Quick answer
You can usually name the brand in a few minutes, often without removing the cartridge. Go from least effort to most and stop as soon as you're sure.
1. Look for a logo or model number (no tools)
- Check the handle cap, the handle base, and the edge or bottom of the escutcheon (the round or oval wall plate) for a logo.
- Look for paperwork, the original box, or a receipt. A model number settles it. Glacier Bay tub/shower models, for example, often start with
HD873Xor873W. - No logo doesn't mean no brand. Trim gets swapped, and generic retrofit plates are common.
2. Work the handle
How the handle moves narrows things down right away. This is how the makers themselves sort their valves:
| Handle action | Where it points |
|---|---|
| Rotates only, single handle | Moen Posi-Temp (1222) or M-Core 2 series; Delta 13/14 or 1300/1400 single function; Pfister 0X8 pressure-balance |
| Pull out to turn on, rotate for temperature | Moen Standard or Moentrol (1225); Pfister Avante 0X9 (974-292) |
| Two controls on one trim: volume and temperature set separately | Delta 17 series or 1700 (dual function); Moen M-Core 3 series has push/pull volume with rotating temperature |
This list isn't complete. Other brands use the same motions, so use it to narrow your options, then confirm with the steps below.
3. Take the handle and escutcheon off (water off first)
Shut off the water supply to the valve. Cover the drain so screws and clips can't fall in.
- Stamps on the brass valve body. Pfister names its bodies by stamped codes such as 0X8, JX8, VB8, JV8 and 0X9.
- A clip vs a nut. Moen 1222/1225 cartridges are held by a clip that slides through the top of the brass body. Delta Monitor cartridges sit under a large bonnet nut. Kohler Rite-Temp has a black cap held by a metal collar and two screws.
- Markings on the cartridge. Moen 1222: "H&C" tab. Delta 13/14: the words "Hot Side". Kohler regulator: "COLD", and "UP" or a tab on the cap.
- Cap colors (Delta). Delta's reference sheet shows a white upper housing on RP19804, gray on RP46074 and the 17 series RP46463, and brass/black on the 17T RP47201.
- Escutcheon screw layout (Moen). Moen's own chart identifies Standard, Moentrol and Posi-Temp valves partly by how the escutcheon screws are placed. Compare your plate with the photos on Moen's page (linked in Sources).
4. Pull the cartridge only if you have to
If you've narrowed it to a couple of candidates, take the old cartridge to the store and match it in person, or measure it (length and width) and compare with the sizes on our part pages. Don't force a cartridge that doesn't fit; see wrong cartridge jammed.
Next step by brand
Sources
Fetched and checked 2026-10-21. Part numbers change; confirm against your own valve and the maker before buying.
- Moen Solutions: Faucet Cartridges: Shower
- Moen Solutions: Single Handle Shower: PosiTemp Valve (valve and handle style steps)
- Delta Cartridge Summary Reference Sheet (retailer-hosted PDF)
- The Home Depot Q&A for Pfister S74-292 (Pfister answers on 0X8 vs 0X9 valves)
- Pfister: 974-0420 (valve body codes 0X8/JX8/VB8/JV8)
- Kohler GP77759 service kit instructions (retailer-hosted PDF)
- Kohler: Identifying Single-Control Shower Valves
- The Home Depot: Glacier Bay RP90154 (model numbers)
- Delta support: RP46074 removal (bonnet nut, "Hot Side"); read through a search-index copy because the direct fetch failed
