DASMA TDS 171 - Official Color Codes for Torsion and Extension Springs

Garage door springs carry a lot of stored energy. Replacing one with the wrong size can leave the door too heavy or too light for the opener, wear out the motor, and in the worst case cause a sudden uncontrolled drop. DASMA TDS 171 solves the identification problem with a standard color system printed directly on the spring body.

What this data sheet says

DASMA TDS 171 establishes a manufacturer-neutral color-coding convention for both torsion and extension springs. Each color corresponds to a specific wire diameter. On torsion springs, a single color stripe is painted on the outer coils; on extension springs, a color tag or painted end identifies the spring.

"The Color Code System…allows identification of a spring by the color code painted or attached to the end of the spring."

The sheet maps each wire diameter (measured in thousandths of an inch) to a specific color. Lighter colors (white, green, yellow) indicate thinner wire and lighter-duty springs; darker or multi-stripe combinations indicate heavier-gauge wire for larger, heavier doors.

When it applies

TDS 171 matters any time a spring is being identified, ordered, or replaced:

• Spring replacement on a 16x7 steel door: a technician reads the color code to confirm wire diameter and IPPT before ordering a matched pair. Getting the IPPT wrong by even 10% means the door will not balance at mid-travel.
• Post-break inspection: after a broken spring falls to the floor, the color code on the surviving coils is often the only way to identify the original spec without full re-measurement.
• New construction: framers and builders ordering hardware for a rough opening can specify springs by color code when they know the door weight from the manufacturer.

On the Front Range, where heavy steel insulated doors (often 150 lbs or more for a 16-ft wide door with a bonded foam core) are common, choosing the right spring gauge matters even more because the weight tolerance is tighter relative to the spring's rated capacity.

What this means for you

Do not swap springs by color alone without cross-referencing wire diameter and drum size. Color codes identify wire gauge; the full spring spec also depends on inside diameter, coil count or extension length, and the IPPT rating. A color match confirms one variable, not all of them.

For example: if your broken spring is painted white and the surviving coil measures roughly 0.207-inch wire, TDS 171 confirms you need a 0.207 white-coded spring. But you still need to measure or look up the coil count to get the full part number.

Spring work is high-hazard. DASMA and CPSC both recommend leaving torsion spring replacement to trained technicians. The color codes are most useful as a communication tool between homeowner and technician, or for ordering verification before the truck rolls.

If you are in Denver or the broader Front Range metro and your spring breaks, G Brothers can match it by reading the color code plus measuring the wire, length, and inside diameter on-site.

Full text and source

The complete TDS 171 color-code chart is available from DASMA at https://www.dasma.com/technical-data-sheets/. Download the PDF directly from the TDS index.

This entry explains DASMA TDS 171 for residential sectional garage door springs. Commercial or specialty spring configurations may use manufacturer-specific coding that differs from the DASMA standard.