Original Factory Colors

Classic Volkswagen Beetle Paint Colors & Factory Codes (1949–1979)

Every original factory paint color offered on the classic Volkswagen Beetle (1949–1979), with official manufacturer paint codes, hex approximations, and rarity notes. Use the paint code to order a color-matched sample from a restoration supplier.

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1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979

Colors by Family

beige black blue gray green orange red silver teal white yellow

For most of its first two decades the air-cooled Volkswagen Beetle wore a famously restrained palette. Through the 1950s the factory leaned on black, off-whites like Pearl White, muted greys such as Jupiter Grey, and a handful of subdued greens, blues and reds. Volkswagen catalogued every shade with an L-code — a short factory paint number stamped on the car (for example L41 Black or L87 Pearl White) — and the same marketing name could be reassigned a different L-code from one model year to the next, so the code, not the name, is what truly identifies a color.

The mood changed sharply in the 1970s. As the Beetle fought to stay current, VW flooded the range with brighter, more playful colors: the airy Marina Blue, the mustard-toned Texas Yellow, the warm sand of Kansas Beige, plus vivid oranges and reds like Brilliant Orange and Phoenix Red. By the final US years the survivors were cooler tones such as Diamond Silver and Ancona Blue. When restoring, always confirm a color against its L-code rather than the name alone.

Sources:
thesamba.com (air-cooled VW paint codes by year)
cricketseed.com

★ Rare / Desirable Colors

★ Rare

Ivory

L60

#d7d6c4

1949–1952

An early cream tone seen only on the first split-window cars.

★ Rare

Iceland Green

L213

#4d5637

1954–1955

A dark olive green offered only briefly mid-decade.

★ Rare

Horizon Blue

L331

#738894

1956–1957

A soft grey-blue offered for two model years.

★ Rare

Ravenna Green

L65K

#abd83c

1973–1974

A vivid lime green offered only briefly.

Standard Colors

Black

L41

#000000

1950–1979

The default and longest-running Beetle color, offered in some form across virtually the entire air-cooled production run.

Pearl White

L87

#cfc8b9

1950–1966

A warm off-white that anchored VW's restrained early palette through the mid-1960s.

Poppy Red

L54

#bf2d27

1951–1970

A bright red offered intermittently across two decades.

Medium Blue

L37

#1b1e42

1951–1955

A deep navy from the early 1950s.

Jupiter Grey

L225

#484d52

1953–1961

A muted slate grey that ran through much of the 1950s.

Strato Silver

L227

#556474

1954–1956

A blue-grey metallic-leaning tone of the mid-1950s.

Coral Red

L351

#8b4a3e

1956–1958

A muted terracotta red of the late 1950s.

Turquoise Green

L380

#618a7e

1961–1963

A green-leaning turquoise from the early 1960s.

Gulf Blue

L390

#466274

1961–1963

A medium steel blue of the early 1960s.

Ruby Red

L456

#862c29

1961–1966

A deep red offered through the mid-1960s.

Java Green

L518

#2b4649

1964–1967

A very dark blue-green of the mid-1960s.

Sea Blue

L360

#36586f

1964–1966

A medium marine blue of the mid-1960s.

Fontana Grey

L595

#b5b6ac

1965–1967

A light warm grey of the mid-1960s.

VW Blue

L633

#36586f

1967–1968

A mid-blue offered for the 1967-68 model years; hex approximate.

Savanna Beige

L620

#c8ba97

1967–1970

A sandy beige of the late 1960s.

Lotus White

L282

#f3eacd

1967–1968

A creamy white offered in the late 1960s.

Clementine Orange

L20D

#ab3a29

1970–1971

An early entry in VW's brighter 1970s palette.

Elm Green

L60D

#3a4e3a

1970–1971

A dark forest green from the early 1970s.

Pastel White

L90D

#f4f1d6

1970–1973

The standard white of the early 1970s.

Marina Blue

L54D

#7f9fb2

1971–1974

A light, airy blue typical of the bright early-1970s range.

Kansas Beige

L91D

#c8ba97

1971–1973

A warm sand beige of the early 1970s.

Texas Yellow

L10B

#c1a749

1972–1973

A mustard-leaning yellow of the early 1970s.

Brilliant Orange

L20B

#ce492b

1972–1974

A vivid orange of the early-to-mid 1970s.

Kasan Red

L30B

#b62c21

1972–1973

A bright red of the early 1970s.

Marathon Blue

L96M

#8498ab

1973–1976

A muted mid-blue of the mid-1970s.

Phoenix Red

L32K

#f92420

1973–1975

A brilliant fire-engine red of the mid-1970s.

Rallye Yellow

L10A

#f7c841

1974–1976

A bright golden yellow of the mid-1970s.

Light Ivory

L80E

#fef6de

1973–1976

A pale ivory of the mid-1970s.

Diamond Silver

L97A

#afb8c4

1974–1979

A cool silver metallic that ran to the end of US Beetle sales.

Ancona Blue

L97B

#364e81

1975–1978

A rich royal blue of the late 1970s.

Mars Red

L31B

#b22e20

1977–1979

A deep red of the final air-cooled years.

Alpine White

L90E

#f5eedf

1977–1979

The standard white at the close of US Beetle production.

🔧 Restoration Tips: Finding & Matching Your Original Color

• Find the M-plate (vehicle data sticker) to confirm the factory color — on Beetles it is typically located inside the front luggage compartment near the spare tire on the gas tank or inner panel, and lists the paint code alongside the chassis number.
• Decode the L-code through TheSamba's year-by-year paint code archive, since the same color name could carry a different L-code from one model year to the next — match the code, not just the name.
• Most air-cooled Beetles left the factory in single-stage enamel rather than modern basecoat/clearcoat; for a period-correct finish use a single-stage system and avoid adding clear over solid colors that never had it.
• Check original-paint reference areas — under trim, inside door jambs, behind the dash and beneath seals — where the factory shade is least faded, to verify the true color before mixing.

About these colors: Color names, factory paint codes, and production years are cross-referenced from established marque references and owner registries. Hex codes are approximate digital representations of factory paint — vintage automotive paint was never defined as a hex value, and original enamel fades over time. True paint colors depend on age, sun exposure, refinishing history, and production batch variation. For an accurate match, always mix by the factory paint code — not by the on-screen swatch — and verify against an original paint chip or a professional color-matched sample before purchasing paint for a restoration.

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