This is an update to what I posted earlier - and goes back a bit further in time. One of these days I'll take it the rest of the way back to WWII - and also address the other branches of service.
BEWARE - don't confuse colors with numbers. The color numbering system that most collectors are familiar with is Federal Standard 595, and its deriviative. Most paint being sold today with labels referring to FS595B - whicih is the standard NOW in effect. FS595B was adopted in 1989) - and there is a color 24087 listed in it. However, this is NOT the same COLOR as the Vietnam era 24087, and therein is where many go wrong. To better understand this, we should go back a bit further, however.
Before FS595 there was TT-C-595, which had numbers wtih 4 digits rather than five. TT-C-595 was adopted 12 January 1950. Deuces, M37s, and most other tactical military vehicles delivered to the US Army were painted 2430 when delivered up through 1955.
The TT-C-595 standard used a two-digit prefix to distinguish both sheen, and color. The prefix 24 indicates this color was a semi-gloss green (interesting, because the 24084 to be discussed later is considered a beige under the FS595 system). The last two digits in the TT-C-595 system are used to denote relative darkness of the color - the larger the last two digits, the darker the color.
FS595 was adopted in 1956 and was the standard until 1968. Addendum 2 to FS-595 was made on May 9, 1960. With it colors 14087, 24087, and 34087 (Olive Drab) were replaced with X-14087, X-24087 and X-34087. As of Nov 29, 1961, the mix for X-24087 was as follows:
Lacquer: Acme 1744, Ditzler DAL-42955, DuPont (246)-29149, Rinshed-Mason U3742
or
Enamel: Acme 22-1744, Ditzler DQE-42955, DuPont(93)-29149-H, Rinshed-Mason 2U3742
The applicable Federal Standard during much of the Vietnam war was FS595A (adopted in 196
.
Chg 3 to FS-595A was made on April 28, 1972 Colors 14050-X, 14087-X, 24087-X and 34087-X were introduced permanently to the standard and thus dropped the suffix "X".
Chg 6 to FS-595A February 1, 1980 issued a self-adhesive chip for 34087 to cover the "incorrect" shade included in the 1979 reprint of documentation.
Chg 7 was made to FS-595A, on January 1, 1984 was made. Colors 14087 and 24087 renamed to 14084 and 24084, 34087 renamed to 34088.
Chg 8 to FS595A was made August 30, 1984. In this revision Chg 6 was cancelled to prevent continued use of color designation 34087.
On December 15, 1989 the Federal Standard was revised, and became FS595B.
As can be seen here, the COLOR of FS595A 24087 pre 1984 is the same as FS595B 24084; FS595B 24087 is not the same COLOR as FS595A 24087.
Its no wonder so many folks complain that the paint they bought doesn't match their NOS parts.
HTH,
David Doyle