CORVETTE COLORS
Silver Corvette: Every Year, Code and How Many Were Built
Silver Metallic on the Chevrolet Corvette, 1973–1982, 1985–1988: what the color is, the GM paint code in every year, how many were built and what share of the year that was, the interiors it came with, a picture gallery for each year, the chart of its run and the colors that came before and after it.
Quick Nav: The Story · By Generation · Chart · C3 · C4 · Related · Paint Codes · More Silver · Wallpapers · FAQs
The Basics
The Color: Silver metallic, the C3 and early C4 silver (1973–1988)
GM Codes: 914, 13, 33
Years Offered: 1973–1982, 1985–1988 (14 model years)
Generations: C3 (1968–82), C4 (1984–96)
Built: 42,859 with GM counts; no counts for 1973–1974
Best Year: 1979, 7,331 cars (13.6% of the year)
Color Family: Silver (every silver Corvette color)
Also Called: Code 914 (1973), Silver Mist 914 (1974), 13 (1975–88), 33 at Bowling Green in 1981
Paint Codes: 1965–1967: WA3314 / PPG DDL-32449; 1973–1975: WA4469; 1976–1977: WA4322; 1978–1981: WA4963
Pictures: 17 picture posts on the site, one per model year
The Overview
Silver Metallic was offered on the Corvette in 1973–1982, 1985–1988: 14 model years across the C3, C4 generations. GM’s color counts put 42,859 Silver Corvettes on the road, 7,331 of them in 1979 alone; no per-color records survive for 1973–1974.
Silver metallic, the C3 and early C4 silver (1973–1988). Its share of a year’s production ran from 2 to 15 percent. It was a no-cost color. The interiors most often paired with it were Black, Charcoal, Graphite. The chart below shows the run year by year; the generation sections carry every year’s code, count, share, interiors and picture.
This page has every year Silver was offered with its GM code, how many were built, its share of the year and the interiors it came with, the site’s picture gallery for each year, a chart of the run, the related colors, and the FAQs. It is one of 77 color pages on CorvSport; the Silver Corvettes page lists every silver the factory ever sprayed, and Corvette Colors by Year has the full chart for each model year.
The Story of Silver
Plain “Silver” was a Corvette color for sixteen years, from the 1973 chart (code 914) to the last Silver Metallic C4s of 1988. It was sold as Silver Mist in 1974 and as Silver Metallic from 1980, and in 1981 it had two codes because the St. Louis and Bowling Green plants painted it with different systems.
It was a big seller through the late C3: 6,934 cars in 1976 and 7,331 in the record 1979 year, and it was the base of two famous two-tones — the 1978 Silver Anniversary paint (silver over Charcoal Silver, RPO B2Z, 15,283 cars) and the 1978 Indy Pace Car replica’s black over silver. On the C4 it faded quickly, down to 385 cars in 1988, as Medium Gray and the two-tone silvers took its buyers.
After 1988 the Corvette silver story moves to Sebring Silver, Light Pewter, Quicksilver, Machine Silver, Blade Silver and Silver Flare, each with its own page.
The Silver Cars to Know
1978 Silver Anniversary Edition (B2Z, 15,283); 1978 Indy Pace Car replica (black over silver, 6,502); The 1981 two-tone Silver / Charcoal and Silver / Dark Blue D84 cars.
Also on the site: a 1956 picture post titled Silver — picture posts with no matching row on that year’s chart, kept here for the pictures.
MORE: THE MOST POPULAR COLORS BY GENERATION / 70 YEARS OF LEAST & MOST POPULAR COLORS / ALL SILVER CORVETTES
Silver by Generation
Silver across the 2 generations it was offered on: the years, the GM paint code each generation used, how many were built with GM’s counts, the biggest year and the interiors most often paired with it. Each generation has its own section below with every year.
