Re-reading Don Hayter's 'MGB Story' I have come across several amusing snippets involving the development of the MGB, and one concerns dip-priming the body. Originally ICI suggested a tank which dipped the body up to bulkhead level, and the panels above that would be hand-sprayed. However that left a line on the bonnet which had to be hand feathered. So ICI suggested a deeper tank which would take the whole body. He writes "Paint representatives and management gathered to watch the first body through the revised process. It came down into the primer but, due to the trapped air in the upper panels, floated off the mechanical line hooks, which moved on alone, leaving the body to slowly and gracefully sink to the bottom of the vat. Not much was said and we all left, leaving Bill Bailly and the Planning Department with a difficult submarine recovery operation ...".

I am very grateful to Craig Quenneville for taking the trouble to scan and mail me a set of original paint chip charts. You must bear in mind that these are scans of period documents, displayed on your monitor, and both the scanning and display is subject to electronic 'interpretation'. The relationship between the colours should, in theory, still be relevant but maybe some of the chips themselves have changed colour over the years because although most are as I remember them some are less so. Full details of the colours, BL and manufacturers codes, and years and models used are below. For the scans of his original DuPont (Canada) documents click here.

See also:

Clausager is very sniffy in his 'Original' book about people wanting to know how many were made in each colour, suggesting that if anyone wants to know they should go and count them themselves! The V8 Register seems to have done just that, for V8 models at least, and the results can be seen here.

The paint manufacturers colour codes are taken from Clausager's 'Original MGB'. He states that where manufacturers show more than one code against a colour, MGB records do not contain any information as to show when or where each shade was used. Dates available are model years except where specified.

The original paint colour can sometimes be seen behind the dash and centre-console, less so in the engine compartment and even less externally unless only very quick paint jobs have been done - or perhaps none at all! Only 1980 models have the paint code on the VIN plate in line with modern practice, other than that the only source of the original colour name will be on the Heritage Certificate.

August 2019: I've seen references to 'RAL' paint codes, which is a coding system described thus: "RAL colors are used for information defining standard colors for varnish, powder coating and plastics. It is the most popular Central European color standard used today. The colors are used in architecture, construction, industry and road safety. The RAL colors in this chart have been matched as closely as possible." My emphasis, and another site uses the phrase "RAL colour closest to this." for a typical MGB colour. Doesn't fill one with confidence. Some one asked about Teal Blue, and a couple of charts say that is 5018, but show a swatch that is more like Aqua than Teal Blue.

Warning! MGB Tahiti Blue is a much lighter shade than that used on the MGF/TF which uses the code JRJ. The same may apply to Flame Red (modern code COF), British Racing Green (HAF or HFF), Old English White (NNX) and Brooklands Green (HYF) with the MGF/TF colours being in metallic and pearlescent as well as 'solid'. Suppliers seem to use the standard 3-letter codes for modern cars but for 'classics' some use the BMC/BL codes in the table below but others don't, hence it's easy to get the wrong colour.

