Moen Cartridge Identification: 1222, 1225B, 1200, or 1255? [2026]

Ordering the wrong Moen cartridge means a wasted hardware-store trip and — if you’ve already shut off the water — a house with no running faucet while you wait for the right part to arrive. Moen cartridge identification comes down to four methods: visible brand marks, hidden labels and under-trim clues, Moen’s own lookup tools, and — as a last resort — matching the cartridge shape itself. This article walks each method in order from least invasive to most hands-on, then gives you a decision tree so you can land on the right cartridge number before you buy.

Method 1: Check Visible Brand Marks First

The fastest path — no tools required — is to confirm the brand from the visible trim before assuming anything about the cartridge.

Moen, Delta, Kohler, Pfister, and American Standard all place logos on exposed parts. For sink and kitchen faucets, inspect the handle cap (the decorative disc on top), the front or back of the spout, the base ring, the deck plate, and the aerator face. The logo is often embossed or stamped — check in good light with a flashlight if the finish makes it hard to read.

For tub and shower systems, inspect the escutcheon face (the plate behind the handle), the handle cap, the tub spout, the shower arm flange, and the shower head. One important caution: don’t assume the shower head brand proves the valve brand. Shower heads are commonly replaced independently of the valve, so a Delta shower head may be covering a Moen rough-in valve. Identify the valve — not the shower head — before ordering any valve parts.

Once you confirm Moen trim, move to Method 3 to narrow down the cartridge model. If the logo is worn, missing, or ambiguous, Method 2 surfaces hidden evidence.

Method 2: Look Under the Sink and Behind the Trim

There’s a second layer of identification markings hidden from normal view — under the sink for faucets, and under the trim plate for shower valves.

Under-sink labels for faucets

Grab a flashlight and a phone camera and look under the sink. The most useful spots are the underside of the spout shank (the vertical tube through the deck), the mounting bracket or nut, any supply-line tag or pull-down hose tag, and labels stuck to the underside of the deck plate. On touch-activated or electronic faucets, check the control box — it often carries the model and SKU.

Delta’s registration materials ask for model number, SKU, purchase date, and serial number. Photograph any label you find before it gets wet or the adhesive fails — a model number photographed today is a lookup completed tonight.

Under-trim markings for shower valves

For tub and shower systems, the model often can’t be read from visible trim alone. Home Depot’s faucet repair guide directs homeowners to remove the handle, then remove the faceplate behind the handle, then photograph the valve body, retaining clip, stem shape, sleeve, and any stamped or cast letters on the brass.

One strong visual cue to look for once the trim is off — the handle motion pattern. A Moen Posi-Temp valve has a rotate-only shower handle that moves from the 6 o’clock off position toward the 9 o’clock full-hot position, with no in/out pull. Moen support confirmed this motion as the Posi-Temp identification cue. If your shower handle rotates on that arc and can’t be pulled forward or pushed back, you almost certainly have a Posi-Temp valve, which takes the 1222 cartridge.

If the Moen valve is an M-CORE system — a multi-output, multi-port valve rather than the standard single-handle Posi-Temp — Moen support is explicit: the M-CORE U232CIS configuration uses a 1213 valve cartridge plus a 200758 diverter cartridge, not a 1222. Installing a 1222 in an M-CORE slot won’t seat correctly. The valve type must be confirmed before ordering.

Packaging, manuals, and purchase records

Don’t overlook paper records. Kohler and Delta both list packaging, literature, specification sheets, and receipts as valid model-identification sources. If your house came with a builder packet, an invoice from a renovation, or an online order history from Home Depot, the model number may already be there — searchable directly into any manufacturer’s parts tool.

Method 3: Use the Manufacturer’s Own Lookup Tool

Once you have a brand name or partial model number, each manufacturer maintains a parts lookup that turns a clue into a confirmed cartridge number.

Moen (moen.com/customer-support): Search by product name or model number. If the model is unknown, use “Identify My Product.” Moen also exposes Faucet Finder, Cartridge Replacement, and Parts Finder links directly in support navigation. The tool works best when you can supply a model number, a clear fixture photo, or a visible cartridge family — it’s weaker when replacement trim has been installed over an older rough-in valve.

Delta (deltafaucet.com/service-parts/find-parts-and-identify-product): Enter the product model number if known, or use the category and issue tools — Delta’s parts tool includes issue flows for leaks, handles, hoses, tub/shower cartridges, and common parts. Delta’s registration form accepts model, SKU, purchase date, purchase source, and serial number for service cases, so registration records are useful here.

Kohler (kohler.com/en/support/find-a-service-part): Identify the product, pull up the parts diagram for your model, and confirm the cartridge against the diagram illustration. Kohler also offers KOHLER Scout, a photo-upload identification tool, but Kohler labels it as beta — verify any Scout result against the official parts diagram before ordering.

Pfister (pfisterfaucets.com/parts-support/replacement-parts): Select a replacement category (cartridges, handles, hoses, spouts) or enter the model number. Pfister’s warranty workflow asks for model number, purchase date, proof of purchase, and problem description, so a model tag or receipt is the key input.

American Standard (americanstandard-us.com): Navigate the parts-store by fixture type — bathroom sink faucets, kitchen faucets, shower systems, bathtub and shower trim, toilet parts. American Standard product model numbers include finish suffixes such as 7426801.002 — the digits before and after the decimal both matter when matching trim to parts.

