Even as new models continue to be released, Shimano stays consistent with the brake pad shapes that they use. Over the last decade less than a handful of styles have been used making it quite simple to figure out which pad you need when it is time to replace them.
If you are looking to replace your pads, use the chart and images below to make a match to what you have. If you have a four piston caliper it should be quite easy to make that match, while two piston calipers introduce a few more options.
If you know the model number of your caliper (i.e. BR-M8120) you can also use that to figure out which pad you need. Open each product page and review the list or part numbers in the Compatibility section.
Shimano Brake Pad Compatibility Chart
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| Caliper Pistons | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Type | D/H/N | M03/M04 | G/J | K/L | A | B |
| Genre | Mountain Bike | Mountain Bike | Mountain Bike | Road/Gravel | Mountain Bike | Many |
| Compatible Part Numbers | H03A, H03C, D02S, D03S, N03A, N04C | M03, M04 | J03A, J04C, J05A, G05A, G04S, G03A, G03S, G04Ti, G02A, J02A, G01S, G01A | K04S, K04Ti, K05Ti, L04C, L02A, L03A, K03Ti, K03S, K02S | A10S, M06, M06Ti, M07, M07S, M07Ti | B01S |
| Buy New Pads | Shop | Shop | Shop | Shop | Shop | Shop |
Four Piston Shimano Brake Pads
There are two types of Shimano four piston pads, but if your brakes are from the last decade you’ll more than likely need the D/H/N-type pad.
Shimano D, H, and N-type pad
This style is Shimano’s modern 4-piston brake pad. The letter designates if the pad is available from Shimano with fins or not. A D-type pad has no fins and a N-type pad has fins. H-type pads are the predecessor to the N-type. None of that matters too much as they are all cross-compatible and any pad that is the same shape will fit in your caliper.
Shop Shimano D, H, and N-type pads
Shimano M03 and M04 pads
These are the older style 4-piston pads that were used on the Shimano M755 and M756 calipers that were available in 2003 and earlier.
Shop Shimano M03 and M04 style pads
Two Piston Shimano Brake Pads
Shimano has more options for 2-piston brake pads, but still keep it quite simple with one common option for mountain bike calipers and another common option for road and gravel calipers.
Shimano G and J-Type Pads
These are the most common 2-piston pads for Shimano mountain bike brakes. As with the 4-piston caliper the letter designates whether or not the original pad came with or without fins. For these, G-type pads have no fins while J-type pads do.
Shop Shimano G and J-type pads
Shimano K and L-Type Pads
The K-type and L-type pads are for Shimano’s smaller road and gravel calipers, like Ultegra, Dura-Ace, and GRX. The K-type pads originally came with no fins like the L-type pads do.
Shop Shimano K and L-type pads
Shimano B-type Pads
The B-type pad was typically used in older Deore brakes or in their entry level brakes like Altus and Acera. These pads are also compatible with some Tektro models, like Auriga, Aries, and Aquila.
Shimano A-type Pads
If you’re following along, you may recognize that as we get closer to the beginning of the alphabet, the pad design gets older. Well, here we are with the A-type pad which is for Shimano brakes prior to 2011. This pad was used in a wide range of calipers, including classics like Hone and LX, so check the compatibility list on the product listing page to see if these are what you need.