Pilates Spring Colors: How Elina, Peak and BASI Differ

A yellow spring on one reformer is the light spring. On another it is the standard working load. Color codes are set by each manufacturer rather than by any shared chart. Here is how the three brands we offer label their springs and what that means when you teach on them or order parts.

Do spring colors mean the same thing on every reformer?

No. Each maker picks its own colors, so the same color can sit at different points on the resistance scale. Green is the medium spring on an Elina reformer but the extra light spring at Peak. Yellow is light at Elina and standard at Peak. A color only makes sense next to that brand's own chart.

Peak Pilates: four tensions, one length

Peak uses the same scheme on its Metal Line and Studio Wood Line reformers. Green is extra light, blue is light, yellow is standard and red is heavy. Every one of those reformer springs measures 19.5 in, so length tells you nothing about load. The colored finish is the only guide.

A standard Peak reformer set is one red, two yellow and two blue, which is how the casa, fit, MVe and Artistry are configured. Tower springs follow their own pattern. The Studio Wood Line leg spring, for example, comes in yellow standard or red heavy at 24.5 in.

Elina Pilates: red, green and yellow

Elina keeps its reformer chart to three colors. Red is strong, green is medium and yellow is light. Five spring models such as the Nubium, Lignum, HL line and Club carry two red, two green and one yellow. Six spring studio machines such as the Elite, Master Instructor and Mentor add a second yellow.

Elina towers use the same colors with length added. The HL and Lignum towers come with short and long springs in light yellow and medium green, two of each. The Classic 86 in reformers are the exception, running a set of four classic style springs instead of the color scheme above.

How does BASI label its springs?

BASI uses six options: short springs in yellow, blue, red and black, plus long springs in yellow and purple. Its reformers leave the factory with three red, one blue and one yellow. BASI also x-rays springs during manufacture as a quality check. Its colors do not map onto the Peak or Elina charts.

Other BASI apparatus mixes the same palette in different counts:

• Reformer with Tower: three red, one blue and one yellow on the carriage, then two yellow, two long yellow, two blue and two red on the tower.
• Reformer Combo: the same tower set plus two black and two purple for trapeze work.
• Wunda Chair: two yellow and two black.

Can you swap springs between brands by color?

You should not. A red Peak spring and a red BASI spring are made to separate specifications for separate machines, so the color match tells you nothing about the load. Fitting the wrong one changes what a client feels from one session to the next. Order replacements by brand, model and color from that maker's own list.

In a studio with more than one brand, label spring storage by machine and keep each maker's chart posted beside its equipment. That habit prevents more mix-ups than memorizing colors ever will.

See each maker's reformers and spring sets in Elina Pilates, Peak Pilates and BASI Systems.