Method 4: Match the Cartridge Itself

If visible marks, hidden labels, and lookup tools all fail — or if you’ve inherited a faucet with no records — the old cartridge becomes its own evidence.

Home Depot’s faucet repair guide confirms that cartridges and stems come in many shapes and sizes, and that the old cartridge or stem can be taken to the store and matched with a reference guide when the model is unknown. For Moen specifically, the four main cartridge families are visually distinct:

• Moen 1200 — brass body, single-handle, replaces cartridges installed before 1990
• Moen 1222 — Posi-Temp pressure-balanced shower cartridge, rotate-only valve
• Moen 1225B — single-handle replacement for leaks and drips, the common mid-era faucet cartridge (1990–2009)
• Moen 1255 — Duralast single-handle cartridge, replaces cartridges installed after 2009

To access the cartridge, remove the handle (typically one screw under the handle cap) and pull the cartridge with a cartridge puller or channel-lock pliers. Photograph the cartridge body, retaining clip shape, and stem before taking it anywhere or ordering online. Once you have a clear photo, use the free Repair Finder to match your cartridge to the correct Moen replacement before purchasing.

Moen Cartridge Identification: The Decision Tree

For Moen specifically, the right cartridge follows installation era and valve type — because Moen’s own product pages confirm which cartridge fits which situation:

1. Is this a shower-only valve with a rotate-only handle (6 o’clock off → 9 o’clock full hot, no in/out pull)? – Yes → Confirm Posi-Temp → Moen 1222 – Not sure → Continue

2. Is the valve an M-CORE system (multi-output, multi-port shower valve)? – Yes → Not the 1222. Use the 1213 valve cartridge + 200758 diverter cartridge. Check your Moen M-CORE installation sheet. – No → Continue

3. Is this a single-handle kitchen or bath faucet? – Yes → Determine installation era

4. Installation era (single-handle faucets): – Before 1990 → Moen 1200 (brass body) – 1990 to 2009 → Moen 1225B – After 2009 → Moen 1255 (Duralast) – Era unknown → Pull the old cartridge and compare shape against the lineup image above, or take it to Home Depot for a visual match

5. Still unclear? – Use Moen’s “Identify My Product” at moen.com/customer-support, or call Moen support with any visible marks, handle behavior, or photos of the valve area.

For Delta shower valves with a single-handle MultiChoice Universal trim produced after March 2006, the most common cartridge is the RP46074 (Monitor 13/14 Series pressure-balanced cartridge). For Kohler, Pfister, and American Standard, the manufacturer’s parts diagram is the most reliable path — shape-matching alone is not sufficient for those brands.

Quick Reference: Moen and Major Brand Cartridge Cheat Sheet

What’s Next After Identification

Once you’ve confirmed the cartridge number, the replacement itself is a manageable DIY job for most single-handle Moen faucets. For the 1225B — the most common — see How to Replace a Moen 1225 Cartridge for a step-by-step walkthrough including the retaining clip removal, cartridge orientation, and reassembly sequence.

If you’re still unsure whether your faucet is Moen at all, start with How to Identify Your Faucet Brand to confirm the brand before drilling down to the cartridge number. And if you want the full context on what goes wrong with a single-handle faucet, the Faucet Repair hub covers every problem type in the cluster.

If the cartridge is stuck, the retaining clip is corroded, or you have reason to think the valve body is damaged — that’s where a plumber earns their service fee before you risk a worse outcome.

When to Call a Plumber

Call a plumber when:

• The shower cartridge is stuck and won’t pull out with normal pressure — a stuck cartridge can crack the valve body if forced, turning a $25 repair into a full valve replacement
• The retaining clip is corroded and can’t be removed cleanly
• The valve body shows visible damage, pitting, or heavy scale deposits around the cartridge seat
• This is the only working bath in the house and you need a guaranteed same-day fix
• You’ve already bought two wrong cartridges and can’t confirm what you have

HomeAdvisor’s plumber cost data puts hourly rates at $45 to $200, service call fees at $100 to $250, and trip fees at $50 to $300. For a short identification call where a plumber confirms your valve type and either replaces the cartridge on the spot or gives you the correct part number, budget roughly $100 to $250 before parts — often less than the cost of repeated wrong cartridges and shipping delays. If the valve body itself is damaged or parts for an obsolete fixture are unavailable, HomeAdvisor puts faucet and fixture replacement at $150 to $600 depending on fixture type and local labor.

Sources

• Moen Customer Support — Identify My Product, Faucet Finder, Cartridge Replacement, Parts Finder
• Home Depot — Moen 1222 Posi-Temp Shower Cartridge (product page and Moen support Q&A)
• Home Depot — Moen 1225B Single-Handle Replacement Cartridge
• Home Depot — Moen 1200 Brass Single-Handle Cartridge
• Home Depot — Moen 1255 Duralast Cartridge
• Delta Find Parts and Identify Your Product
• Delta RP46074 MultiChoice Universal 13/14 Series Cartridge
• Delta Product Registration — model, SKU, serial, purchase date fields
• Kohler Service and Replacement Parts — Scout photo ID and parts diagrams
• Pfister Replacement Parts — category-based and model-number lookup
• American Standard Products and Parts Store
• Home Depot — How to Fix a Leaky Faucet (cartridge matching, shower disassembly)
• HomeAdvisor — How Much Does a Plumber Cost?

Educational content only. Not a substitute for licensed professional advice. Local plumbing codes vary by jurisdiction. Use of any guidance from this guide is at your own risk.

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