Hair Colour Shade Numbers Explained (Pakistan Guide)

If you're staring at a hair colour box wondering what "6.12" or "5/NP" actually means, you've searched exactly the right thing. Hair color shades with numbers follow a logical code once you know how to read it, and it's not brand-specific trivia — it's the same basic system used across most professional colour lines, including the 36 Framesi shades we stock in Pakistan. This guide breaks the code down properly: what the first number means, what comes after the dot or slash, and how to use that information to actually pick the right box, with real Framesi prices and shade numbers below.

What Do Hair Color Shades With Numbers Actually Mean?

Almost every professional hair colour number follows the same two-part structure: depth, then tone. The number before the dot or slash tells you how light or dark the colour is. Everything after the dot or slash tells you the undertone — whether that depth leans warm, cool, or neutral. Once you can read those two parts separately, hair color shades with numbers stop being confusing codes and start being genuinely useful information you can shop by, on any brand's box.

Framesi Shade Numbers & Prices in Pakistan (July 2026)

Prices correct as of July 2026.

The Depth Number: Reading the 1-to-10 Scale

The first number in any shade code sits on a scale that runs roughly from 1 to 10: 1 is black, 2–3 are very dark to dark brown, 4–5 are medium to light brown or chestnut, 6–7 are dark to medium blonde, and 8–10 move into progressively lighter blonde. You can see this scale directly in what we stock — 4/NP is labelled Medium Chestnut, 5/NP is Light Chestnut, 6/NP is Dark Blonde, and 7/NP is Medium Blonde — each step up the number is a step lighter in depth, exactly as the scale predicts.

This is the single most useful thing to know before buying any box colour: match the depth number to how light or dark you actually want to go relative to your current level, not just to a photo of a model on the box, since lighting and hair texture change how a shade photographs.

The Numbers After the Dot or Slash: Reading the Tone

Once you've picked a depth, the code after the dot or slash tells you the tone — the undertone reflect layered on top. Framesi uses letter codes for some of its simplest tones: NP stands for Natural Permanent, a neutral base shade with no strong added warm or cool cast, which is why it's such a common choice for solid, even grey coverage. W stands for Warm — you'll see this on shades like 6/W Dark Blonde - Iroko and 5/W Light Chestnut - Walnut, both named after warm-toned woods, which is a nice hint at the reflect you're getting.

Numeric tone codes work by combining individual reflect numbers after the first depth digit. Take 6.46 Dark Amber Blonde: the 6 is the depth, and the .46 combines a warmer amber-copper reflect with a red-mahogany reflect, landing on a warm amber-blonde result. Compare that with 6.12 Cool Dark Blonde — same depth, level 6, but .12 combines an ash reflect with an iridescent-violet reflect, which is exactly why the result reads as a cooler-toned blonde rather than a warm one. Same number in front, completely different result behind the dot.

Framesi's Shade Numbers, Decoded

Putting it together: Framesi - FramColor 2001 - 4/NP Medium Chestnut and Framesi - FramColor Glamour - 4 Medium Chestnut are both level 4 (Medium Chestnut) — the plain "4" with no suffix is effectively the most neutral version at that depth. Framesi - FramColor 2001 - 5/NP Light Chestnut and Framesi - FramColor 2001 - 5/W Light Chestnut - Walnut are both level 5 (Light Chestnut), one neutral and one warm. Framesi - FramColor 2001 - 6/NP Dark Blonde, Framesi - FramColor 2001 - 6/W Dark Blonde - Iroko, Framesi - FramColor Glamour - 6.46 Dark Amber Blonde, Framesi - Framcolor Eclectic Care - 6.12 Cool Dark Blonde and Framesi - Framcolor Eclectic Care - 6 Dark Blonde are all level 6 (Dark Blonde) — five different tone directions from the same starting depth. Framesi - FramColor 2001 - 7/NP Medium Blonde steps up to level 7, Medium Blonde. Reading the code this way, you can predict roughly what any of the 36 Framesi shades we stock will look like before you even open the box.

