Best Caps for Graffiti Spray Paint

Spray paint has evolved drastically since its introduction into the world of graffiti over 50 years ago. In the last 20 years, the American spray paint market exploded in options that have taken quality and control to a new level. With that came dozens of options for spray caps: some great, others good for only novel uses.

Today’s modern graffiti stylewriters use a wide variety of spray paint caps, some are even known for techniques executed with particular caps. Picking the right cap for your personal style can be daunting, so we made a list of today’s best caps for graffiti spray paint (caps for: Montana, Belton, Ironlak, MTN, Loop, etc) to help you navigate the market. Keep in mind no cap is a replacement for can control, but experimenting with different nozzles is a great way to expand on your techniques. 

Here’s our list of Graffiti/street art Caps You Should Know About, ordered by widest to thinnest:

Fat Caps

Astro Fat Caps are the largest circular spray pattern caps on the market, capable of producing up to a 5” width footprint. These spray paint caps have many great uses due to their unique output. It can create the largest handstyles possible with a round tip, capable of flares that taper down to a fine point (or the other way around). Unsanctioned aerosol artists love the Astro Fat Cap for its ability to fill in large areas of color very fast. And modern style masters have found unique ways to integrate the Astro Fat Cap’s lines into their pieces.

The only downside, these caps dump paint fast…or is that an upside?

We’ll give a full breakdown once we restock these. More to come on one of our favorite, hard-to-find gem of a cap.

The Red Calligraphy (Transversal) Fat Cap has become the best-kept secret among today’s best writers. This wide fan/calligraphy, often adjusted to a vertical position, can cut your fill in time into a fraction of what it was before.

Being the cleanest adjustable chisel tip style cap (yet 2nd largest), the Red Calligraphy Fat Cap can allow you to create very unique handstyles. The obvious use is blackletter, calligraphic, or sign painting-inspired letters; but there’s a big opportunity to innovate new styles with this cap.

The Pink Dot Fat Cap is a classic favorite for style writers across the world. It has a smaller spray signature than the Astro Fat Cap, but with some can control you can create very similar lines. 

This cap is another favorite for the unsanctioned writer, as it offers the perfect mix of high output at a controllable pace. Ideal for those conscious of optimizing their paint usage but also in a rush. The Pink Dot Fat Cap is perfect for large handstyles and can be clean enough for wide, chunky outlines.

*Comes in white and green (Montana Level 6 Cap)

The Orange Dot Fat Cap produces a medium-sized circular spray pattern. Its spray footprint is slightly larger than a New York Fat Cap and produces a much more uniformed shape than its predecessor. Great for outlining throwies and ideal for conserving paint when filling in when you have a bit more time to spray. The Orange Dot Fat Cap’s output delivers great control of your paint supply while giving you solid coverage.

The Orange Dot Fat Cap is also great for handstyles.

*Comes in black, white, and green.

The New York Fat Cap is a classic cap that rose to fame in the early days of graffiti for its compatibility with old Krylon spray paint and like-valves. The cap has stood the test of time, working very well on European and Asian valve systems. Its spray footprint is not exactly circular giving it the nickname of “softball caps.” 

The flare tag really flourished with this cap in the early 90s and is still the choice cap for many street kings today. We know some can control masters who paint full-on wildstyle burners with this cap alone because of its width and versatility in line weight. Its unique stem makes it a good cap for attempting to clear clogged cans.

Unfortunately, the New York Fat Cap and the Lego Outline Cap mold have been compromised and we will soon see the end of this cherished workhorse of a cap. Stock up while you can, these legendary spray paint caps will be gone soon.

Outline Caps

The Euro Outline Kap is one of the newest caps on the market and a favorite for anyone who uses it. Rumor has it, a European style master went to the spray valve factory and tried out every possible combination of caps, inserts, and stem cuts to find the perfect cap for outlining…and this was it.

Not to be confused with the Gray Dot Thin Cap, these Euro Outline Kaps have a much more solid, defined line. Their insert is also darker than the Gray Dot Thin Cap, almost an anthracite gray.

