Classic Ford F-100 Paint Colors & Factory Codes (1953–1972)
Every original factory paint color offered on the classic Ford F-100 (1953–1972), with official manufacturer paint codes, hex approximations, and rarity notes. Use the paint code to order a color-matched sample from a restoration supplier.
The classic Ford F-100 spanned four distinct styling eras, and its factory paint palette evolved with each one. The slab-sided 1953-1956 trucks of the second generation wore early-1950s names like Sheridan Blue, Vermilion, Meadow Green and Goldenrod Yellow, with paint codes that were single letters reused from year to year. The 1957-1960 era introduced the flat-sided Styleside bed and a brighter palette (Colonial White, Starmist Blue, Inca Gold, Caribbean Turquoise), while the 1961-1966 fourth generation leaned into the turquoise-and-white look of the decade with Caribbean Turquoise, Rangoon Red, Holly Green and the two whites that defined the era, Corinthian White and later Wimbledon White. The final 1967-1972 fifth generation brought richer, more saturated tones such as Boxwood Green, Candyapple Red, Royal Maroon and Harbor Blue, plus metallics like Seapine Green and Sequoia Brown by 1972.
Color choice often tracked how the truck was sold. Fleet and work-truck buyers gravitated to the no-cost, high-visibility staples that Ford carried year after year, most notably Raven Black (code A, offered every single year from 1953 to 1972), Pure White (code C) and Chrome Yellow (code G), which made repainting and fleet matching simple. Retail buyers had access to the fuller seasonal palette and, on many years, factory two-tone schemes that paired a body color with a contrasting roof, cab-back panel or bodyside spear. A frequently requested combination on the late trucks is Boxwood Green over Wimbledon White. Because Ford reused the same code letter for different colors in different years, the build year must always be paired with the code to identify the correct paint. Sources:
cjponyparts.com (year-by-year F-100 paint code charts, 1948-1984, citing Fordification)
fordification.com (the reference authority for 1948-1979 Ford truck paint codes)
★ Rare / Desirable Colors
Standard Colors
🔧 Restoration Tips: Finding & Matching Your Original Color
- • Find the original paint code on the vehicle data plate (the truck's rating/patent plate, usually on the door, glovebox or cowl on 1953-1972 F-100s). The single-letter or single-digit code there is the factory exterior color.
- • Always decode the code against the correct build year. Ford reused the same code letter for different colors across years (for example code B is Sheridan Blue in 1953, Dark Blue in 1957, Caribbean Turquoise in 1960-61, Royal Maroon in 1968 and Wind Blue in 1972), so cross-reference the year-specific chart on Fordification before ordering paint.
- • If the truck was originally a factory two-tone, identify both the body and the secondary (roof/bodyside) color before stripping. Two-tone break lines and the contrast color are easy to lose during bodywork and hard to reconstruct without a reference photo or chart.
- • Check sheltered areas for surviving original paint before refinishing: under the cowl vent, inside door jambs, behind kick panels, under the bed and around the gas filler. These spots give the truest reference for the original shade and sheen, which can fade or yellow on exposed panels.