MORE: THE C3 HUB / THE C4 HUB
| GENERATION | YEARS | CODE(S) | BUILT | BEST YEAR | INTERIORS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C3 Corvette | 1973–1982 | 914, 13, 33 | 38,736 | 1979 (7,331) | Black, Charcoal |
| C4 Corvette | 1985–1988 | 13 | 4,123 | 1985 (1,752) | Black, Graphite |
Silver by Year: How Many Were Built
GM’s production counts for Silver in every year it was offered, with the years GM kept no color records marked n/a. The peak was 1979 at 7,331 cars; the full table for each year, with codes, shares and interiors, is in the generation sections below.
Silver on the C3 Corvette (1968–82)
Silver on the C3 (1968–82): offered 1973–1982 as code 914, 13, 33. 38,736 cars by GM’s count, the best year 1979 with 7,331. No per-color counts survive for 1973–1974. Every year links to its research page (the full color chart, options and prices for that year) and to the site’s picture post for the color.
MORE: THE C3 HUB / THE 1979 RESEARCH PAGE / ALL C3 COLOR POSTS / ALL C3 COLORS
| YEAR | CODE | BUILT | SHARE | INTERIORS | PICTURES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 914 | no record | — | Black, Midnight Blue, Medium Saddle, Dark Saddle, Dark Red | Pictures | — |
| 1974 | 914 | no record | — | Black, Dark Blue, Dark Red, Saddle, Silver | Pictures | — |
| 1975 | 13 | 4,710 | 12.2%, #2 of 10 | Black, Dark Blue, Dark Red, Medium Saddle, Silver | Pictures | — |
| 1976 | 13 | 6,934 | 14.9%, #2 of 10 | Black, Blue-Green, Buckskin, Dark Firethorn, Smoked Gray, White | Pictures | — |
| 1977 | 13 | 5,518 | 11.2%, #4 of 12 | Black, Blue, Red, Smoked Gray, White | Pictures | — |
| 1978 | 13 | 3,232 | 6.9%, #5 of 12 | Black, Dark Blue, Mahogany, Red | Pictures | — |
| 1979 | 13 | 7,331 | 13.6%, #3 of 10 | Black, Dark Blue, Dark Green, Oyster, Red | Pictures | — |
| 1980 | 13 | 4,341 | 10.7%, #4 of 10 | Black, Claret, Dark Blue, Oyster, Red | Pictures | — |
| 1981 | 33 | 3,369 | 8.3%, #6 of 18 | Charcoal, Dark Blue, Dark Red, Silver Gray | Pictures | Bowling Green |
| 1981 | 13 | 2,590 | 6.4%, #7 of 18 | Black, Charcoal, Dark Blue, Medium Red, Silver Gray | Pictures | St. Louis |
| 1982 | 13 | 711 | 2.8%, #9 of 12 | Charcoal, Dark Blue, Dark Red, Silver Gray | Pictures | — |
Silver on the C4 Corvette (1984–96)
Silver on the C4 (1984–96): offered 1985–1988 as code 13. 4,123 cars by GM’s count, the best year 1985 with 1,752. Every year links to its research page (the full color chart, options and prices for that year) and to the site’s picture post for the color.
MORE: THE C4 HUB / THE 1985 RESEARCH PAGE / ALL C4 COLOR POSTS / ALL C4 COLORS
Colors Related to Silver
The colors that came before and after Silver, the ones it is confused with and the ones that shared its slot on the chart. Each has its own page or a line on its family page.