With some practice, this cap can create clean thin to medium-sized lines, perfect for outlining and details. It has the ability to create lines that taper down to a crispy point and is great for adding details and tech in tight areas. For writers accustomed to this hood type, its pressure control is unmatched.

If it has one downside, this cap clogs a little faster than other outline caps.

The Universal Outline Cap came out around the early 2000s and got its name for its ability to fit American spray paint valves (Rustoleum and Krylon before the valve change) and European valves. The Universal Outline Cap is different from most caps and has the ability to create a very clean and consistent width outline even if you may vary slightly with your distance to the wall. 

We know some kings who are religious about the Universal Outline Cap, using it exclusively for outlines, tech details, backgrounds, and characters.

The Lego Outline Cap has only been around for the last decade but is one of the most popular caps on the market. It has the body of the classic New York Fat Cap, but the output is closer to a Universal Outline Cap. 

Lego Outlines Caps have a more direct output than other hood types, making them a great cap for beginners who don’t always keep the same distance from the wall.

Unfortunately, the Lego Outline Cap is soon going out of stock due to a compromised mold. Stock up now.

The Level 1 Thin Cap is one of the newest caps on the nozzle market but is soon becoming one of the choice caps for style writers across the globe. Created by Montana Germany as the smallest offering in their 6-level cap system, and so far one of the most useful in the line (the level 6 cap is a recolored Pink Dot Fat Cap, which we already went over how rad that guy is). 

The Level 1 Thin Cap can produce medium to thin lines in both solid and soft spray patterns. These caps can be great for outlines, details, and even photorealism. The downside to this versatility is it may take some time to get used to this cap. 

Recommended for medium to high-pressure paint like Montana Black, MTN Hardcore, Ironlak, Flame, Dang, etc

The Hardcore Thin Cap is a fairly recent addition to the nozzle market. It utilizes the same hood type as a Universal Outline Cap but with an insert that creates a more direct spray pattern. Its width is also a bit smaller than the Universal Outline Cap.

We recommend the Hardcore Thin Cap for writers whose outlines are on the thinner, more precise side. Also great for details and illustrative characters as it is the thinnest cap of this body type. 

Black Skinny Pro Cap is one of our staff favorites and a staple spray paint cap “in our bag.” The Pro Cap hood style produces caps that are very versatile with the ability to create crispy or soft lines in an instant. The Black Skinny Pro is great for style writers with slightly thinner outlines and unique technical styles.

This cap really shines when paired with low pressure paint like Montana Gold, Belton Molotow, MTN 94, Ironlak, Flame Blue, etc. The throughput of this cap with low pressure is the perfect marriage and is probably the thin cap that is least likely to clog on you. Not recommended for high-pressure paint unless you let out a bunch of air.

Detailing Caps

The Gray Dot Thin Cap, aka the “Maclaim Cap,” is one of the most ideal caps for creating photorealistic art, characters, and details. Rumor has it, the Maclaim Crew worked with the valve factory to find the best caps for their crew’s specialty: photorealism. These unique spray paint caps were made for art.

The Grey Dot Thin Cap creates a small soft footprint making it great for producing tiny flares/fades in tight places. The hood type gives it a good bit of range as well, and with some can control you can create a wide variety of line widths and micro gradients. 

Style master and a key innovator of the bevel technique, Eaz One, use the Grey Dot Thin Cap heavily in his wildstyle process. Many are known to outline, detail, and 3d with this thin cap.

Grey Dot Thin Caps do clog a little faster than higher output caps, so it is recommended to clear out your caps often by turning cans upside down and pressing the nozzle till no paint comes out. You should also wipe the cap down often.

The Gold Dot Thin Cap can produce the thinnest lines available on a standard cap. With some can control, this cap can create lines 1cm thick. A great cap for writers with super technical details dealing in letter styles, portraits, and characters.

Due to its output and the nature of aerosol spray paint, this cap does clog fairly quickly. Like the Grey Dot Thin Caps, it is recommended to clear out your caps often by turning cans upside down and pressing the nozzle till no paint comes out. You should also wipe the cap down often.