Maine Coons use EMS coding: breed + color letters + pattern/white numbers. This page explains how to decode those labels quickly.
EMS Letter Codes (Color)
| Code | Meaning | Notes |
|---|
| n | Black | Base black series |
| a | Blue | Dilute black |
| d | Red | Base red series |
| e | Cream | Dilute red |
| f | Black tortie | Black + red |
| g | Blue tortie | Dilute tortie |
| s | Silver (inhibitor) | Creates silver/smoke effects |
| w | White | No visible pigment |
| y | Golden | Warm undercoat expression |
EMS Number Codes
| Code | Meaning | Use case |
|---|
| 01 | Van | Mostly white, very limited color |
| 02 | Harlequin | Mostly white with several colored areas |
| 03 | Bicolor | Substantial white + color distribution |
| 09 | Unspecified white spotting | Smaller white areas |
| 11 | Shaded | About 1/4 hair tipping colored |
| 12 | Shell | About 1/8 hair tipping colored |
| 21 | Agouti (unspecified tabby) | Pattern present but not clear enough to classify |
| 22 | Classic tabby | Marble/swirled pattern |
| 23 | Mackerel tabby | Tiger-like stripes |
| 24 | Spotted tabby | Broken stripes into spots |
| 25 | Ticked tabby | Banded hairs with softer body pattern |
Smoke, Shaded, Shell
| Type | Tipping amount | Common EMS | Look |
|---|
| Smoke | About 1/2 colored | ns, ds, fs | Darker coat with pale undercoat visible in movement |
| Shaded | About 1/4 colored | ns 11, as 11, ds 11, es 11, fs 11, gs 11 | Lighter, dimensional appearance |
| Shell | About 1/8 colored | ns 12, as 12, ds 12, es 12, fs 12, gs 12 | Very pale tipping, rarest expression |
Fast Reading Examples
- MCO n = black solid.
- MCO ns = black smoke.
- MCO n 22 = black classic tabby.
- MCO ns 22 = black silver classic tabby.
- MCO fs 03 = smoky tortie with bicolor white.