How to Pick Your Shade Number at Home

Start by honestly identifying your current natural or coloured depth level — most people sit somewhere between 3 and 7. Picking a shade within one or two levels of where you already are gives the safest, most predictable result at home. Moving further than that, especially going lighter, usually needs more than one session or a colourist's help, because a single home application can only lift so far before it starts looking uneven or brassy rather than like the box photo.

The developer you mix with your chosen shade also matters as much as the shade number itself. 20 vol deposits colour with minimal lift, best for staying close to your current depth or blending grey. 30 vol lifts about one to two levels, which covers most grey-coverage-with-a-slight-lighten situations. 40 vol gives maximum lift and is best left to someone experienced, since it's the easiest one to over-process.

Using Framesi at Home in Pakistan's Climate

Heat and humidity genuinely change how colour processes. In Karachi's humid coastal air or during a Lahore summer, hair can feel like it's processing faster than the box timing suggests — resist the urge to leave colour on longer just because it "still looks dull" halfway through; over-processing in heat is one of the most common causes of patchy or brassy results reported from home colouring in hot weather. Rinse with lukewarm, not hot, water once you're done, and follow up with a reparative step like Rigenol Conditioner to restore condition, finishing your style with Elevate Me Curl Cream or Define Me Gel depending on whether you're setting curls or a sleek finish.

Buying Genuine Framesi Hair Colour in Pakistan

Framesi is a professional Italian colour system, normally sold through salons and trade suppliers rather than general retail, which makes it worth confirming you're buying from an authorised source — check for intact batch-coded packaging and a seller who can explain where their stock comes from. BigBasket.pk sources our Framesi range through authorised channels and ships with Cash on Delivery, so you can inspect the box before you pay.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do hair color shades with numbers actually mean?

Hair color shades with numbers use a code that's usually written as a level number, then a dot or slash, then a tone code — for example 6.12 or 6/NP. The first number is the depth, how light or dark the colour is on a 1-to-10 scale. What follows the dot or slash is the tone, the warm, cool or neutral undertone layered on top of that depth.

What does the number before the dot or slash mean?

That's the depth or level, on a scale generally running from 1 (black) to 10 (lightest blonde), with 4–5 landing on chestnut/light brown, 6–7 on dark to medium blonde, and 8–10 on progressively lighter blonde. Framesi's 6/NP Dark Blonde and 7/NP Medium Blonde follow exactly this scale.

What does NP mean on a Framesi hair colour box?

NP stands for Natural Permanent — a neutral base shade at that depth level, without a strong added warm or cool reflect. It's typically the most versatile, balanced option at a given level and a common choice for solid grey coverage, such as Framesi's 5/NP Light Chestnut at PKR 1,352.

What's the difference between shades like 6.46 and 6.12?

Both are level 6 (dark blonde), but the digits after the dot are different tone reflects layered on that same depth. 6.46 combines warmer amber and red-mahogany reflects for a Dark Amber Blonde result, while 6.12 combines ash and iridescent-violet reflects for a cooler-looking Cool Dark Blonde — same depth, different undertone.

What developer volume should I use with Framesi hair colour?

For deposit-only colour with grey blending and minimal lift, use a 20 vol activator. For one to two levels of lift alongside grey coverage, use 30 vol. 40 vol gives maximum lift and is generally best handled by an experienced colourist rather than at home, since over-processing at this strength is easy to get wrong.

Can I safely go several shade levels lighter at home?

Going more than one or two levels lighter than your natural colour in a single home application is where most colouring accidents happen — uneven lift, brassy tones, and hair damage. If you want to move from, say, a level 4 to a level 7 or 8, it's safer to do it gradually over more than one session, or with a colourist's help.

Does BigBasket.pk sell genuine Framesi hair colour in Pakistan?

Yes. BigBasket.pk stocks a range of Framesi shades including 6/NP, 7/NP, 5/NP and 6.12, each priced at PKR 1,352, sourced through authorised channels with Cash on Delivery available across Pakistan.

Understanding hair color shades with numbers turns a confusing box wall into an actual shopping decision — pick your depth first, then your tone. Browse the full Framesi range, all 36 shades, with Cash on Delivery across Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and beyond, or see everything we stock at bigbasket.pk/products.