MORE: EVERY SILVER CORVETTE COLOR / ALL CORVETTE COLORS / COLORS BY YEAR
| COLOR | YEARS | BUILT | FAMILY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sebring Silver | 1963, 1996–2000 | 18,506 | Silver | See the Sebring Silver page |
| Blade Silver | 2009–2020, 2026–2027 | 17,826 | Silver | See the Blade Silver page |
| Quicksilver | 2001–2003 | 11,827 | Silver | See the Quicksilver page |
| Machine Silver | 2004–2008 | 25,693 | Silver | See the Machine Silver page |
| Light Pewter | 1998–2002 | 20,677 | Silver | See the Light Pewter page |
| Silver Pearl | 1965–1967 | 7,471 | Silver | See the Silver Pearl page |
Silver Paint Codes: GM, WA, PPG and DuPont
The codes a body shop or a judge needs for Silver: the GM order code on the trim tag or service parts label, GM’s WA formula number and the PPG / Ditzler and DuPont mixing codes where they are documented. Where a code is blank the sources did not list one; the notes say where a source disagreed.
MORE: THE RPO CODES LIBRARY / THE VIN DECODER
| YEARS | GM CODE | WA | PPG / DITZLER | DUPONT | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965–1967 | QQ (1965) / 986 (1966–67) | WA3314 | DDL-32449 | — | Silver metallic. (confidence: medium) |
| 1973–1975 | 914 (1973) / 14 (1974) / 13 (1975) | WA4469 | — | — | Silver metallic ('Silver Mist' 1974). (confidence: medium) |
| 1976–1977 | 13 | WA4322 | — | — | Silver metallic. (confidence: medium) |
| 1978–1981 | 13 | WA4963 | — | — | Silver metallic (also the upper colour of the 1978 Silver Anniversary two-tone). (confidence: medium) |
| 1981–1982 | 33 | WA7410 | — | — | Silver metallic (new formula, St. Louis/Bowling Green changeover). (confidence: medium) |
| 1985–1988 | 13 | WA7781 | 3661 | B8402 | Silver metallic. |
Silver Corvette Wallpapers
Desktop and phone wallpapers of silver Corvettes from the site’s wallpaper collections.
Silver Corvette Wallpapers — the color collection
All Corvette Wallpapers — by generation and by color
FAQs
What years was the Corvette offered in Silver?
1973–1982, 1985–1988: 14 model years on the C3, C4. Plain “Silver” was a Corvette color for sixteen years, from the 1973 chart (code 914) to the last Silver Metallic C4s of 1988.
What is the GM paint code for Silver?
GM used 914, 13, 33 across the years; the code changed when GM changed its coding system, not the paint. The paint-shop codes are 1965–1967: WA3314 / PPG DDL-32449; 1973–1975: WA4469; 1976–1977: WA4322.
How many Silver Corvettes were built?
42,859 by GM’s counts (7,331 in 1979, the biggest year); GM kept no color records for 1973–1974, so the true figure is higher.
Which Corvette models and editions came in Silver?
1978 Silver Anniversary Edition (B2Z, 15,283); 1978 Indy Pace Car replica (black over silver, 6,502); The 1981 two-tone Silver / Charcoal and Silver / Dark Blue D84 cars. In its years it was available on every body style and model unless the year’s note says otherwise; the year tables above say which.
Is Silver a metallic, a tintcoat or a solid color?
Silver metallic, the C3 and early C4 silver (1973–1988). It was a no-cost color in every year it was offered.
What was the most popular year for Silver?
1979, with 7,331 cars, 13.6% of that year’s production.
What colors are similar to Silver?
Sebring Silver, Blade Silver, Quicksilver, Machine Silver. The Silver Corvettes page has every silver the factory offered, with the years and counts side by side.
Where can I see pictures of Silver Corvettes?
The site has a picture post for each year Silver was offered — real cars photographed in the real color — linked from the year tables above and in the picture grids on this page; the Silver Corvettes page and the wallpaper collection have more.
How does the Silver page fit with the rest of the Corvette colors research?
Every model year has a research page with the full color chart (codes, counts, interiors and soft tops), the Colors by Year page indexes them, every color with three or more years has a page like this one, and the twelve family pages (Red, Blue, Black, White, Silver, Yellow, Gray, Green, Orange, Purple, Gold, Brown) list every shade ever offered.
