Orange Peel

Orange peel is the name given to the texture which results when a car is spray painted. At first glance your paintwork is smooth, but on closer inspection it is more like the surface of an orange with peaks and dimples. This is perfectly normal and not a bad thing, as some degree of orange peel helps hide imperfection in the bodywork.

However, if the paint goes on too dry, you can get excessive orange peel which is noticeable. You will see this most often on cars that have been repainted. The effect might be immediately obvious, or it may be the case that the texture of the repainted panels are a little more textured than the original panels.

Machine polishing the car will reduce the peaks in the texture, and if the car is flat-and-polished enough, it can get rid of it almost completely, however this is not recommended because the more perfect the paintwork becomes, the more easily it shows imperfections.

What it means

Orange peel is a textured finish in the paint or clearcoat where the surface dries slightly uneven, so it looks and feels a bit like the skin of an orange. Reflections appear wavy or blurred instead of sharp and mirror-like. Most factory paint has some level of orange peel, but poor spraying, incorrect gun set-up or rushed refinishing can make it more obvious than it should be.

Why it matters

• Affects how “sharp” the car looks: Heavy orange peel spoils reflections and can make even fresh paint look cheap or poorly refinished compared with a smooth, flat surface.
• Limits what polishing can do: Standard machine polishing mainly smooths the tops of the texture; to truly level orange peel usually needs wet sanding or flat and polish, which removes more clearcoat.
• Has to be balanced against paint thickness: Reducing orange peel means physically shaving down the surface, so on thin clearcoat there may not be enough material to safely flatten it fully.
• Useful clue during inspections: A panel with noticeably different orange peel to the rest of the car can be a sign of previous repair or respray work.

Where you’ll see it

You’ll hear orange peel mentioned on bodyshop quality reports, detailing and paint correction estimates, and in discussions about “flat and polish” work or show-car finishes. Inspectors often look at bonnets, roofs and doors under raking light, comparing the texture from panel to panel to spot mismatched repairs or very peely factory finishes.

Context

Orange peel sits in the same family of paint texture issues as runs, sags and dry spray, but it is more about overall surface texture than isolated defects. Mild orange peel is considered normal on many modern factory finishes, while high-end or custom work may be wet sanded and polished to reduce it for a glassy look. Correcting orange peel typically involves careful wet sanding followed by machine polishing, so it is classed as advanced paint correction rather than routine valeting.

Common mistakes

• Expecting heavy orange peel to disappear with a quick machine polish, when it actually needs controlled wet sanding and multi-stage polishing.
• Trying DIY wet sanding over large areas without measuring paint thickness, risking cutting through the clearcoat while chasing a perfectly flat finish.
• Assuming all orange peel is “bad” and must be removed, rather than recognising that some texture is normal and sometimes safer to leave alone.
• Confusing orange peel with other issues such as hazy clearcoat, overspray or contamination, and choosing the wrong method to fix it.

Written by Danny Argent. Last updated 18/11/2025 19:21