Whether you’re a tradesman, a savvy DIYer , or beginner, finding exactly what you’re looking for in a hardware store can be overwhelming. That’s especially true in the paint aisle. A wall of paint cans can look nearly identical, but thankfully, one recent viral hardware-store paint cheat code revealed that some of those cans contain a much quicker visual cue. Shortcuts like this can make a crowded paint aisle easier to navigate, but they don’t work in all cases.

Learn how the viral paint-can code works, what each color means, and why shoppers should still read the label before heading to the register.

On This Page

What Do the Colors on Do it Best Paint Cans Mean?

Do Paint Can Color Codes Work for Every Brand?

What Do Flat, Eggshell, Satin, and Semi-Gloss Mean?

Sources

What Do the Colors on Do it Best Paint Cans Mean?

The trick comes from a T&M Hardware & Rental video showing colored sections on certain Do it Best paint cans.

On those cans:

Red identifies flat paint.

Yellow identifies eggshell…