
5439L A-2559 2445
(933) 63 ~ Mohave Gold - El Camino - Monte Carlo
(unk)
5434L A-2562D 2448
(938) 65 ~ Orange Flame - El Camino - Monte Carlo
(unk)
5435L A-2565 2450
(935) 68 ~ Midnight Bronze - El Camino - Monte Carlo
(unk)
5340L A-2565 2451
(917) 75 ~ Cranberry Red - El Camino - Monte Carlo
Red
5339L A-2278F 2189

Notes:

The lower body panel on El Camino for Argent Silver is DuPont 9296L or Ditzler (PPG) color number is DQE-8568.


"Carolina Blue"




Black was a special order color for 1972

Courtesy Chris Clark
Courtesy Chris Clark
Courtesy Chris Clark
Special order Van Nuys, paint code WA5896. This WA5896 code is also shown on the trim tag.


Special Paint (RPO ZP3) was coded differently from different plants. As seen here, this Kansas City example put two dashes ( - - ) on the trim tag itself where other plants may have simply left the paint code area blank. If you have a special paint ordered Chevelle, please let us know where the car was built and what the trim tag indicates.


Another oddity paint code is from a 1972 Nomad station wagon, 926-BN618 - some shade of orange from a California state vehicle.

It should be noted that various OEM paint suppliers may have supplied additional colors for other GM division makes (Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac for example) and if a particular plant assembled that other make, a color not available on Chevelles would be readily available. A "Special Paint" optioned Chevelle trim tag may have a dash character, a blank space, the DuPont mixing formula, or even the paint code for the non-Chevelle make on the trim tag. It might depend on the standard operating procedure for a given plant on how the paint code on the trim tag was handled. For example, DuPont offered Tuxedo Black (paint code 19) for Buick and Corvette but not Chevelle.

See my GM A-Body Special Paint Information page for more information on special paint colors.

Two-Tone
Lower Upper  
(unk) * 26/11 ~ Mulsanne Blue / Antique White
(unk) * 43/11 ~ Gulf Green / Antique White
(961) 48/11 ~ Sequoia Green / Antique White
(unk) * 57/11 ~ Golden Brown / Antique White
(unk) * 63/11 ~ Mohave Gold / Antique White
(unk) * 65/11 ~ Orange Flame / Antique White
Found on Oshawa Chevelle
(unk) * Trim Tag 75/11 - Cranberry Red / Antique White

Unique combinations found on El Caminos. Note that even though the second color code is normally the "upper" color, the body is the second color code with the first color code being the top and lower sill panel.
(unk) *   26/11 ~ Mulsanne Blue / Antique White
(unk) *   48/11 ~ Sequoia Green / Antique White (1)
(unk) *   53/11 ~ Placer Gold / Antique White (2)
(unk) *   57/53 ~ Golden Brown / Placer Gold
(967) 63/11 ~ Mohave Gold / Antique White
(unk) * 75/11 ~ Cranberry Red / Antique White

(1) Unknown if this combination is legitimate on the El Camino or not.

(2) Placer Gold/Antique White is not shown in the 1972 Chevelle color chart (that I could find), but it has been found on a 1972 El Camino trim tag.

It should be noted the double-letter codes below are ordering codes. Where applicable on the Fisher Body number plate a single letter is used.

COLOR

CONVERTIBLE TOP CODE ~ COLOR

A ~ White (Std. C05AA)
 
B ~ Black (RPO C05BB)

COLOR

VINYL TOP CODE ~ COLOR
 
A ~ White (RPO C08AA)
 
B ~ Black (RPO C08BB)
 
D ~ Blue (RPO C08DD)
 
F ~ Medium Tan (RPO C08FF)


G ~ Medium Green (RPO C08GG)
 
T ~ Light Covert (RPO C08TT)


GM of Canada Paint Code Chart

General Motors of Canada, LTD. offered many of the same colors as their U.S. counterpart. Although these colors are listed as 1972 General Motors Passenger Colors - Canadian & U.S. Production on the paint code charts, it's unknown if these additional colors were available on Chevelles as well. Several Canadian colors were identical to U.S. colors, only the sales names were a bit different.

75-11

1972 Canadian Color Chart
1972 Canadian Color Chart
1972 Canadian Color Chart


Color vs. Sales Name

Paint color names often differ from the advertised Sales Name. One example might be where the factory paint color is simply RED but the sales name may be BOLERO RED or CRANBERRY RED. Yes, the paint mixing formulas are different between BOLERO RED and CRANBERRY RED but to the factory it was still just red. In a case where their may be two or more hues of a color with sales names such as DEEPWATER BLUE, NANTUCKET BLUE, and MARINA BLUE, the factory colors are simply shown as MEDIUM BLUE, DARK BLUE, or BRIGHT BLUE. A given paint color for a year may have a different sales name for Chevrolet than it does for say Buick, Oldsmobile, or Pontiac. An example of this is the 1969 sales name for Chevrolet of HUGGER/MONACO ORANGE is the same color as the 1969/1970 Pontiac sales name of CAROUSEL RED. Same color, same OEM supplier mixing formula, just different sales names for the two GM divisions.

Note: It's known that Baltimore, Kansas City, and Van Nuys build sheets do not list the color name, only the paint code. Arlington build sheets do list the color name in the last column of the lower box #107 along with the paint code(s) in box #79. Anyone with a 1972 Arlington build sheet of their car showing a color that's not listed above, please email me with the paint code(s) in box #79 and the color shown in box #107 to help fill in the blanks.

* I'm looking for 3-digit paint code number typically found on the window sticker for 1972 Chevelles. Depending on the final assembly plant it may be coded something like 6 976 26-26 Mulsanne Blue or maybe something like 976 26-26 Mulsanne Blue; it's the "976" number I'm looking for like shown for Mulsanne Blue above.