Colour name		BMC/BL code	Ault & Wibourg/ Berger/ Gipgloss	ICI	PPG/ Ditzler (US)	Dupont (US)	Glasso/ Rinshead Mason (US)
Black 1962-80. Special order only from 1970. Not available in North America in 77. Sole colour for North American 79-80 LE		BK1 BLVC 90 PMA*		KE 47	9000	99	946
Brown/beige colours
Antelope (beige) 1970 GT only		BLVC 7	28040	7984	32890	8578	6648
Bedouin (beige) 1971		BLVC 4	28664	7855	23581		6655
Bracken (brown/orange) 1974-Feb 76		BLVC 93	30096	9247	60760	43275	6672
Bronze Metallic 1980 home market Roadster LE		BLVC 370 BMC*	34824M 35269M	6759M
Golden Beige Metallic 1968 MGC GT standard roadster optional 1968 MGB GT optional		BG. 19	26930M	3006M 2496M	22847	8178	6635
Mustard Experimentally on a few GTs at the end of 1971		n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Russet Brown 1978-80		BLVC 205 AAE*	31072 32592 33669	DD 51	24378	44848	9251
Sandglow (beige/gold) Jan 76-77		BLVC 63	31030	8651 GC 20	24300	44565	8844
Sandy Beige 1965-69 GT only		BG. 15	23473	6187	22213	8177	6639
Blue colours
Aqua (turquoise) 1972		BLVC 60	28002	7932	14075	8821	6651
Bermuda Blue 1970 GT only		BU. 40	22885	2846	12630	8582	6587 66540
Blue Royale 1970		BU. 38	23322 28603	5186	12635 14475		6588
Iris Blue Roadster 1962-Oct 65		BU. 12	20306	3243	12235 3199	8184	8536
Midnight Blue 1971		BLVC 12	28666	7963	14245	30011	6663
Mineral Blue Oct 65-69		BU. 9	18921	3130	12115 15406	8182	6600
Mirage (mauve) 1974 to Dec 74		BLVC 11	30097	7960	33135	43277	6668
Pageant Blue 1978-80		BLVC 224 JNA*	31913	FC 58	15231	45473AH	9733D
Rivieria Silver Blue Metallic 1968 MGC GT standard, roadster optional, 1968 MGB GT optional		BU. 47	26544M	3005M
Teal Blue 1971-Feb75		BLVC 18	28667	7918	14244	30006	6656
Tahiti Blue Feb 1975-77		BLVC 65	30788 31692	AF 45	14866 15096	43907	6674
Green colours
Brooklands Green Jan 76-80		BLVC 169 HMM*	30683	4498 FM45 FD 68	45190	44630	8848
Green Mallard 1971 (a few cars only) -73		BLVC 22	28895	7925	44638	30014	66610
Limeflower 1973		BLVC 20	28668	7968(?)	44448	30010	6658
British Racing Green Dec 62-Aug 63		GN. 25	21677	8120	43342	8193	6607
Dark British Racing Green Aug 63-70		GN. 29	24499	9767	46446	8194	6606
New Racing Green 1971 1975 Jubilee models one 75 V8		BLVC 25	28670	7985	44446	30012	6659
Tundra (olive drab) 1974-Feb 76		BLVC 94	30094 32045 32777	9424	44978	43278	6670
Grey colours
Chelsea Grey 1962-Aug 65		GR. 15	17581	2750	31733	8198	6669
Grampian Grey 1965-69 GT only		GR. 12	21175	7087	31934		6575
Pewter Metallic 1980 home market GT LE		BLVC 377 MMD*	35700M 34836M	6766M
Red colours
Aconite (purple) 1974-Feb75		BLVC 95	30095	9425	14728	43274	6673
Black Tulip (purple) 1973		BLVC 23	28058	7970	14417	30015	9406
Blaze (orange) 1971-Feb 75		BLVC 16	28665 30545	7864	60637	30007	6654
Damask Red 1973-Feb 77		BLVC 99 (RD. 5?)	20921 30488	4808	72261 71064	8819	66228
Carmine Red Feb 1977-80		BLVC 209 CAA*	29355	9236 FD 32 EE 80	72065	43019	8325R
Flame Red 1970-72		BLVC 61	28126 29787	3442	71861	8571	6652R
Flamenco (orange red) Feb 1975-77		BLVC 133	30789 32137 32635	9718 DA 63 DA 90	72144	43661	6675
Tartan Red 1962-69		RD. 9	20817 32046	3770	71062 71416	8204	8534R
Vermillion (orange red) 1978-80		BLVC 118 CML*	32781	FC 57 GE 40	60932	45471	9732R
White colours
Glacier White 1970-77 (alternatively Triumph White in 77)		BLVC 59	27962 30099	4309	8845 90074	8579	6647
Leyland White (also known as Ermine White or Porcelain White. Triumph White may have been used alternatively) 1978-80		BLVC 243 NMC/NME/ NAF/NCG*	32335 36133	FA 78	90106	H7896	9734
Old English White 1962-67		WT. 3	32043 24643 18580	2379 2122(/)	8177	8207	6642
Police White		WT. 2 BLVC 1024	24048	HT 49
Snowberry White From start of MGC production and from Jan 1968 for MGB to 1969		WT. 4	19303	3012	8341	8210	6644
T*****h White 1977-80 as an alternative to Glacier White and Leyland White, aka 'New White'		BLVC 206 NAB*	24863 31694(?)	3738	8380	4318	10053
Yellow colours
Bronze Yellow 1970-73		BLVC 15	27944	9785 7861	81827	8581	6649
Chartreuse Jan 76-77		BLVC 167	30645	CH 76	45189	44629	8847
Citron 1974-Feb 76		BLVC 73	30083	8653	44947	43276	6669
Inca Yellow 1978-79		BLVC 207 FAB*	33668 31073 32694	DD50	82309	44880	9252
Pale Primrose Yellow Feb 67-70		YL. 12	26111	3297	81499	8319	6630
Snapdragon 1980		BLVC 235 FMN*	31939	GJ 80	82462	45475	12115
Harvest Gold 1972-Feb 76		BLVC 19	28894	7919	82018	30013	6662

*These three-letter codes were found stamped on the VIN plates of 1980 model year RHD cars.