I can understand that different color paints would have different prices. I'd expect that metallics and pearls would cost more. I could even imagine if different tints are more expensive due to varied manufacturing costs.

But for different (very similar) shades of red, should I expect to get much price variation? If I'm looking at a GM Red Hot paint chip and a Ferrari Rosso Corsa paint chip, I would expect that the prices of those two paints would be almost identical. They are both mostly red with a bit of other tints mixed in. If I'm getting them from the same line of paint (i.e. PPG Deltron), shouldn't the prices be similar for similar colors?

Or should I expect for the jobber to tack on a premium for paint codes that come from the Ferrari page in his paint chip book?

I'm just trying to know what to expect...

I has to due in part with the price of pigments.

Really depends on the toners used. Different shades mean different toners and could use more expensive toners, or just more of them.

From what I read and understand:

There are three basic ingredients in automotive paint:

Resin
Pigment
Solvent

The resin is the component that holds together the pigment in suspension, provides adhesion to the surface applied, and determines the quality and paint durability.

The pigment provides the color and the solvent is the carrier.

Auto paint colors are made up of a combination of pigment colors and metallic sizes including pearls.

A Toner is an additional "color" added to change the hue of the paint.

whites blacks are cheapest reds are most expensive, do you want price coding on those colors ?

Out of curiosity, I do!

ok this is my pricing and will no way reflect what you will pay for paint, this is just to give you a idea on how different price codes reflect on price. mine are actually cheaper than what im posting,

these are all gallon prices

without price code 372.81
H price code 415.22
SC 481.65
K 570.45
T 661.62
W 765.73
Z 918.34

Dave,
Can you explain what the price codes mean?

so when you order or have a jobber mix paint for you, you are billed by price code,
so many colors that they probably cant bill individually, so from what i make up in my own thoughts is the paints are group into code, jobbers will make more or less on say two different blues in the same price code, is that what youre looking for or some other explanation ?

I saw the letters you had in bold and thought it was some kind of pricing structure that you were aware of.