How Do You Read a Hair Weave Color Chart?

Quick Answer

A hair weave color chart works on two layers: a number that tells you how light or dark a shade is, and a letter (sometimes with a slash and a second number) that tells you the tone or blend layered on top of that depth. Lower numbers like #1 or #2 sit near black, higher numbers like #27 or #613 move toward blonde, and letters such as B, plus slash combinations like #1B/30, describe warmth, ash, or a mixed two-tone effect. Once you know your own depth and undertone, reading any chart is mostly matching two codes instead of guessing from a photo.

What Do the Numbers Mean on a Hair Weave Color Chart?

The number is a depth scale, running roughly from #1 at the darkest end to #613 at the lightest, and it tells you nothing about warmth on its own. #1 reads as true jet black, #1B and #2 sit just above it as soft black or darkest brown, #4 lands as a medium warm brown, #27 is a honey blonde, #30 is a warm auburn-red, and #613 is the palest platinum blonde most charts carry. Every other shade in between is a step along that same ladder, so two shades with close numbers will look similar in lightness even if their undertones differ.

This is why depth alone is not enough to pick a color. A #4 and a #30 can sit at a similar medium-brown lightness while looking completely different once you factor in warmth, which is where the letter half of the code comes in.

What Do the Letters and Slashes Mean, Like #1B/30?

The letter describes the tone finish on top of the number’s depth, and a slash means the shade is a blend of two colors rather than one flat tone. On most charts, B marks a soft off-black base instead of a completely flat jet black, so #1B reads slightly warmer and more natural at the root than a plain #1. Other letters vary a little by supplier, but they generally follow the same idea: they adjust warmth or add a highlight effect rather than changing overall lightness.

A code like #1B/30 means a #1B base mixed with #30 auburn highlights woven through it, which is why that particular combination is so common in ombré and balayage-style wigs and weaves — it mimics how natural dark hair picks up warmer strands in sunlight instead of looking like one uniform block of color. When you see two numbers separated by a slash, read the first as the dominant base and the second as the accent tone layered through it.

How Do You Match a Weave or Wig Color to Your Skin Tone?

Start with the number closest to your natural root depth, then use the letter to fine-tune warmth against your undertone. Hold a swatch or a photo of the shade near your hairline in daylight, not under indoor bulbs, since warm and cool tones shift a lot under artificial light.

As a general rule, warmer undertones (gold, peach, or olive) tend to sit well with shades that lean warm on the chart, such as #4, #27, or #30. Cooler undertones (pink or blue-based) usually look more natural in ash-leaning or true black-brown shades like #1 or #1B. Mixed or two-tone shades such as #1B/30 tend to be more forgiving for in-between undertones, because the blended strands soften any single tone that would otherwise clash.

What’s the Difference Between a Hair Weave Chart and a Wig Color Chart?

They use the same number-and-letter system, but they show the color differently. A weave chart usually displays loose bundle swatches side by side, so you are judging pure color and shine with no cap, part, or hairline involved. A wig color chart shows the same shade already installed on a full unit, which lets you see how it reads against a lace part, a hairline, and the curl or texture pattern of that specific wig.

Because of that, the same code can look a shade lighter or richer on a wig than on a loose weave swatch, simply due to how light bounces off a styled unit versus a flat bundle. If a listing shows both a swatch and an on-model photo, trust the on-model image more for how the color will actually read once worn.

Does hair weave color fade over time? Yes, with human hair, repeated washing, heat styling, and sun exposure can gradually soften vibrancy, especially in lighter or warmer shades like #27 or #30. Using sulfate-free shampoo, limiting heat, and storing hair away from direct sunlight slows this down but does not stop it completely.

Can you dye a human hair weave or wig to match a different chart shade? Human hair weaves and wigs can generally be dyed darker with standard hair color, since going darker is more forgiving than lightening. Lightening pre-colored hair is riskier and can affect texture, so it is worth testing on a small hidden section first or asking a stylist experienced with wefted or wig hair.

Why do the same color numbers look different between brands? Color charts are not standardized industry-wide, so one supplier’s #4 may run slightly warmer or cooler than another’s. It helps to compare the actual product photo against the swatch rather than relying on the number alone when shopping from a new source.

Where Can You See These Chart Colors on Real Wigs?

If this answer settled how the numbering works and you are now ready to look at real shades, the 12 Inch Body Wave #1B/30 Lace Front Wigs 100% Indian Remy Human Hair is a clear example of the mixed-tone #1B/30 notation described above, blending an off-black base with warm auburn highlights. For a deeper, single-tone look, the 22 Inch Silky Straight #2 Full Lace Wigs 100% Indian Remy Human Hair shows how a #2 reads as a rich, near-black brown on a full lace cap. Both are available at LaceWigsBuy, and you can browse more depth and tone combinations in the Human Hair Wigs collection at LaceWigsBuy.

About WigAnswers

WigAnswers is an independent, English-language wig guide site, not owned by any wig brand or retailer. This guide exists to make color chart codes like #1B/30 easy to decode before you shop anywhere. Every article opens with a direct answer first, and any product mentioned is an editorial pick that links out to a third-party retailer for purchase. Read more guides at WigAnswers.