Window Sticker vs. Build Sheet: What's the Difference?
A window sticker is the retail label printed for a new vehicle: plain-language equipment, the suggested price of each option, the destination charge and the total MSRP, along with EPA fuel economy and safety ratings on most recent vehicles. A build sheet is the factory's equipment record for the VIN: a list of codes with short descriptions showing what was installed, with no prices. Use the sticker when you need the original MSRP or an easy-to-read summary of options. Use the build sheet when you need the exact factory configuration, such as the axle ratio, the paint code or the individual components inside a package. For GM vehicles, the build sheet is the RPO code list. For Stellantis brands, it is a factory listing of installed equipment with sales codes and descriptions.
Side-by-side comparison
| Compared | Window sticker | Build sheet |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Price and equipment disclosure for a new-vehicle shopper | Record of how the factory configured one VIN |
| Format | A labeled document with sections; on this site, a PDF | A list of codes, each with a short description |
| Equipment | Standard equipment for the trim, plus priced options and packages | Installed equipment as individual codes, including items that never carried a retail price |
| MSRP and option prices | Yes | No |
| Fuel economy, safety, parts content | Yes, on most recent labels | No |
| Codes | Rarely; mainly where a code is part of a package name | Every line is a code |
| Paint and interior | Marketing color names | Color and trim codes with descriptions |
| What this site returns | GM brands: the original sticker when available | GM brands: the RPO build sheet when no sticker is available. Stellantis brands: the factory build sheet when available |
Equipment: the build sheet goes deeper, the sticker explains more
A sticker summarizes equipment the way a buyer shops for it. A package appears as one priced line, with its contents listed underneath. The build sheet breaks the same vehicle into factory codes: the package code, the hardware that came with it, the axle ratio, the paint and interior trim, and production entries that never appeared on a retail label. The RPO code navigator includes codes for things like owner's manual language and shipping or routing, which describe how the vehicle was processed rather than anything a buyer chose.
On a GM pickup, for example, the sticker might show a Z71 Off-Road Package line with its price, while the RPO list shows Z71 alongside separate codes for related hardware, such as G80 for an automatic locking rear differential when that is part of the build. The trade-off is readability. A code list is precise but terse: some descriptions are short or technical, and the lookup marks any code it has no description for as "No description on file." The sticker spells everything out in plain English.
MSRP: only the window sticker has it
Of the two documents, only the window sticker carries original option prices, the destination charge and the total MSRP. An RPO build sheet lists no prices, and the Stellantis factory build sheet doesn't include MSRP either. If you need the original price for an insurance claim, an appraisal or a private-sale listing, the sticker is the document to look for; on this site it is available only for GM vehicles where a sticker exists for that VIN. For Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Fiat and Alfa Romeo vehicles, the original purchase paperwork is the more likely place to find price information.
"Build sheet" means different things
- Classic cars: the paper sheet that traveled with a car down the assembly line, sometimes found decades later under a seat or behind a panel. Collectors prize these, but they were never meant to survive.
- Modern GM vehicles: the RPO code list. Many GM vehicles also carry their codes on a Service Parts Identification (SPID) label, often in the glove box. GM RPO codes explained covers how the codes work.
- Stellantis vehicles: a factory equipment listing for the VIN with sales codes and descriptions. The Jeep build sheet page covers that brand's version.
On this site, "build sheet" always means the digital factory record for a VIN, not a recovered paper sheet.
Which one do you need?
- Original price or a buyer-friendly options summary: the window sticker.
- Exact axle ratio, paint code or component-level detail for parts and repairs: the build sheet.
- Checking a used listing's claimed options: either works. The sticker is easier to read; the build sheet is more specific. Neither proves the equipment is still on the vehicle, so inspect it as well.
- A Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Fiat or Alfa Romeo: the factory build sheet is the document this site returns for those brands.
For Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles, the VIN lookup shows the original sticker when one is available and the RPO build sheet when it isn't. Which record exists differs from one VIN to the next, and some VINs return neither.