Finish Code Reference 2026: The 23 Codes, the BHMA Numbers, and the Four Pairs That Reverse
A finish code on a purchase order decides what arrives, and four pairs of codes in common use are reversals of each other. This is the reference: the 23 codes our catalogue uses, how they line up with BHMA 600-series and US26x numbers, the pairs that get transposed, and a count of how inconsistently our own catalogue spells them.
Johnson LiuDigital Communications, Canton HylandMA Digital Media, Johns Hopkins University
Products mentioned
A finish code is two or three letters on a purchase order, and it is the line most likely to make the right product arrive in the wrong colour. The reason is not carelessness. It is that four pairs of codes in ordinary use are letter-reversals of each other, that the same finish is written three different ways across the industry, and that a code names an appearance without saying anything about how long it lasts.
This page is the reference for all three problems, and it ends with a count of how inconsistently our own catalogue spells its finishes, because a reference that does not audit itself is not a reference.
THE TWENTY-THREE CODES WE USE
AB antique brass. AC antique copper. BC and CB, both polished chrome. BL black. BN and NB, both black nickel. BP and PB, both polished brass. BS satin brass. CP chrome plated. MB matt black. N nickel. NP nickel plated. ORB a dark finish. PSS polished stainless steel. PVD physical vapour deposition. SB satin brass. SC satin chrome. SN satin nickel. SP bright polished. SS stainless steel. SSS satin stainless steel.
THE FOUR PAIRS THAT REVERSE
NB and BN are both black nickel. PB and BP are both polished brass. CB and BC are both polished chrome. These are the pairs that produce an order that is correct on paper and wrong in the carton, because a transposition is invisible to a proofreader — both strings are valid codes.
The fourth trap is not a reversal but a collision: BL, BRN and ORB all describe a black or near-black finish, and a schedule that uses one while the factory quotes another reads as a discrepancy when it is not. Confirm which black is meant by naming it, not by code alone.
ORB deserves its own line. In North America ORB conventionally means oil-rubbed bronze, a dark brown with copper showing through the wear points. Ours is not that. If a specification calls for oil-rubbed bronze in the North American sense, say so in words, because the code alone will not carry the meaning across.
HOW THE CODES LINE UP WITH BHMA AND US NUMBERS
The BHMA 600-series and the older US26x numbers are the two numbering systems a North American specification uses. They map onto factory letter codes by appearance, and the mapping is one of naming rather than performance.
Satin stainless steel is BHMA 630 and US32D; our code is SSS. Polished stainless steel is BHMA 629 and US32; ours is PSS. Satin chrome is BHMA 626 and US26D; ours is SC. Polished chrome is BHMA 625 and US26; ours is CP or CB. Polished brass is BHMA 605 and US3; ours is PB. Satin brass is BHMA 606 and US4; ours is SB or BS. Satin nickel is BHMA 619 and US15; ours is SN.
Two things about that list matter more than the list. First, US26D and BHMA 626 are the same satin chrome under two numbering systems, not two finishes — that single confusion accounts for a large share of finish queries. Second, a BHMA number describes the finish, not its durability, which is the next section.
A FINISH CODE SAYS NOTHING ABOUT CORROSION
None of these codes, in either system, states how long the finish survives. That is a separate classification: EN 1670 grades corrosion resistance by exposure, and a finish code carries no EN 1670 class with it.
This matters on any opening that sees weather, salt air or cleaning chemicals. A satin nickel handle and a satin stainless handle can look identical on delivery and behave completely differently after two coastal winters, and the finish code is the same length either way. If corrosion is a project requirement, it has to be specified as one.
BS IS A SURFACE, NOT A METAL
BS means a satin surface and says nothing about what is underneath. Satin brass and satin stainless are both satin and they are different materials at different prices with different corrosion behaviour. The same caution applies to SS, which names stainless steel without naming the grade — and 201, 304 and 316 are three different answers to the question of how long it lasts.
Ask for the base material alongside the finish code on anything where either the price or the environment matters.
WHAT OUR OWN CATALOGUE ACTUALLY SAYS
Across the 589 published models, the finish field contains 94 distinct strings. That is not 94 finishes. It is one vocabulary written three ways.
Twenty-three of the 94 are clean codes of the kind listed above. Fifty-three are written out as names — Antique Brass, Matt Black, Black Powder Coat — and several of those duplicate a code that already exists, so the same finish is counted twice. Matt Black and Matte Black both appear, which is one finish under two spellings.
The remaining eighteen are neither: fragments such as a code followed by other finish to order, a list of five codes separated by full stops in a single field, and at least one misspelling. These are the residue of a catalogue assembled over years from several sources, and they are stated here rather than quietly cleaned, because a buyer reading a product page today sees them.
The practical consequence for anyone ordering: quote the code and the name together. Antique Brass (AB) is unambiguous in a way that neither half is on its own, and it survives being retyped into a system that only accepts one of the two.
Questions this answers
Is BHMA 626 the same as US26D?
Yes. Both are satin chrome, under two different numbering systems — BHMA's 600-series and the older US26x series. They are not two finishes, and the confusion between them accounts for a large share of finish queries.
What is the difference between NB and BN?
Nothing — both are black nickel. They are letter-reversals of each other, which is exactly why they cause wrong deliveries: a transposition is invisible on proofreading because both strings are valid codes. The same applies to PB and BP, both polished brass, and CB and BC, both polished chrome.
Does ORB mean oil-rubbed bronze?
In North America it conventionally does — a dark brown with copper showing at wear points. Ours is not that. If a specification calls for oil-rubbed bronze in the North American sense, write it in words, because the code alone will not carry the meaning across.
Does a finish code tell me anything about corrosion resistance?
No. A code names an appearance. Corrosion resistance is classified separately under EN 1670 by exposure grade, and no finish code carries an EN 1670 class with it. On coastal or chemically cleaned openings, specify corrosion as its own requirement.
What does BS mean as a finish code?
A satin surface, with no statement about the metal underneath. Satin brass and satin stainless are both satin, and they differ in price, in corrosion behaviour and in what they are. Ask for the base material alongside the code wherever either matters.
Why does your catalogue list 94 different finishes?
It does not list 94 finishes; it spells one vocabulary three ways. Twenty-three entries are clean codes, fifty-three are the same finishes written out as names, and eighteen are fragments or misspellings left by years of assembly from several sources. Quote the code and the name together and neither ambiguity can reach the order.
About Canton Hyland — Canton Hyland manufactures panic exit devices, locks and architectural door hardware for commercial and institutional projects, supplying specifiers and distributors internationally.