Door Jamb Sticker Meaning: Reading It Line by Line

Short answer: what people call "the door jamb sticker" is usually two separate labels with two different legal purposes, plus sometimes a third that is not regulated at all. One certifies the vehicle met federal safety standards when built. One carries tire and loading information. The third, where it exists, is the manufacturer's own and often holds paint and trim codes. Knowing which is which tells you immediately whether the number you are hunting is even on this door.

That is the distinction that resolves most searches. Someone looking for a paint code and reading the certification label will conclude their car does not have one, when in fact they are reading the wrong label on the right door.

The two labels are separate because two different rules require them

The certification label exists because of 49 CFR Part 567. It is the manufacturer's formal certification that the vehicle conformed to all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards on the date it was built.

The Tire and Loading Information placard exists because of a different rule, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 110 at 49 CFR 571.110, which applies to vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less. That regulation requires the placard to be affixed near the certification label, which is precisely why they read as one object.

They are not one object. They were written by different sections of the same regulation for different reasons, and they carry different information. If you remember nothing else from this page, remember that there are two.

Reading the certification label

The certification label is the plainer of the two. It typically carries:

• The manufacturer's name and the statement of conformity to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
• The date of manufacture, usually as month and year. This is the vehicle's actual build date, and it is not the same thing as its model year.
• The VIN, repeated here as one of several places the number appears on the vehicle.
• Weight rating information, including the gross vehicle weight rating and axle weight ratings.
• The vehicle type classification, such as passenger car, multipurpose passenger vehicle or truck.

The weight ratings deserve a note. They are load-carrying figures, and load capacity is a subject this site does not cover. If your question is about what your vehicle can carry or tow, this article is not going to answer it and you should not treat any figure on this label as an answer to it without proper guidance on how those ratings interact.

The manufacture date field, and why it matters more than it looks

The date on the certification label is the single most under-used field on the vehicle, because it is the one that explains why your car does not match charts.

Model year is a designation. Build date is a fact. A vehicle designated a given model year was very often built in the previous calendar year, and manufacturers change specifications during a production run without changing the model year on the badge. Parts catalogues frequently split their listings by build date rather than model year for exactly this reason.

When a parts desk asks you for the build date, this is the field they want, and giving it to them is often the difference between the right part and a return. The full consequences: model year vs build date.

The Tire and Loading Information placard

This is the label with tire sizes on it. It is the one people are actually looking for most of the time, and it is a different label from the one above.

It records the tire sizes the vehicle was built with, front, rear and spare, along with inflation and load information. It is a factory record. It describes what the vehicle left the plant wearing, not what is on it today, and on a used vehicle those are frequently different things.

Reading the tire lines properly, and what to do when the placard and the tire on the car disagree: the Tire and Loading Information placard.

The loading half of that placard, the part about what the vehicle can carry, is a different subject with different safety considerations and it is not covered on this site.

Paint code, trim code and axle code: the lines people miss

Here is where the regulated labels stop and the manufacturer's own conventions begin.

Many vehicles carry a third label, commonly called a service parts identification label or similar, that lists paint code, interior trim code, and sometimes axle and transmission codes. It exists because dealers and body shops need it, not because a regulation requires it.

Because it is unregulated, three things follow. Its format varies by manufacturer. Its location varies, and while the door jamb is the most common place, wheel wells, the underside of the trunk lid, the spare wheel well and the glovebox are all used. And on some vehicles it does not exist at all, in which case that information lives in the option code list instead. See reading GM RPO codes for the most structured version of that system.

What the door jamb does not carry

Being clear about the gaps saves a lot of searching:

• No torque specifications. Not wheel torque, not anything else. Those live in service information.
• No fluid capacities or specifications. Those are in the owner's manual, and refrigerant type is on the under-hood label.
• No options list. The door jamb tells you almost nothing about how the vehicle was equipped.
• No engine identification on most vehicles. Check the VIN and the under-hood label instead.

When the two labels disagree with each other

Occasionally the certification label and the loading placard imply different things, most often on a vehicle that has been repaired after a collision or had a door replaced from a donor vehicle.

A replaced door brings its own labels with it. That is the most common explanation by a wide margin, and it means the labels you are reading may describe a different vehicle entirely. The check is straightforward: the VIN on the certification label should match the VIN visible through the windshield and on the vehicle's title. If it does not, stop trusting the label and go to the manufacturer with your actual VIN.

If a label is gone or unreadable rather than wrong, there is a proper recovery route: when the door jamb sticker is missing.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my car have two stickers in the door jamb?

Because two separate federal requirements apply. 49 CFR Part 567 requires the certification label, and FMVSS 110 requires the Tire and Loading Information placard to be placed near it. They carry different information.

Where is the paint code on the door jamb?

On many vehicles it is not on either federal label but on a separate manufacturer label, which may or may not be in the door jamb. Wheel wells, the trunk area and under the hood are all used. If it is not in the door jamb, the vehicle's option code list is the next place to look.

Is the tire size on the door jamb the tire I should buy?

It is the size the vehicle was built with, which is the correct starting point. Whether it is what is currently fitted is a separate question, and any tire decision should be confirmed against your own placard and with a tire professional.

The date on my door jamb is a year earlier than my model year. Is that a problem?

No, it is normal. Model years commonly begin before the calendar year they name. The build date is the more precise fact about your vehicle.

My door jamb label is a different color and font from the one in the photo I found online. Is it fake?

Not necessarily. Only the federal labels have prescribed content, and manufacturers vary their layout, materials and additional labels considerably. Verify by checking that the VIN matches the vehicle rather than by appearance.