Solid, metallic, pearl and matte paint: what the difference means for repairs

How each finish is built up, why it matters for matching, and how to tell them apart.

The finish changes how a colour is made and repaired, so it is worth knowing which one your car has.

Solid

Pigment only, no flakes. Easiest to match. Older cars may have single-stage solid paint with no separate clear coat; most newer cars have a clear coat over solid colours too.

Metallic

Fine aluminium flakes in the basecoat reflect light, so the colour looks lighter head-on and darker at an angle. How the flakes lie depends on the spraying, which is why metallic repairs are often blended into the next panel.

Pearl

Mica or similar effect pigments add a shift in colour with the viewing angle. Many pearl whites and reds are tri-coat: base, a translucent pearl mid-coat and clear. Match the number of mid-coat layers on a test card first.

Matte

A clear coat that scatters light. It cannot be polished; repairs usually mean repainting the whole panel.

How to tell

Look at the paint in sunlight from close up: sparkle means metallic, a colour shift means pearl, no reflection means matte. Names often help too: "met." or "metallic", "pearl", "mica", "crystal", "matt".