Ford Order Guides Explained: How Dealers Should Use Them

Ford order guides are some of the most powerful planning tools Ford provides dealers—but they’re often underused or misunderstood. In this guide, we’ll explain what Ford order guides are, where to find them, how they’re structured, and—most importantly—how dealers can use them to plan smarter inventory, navigate model year changeovers, and build units that turn fast.

While Ford occasionally changes naming conventions, formatting, and layout, the core structure and intent of the order guides remain consistent. This article focuses on how to interpret and apply that information effectively, regardless of minor presentation changes.

Where to Find Ford Order Guides?

Ford publishes comprehensive order guides for all Ford and Lincoln vehicle lines, including fleet only options and configurations, to FMC. To access the order guides, log into WBDO and navigate to the Dashboard. Under USEFUL LINKS, there will be links to Ford and Lincoln order guides located on FMC.

Once there, you’ll see links to order guides and price lists for current, previous, and future model years as well as previous versions. Click into the most recent order guide to open the PDF. Ford has updated the current model year order guide three times in the past three months, so frequent checks are recommended for the latest information.

What are Ford Order Guides?

Ford and Lincoln order guides are comprehensive documents published by Ford that detail each vehicle line and its available equipment. They are organized into the following sections, with some variation:

Major Product Changes

This section is usually the first for each vehicle line and explains the changes from the previous model year among the following categories: Series/Equipment Group, Mechanical, Exterior, Interior/Comfort, Safety/Security, Packages, and Functional. Each category will show what is new, what has changed, and what has been deleted or no longer available.

Major Product Changes gives a broad overview of what has changed since last model year for each vehicle line, making it a great resource for planning for model year changeovers.

Standard Equipment

Standard Equipment is located at the beginning of each trim level and shows what comes standard for each Series on a given vehicle line. Knowing what is standard will make sure you get your customers what they need. The categories in this section are the same general categories found in the Major Product Changes section. New product features are also indicated in this section.

Equipment Group

Similar to the Standard Equipment section, there is an Equipment Group section for each ‘Series’ in a given vehicle line. This section shows the main components to consider when building a given unit—standard and available powertrains, packages, options, and premium colors. For each list item, there will be either an I, S, or O, which stand for Included in Equipment Group, Standard Equipment, and Optional, respectively.

You will also see the Option Code for each item in this section, which is the code that represents that option in the Fast Turn report. Fast Turn reports are another tool that is seriously underutilized by dealers.

Functional Equipment

Functional Equipment shows Wheel and Axle Availability (if available) for each vehicle line. On Super Duties (F250-550 Chassis Cab and F250-450 Pickup), standard and available options and alternators by engine are also shown.

It goes without saying that wheels have a big impact on how hot a unit is. Being familiar with the Functional Equipment section will make sure your units turn faster and look better.

Color & Trim Availability

Color & Trim Availability shows the Order Codes and availability of exterior paints and interior trims across a vehicle line’s Series. It does not, however, show what these colors look like. For a quick look at the colors, you can check out the Color and Trim Options link under USEFUL LINKS on WBDO’s dashboard.

Packaged Options/Emissions

The Packaged Options/Emissions section provides details on packages and standard and available Emissions systems. This section is critical for understanding what is included in packages for customers. It will also show configuration requirements. For example, the 2026 F-150 XLT Black Appearance Package is not available on a 4x2 3.5L EcoBoost engine.

The 50-State Emissions System is standard for dealerships located in California, Maine, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington and does come standard with some Series and engines. This section also includes information on Emissions Exemptions, Front License Plate Brackets (which come standard in states requiring two license plates), COV (Certificate of Origin for a Vehicle) Required, and Priced DORA (Dealer Order Receipt Acknowledgement).

Powertrain

The Powertrain section details the Fuel Economy and Horsepower and Torque Ratings for the available powertrains for each vehicle line. For vehicle lines that recently entered a new model year, fuel economy, horsepower, and torque specs may not be listed.

Other Sections

Additional sections are included on some vehicle lines.

• Ford will list national discount packages in the order guides. Right now, there are specific discounts listed for Mustang, Explorer, Bronco Sport and F-150, although the name of these pages may vary.

• Transit—Individual sections for Wall Liner, Legend Interior, Partition, and Shelving.

  • For additional information on Transits, see the Transit Body Decoder section on WBDO’s dashboard under USEFUL LINKS.

• Mustang—Individual sections on Seat Belt colors and Stripe availability.

• Maverick—DIO shows a table of all available DIO (Dealer Installed Options).

• F-150 Lightning, Lincoln Nautilus, Lincoln Corsair, Lincoln Aviator, Lincoln Navigator—Subscription Services shows standard and available subscription services.

Why Ford Order Guides Matter for Dealers

Ford order guides are more than reference documents—they’re strategic tools. When used correctly, they help dealers understand model year changes earlier, avoid ordering mismatched equipment, and build inventory that aligns with what customers want.

The challenge is time and consistency. Order guides change frequently, options shift mid-year, and combining that information with scheduling, allocation, and historical fast turn data is difficult to manage manually.

That’s where Precision comes in. Our analysts use Ford order guides alongside market data and proprietary preview data to identify what’s scheduling, what’s constrained, and which configurations will turn the fastest. With the PIM Portal, you can see and interact with your own inventory data, plan for upcoming wholesales, and make more informed dealer trade decisions—all using your actual data.

If you want to see how this works in practice, reach out for a free demo today.