How to Tell If Jordan 6s Are Fake

To tell an Air Jordan 6 real vs fake, first find out which release you have from the style code on the size tag, then check the pair in the order an authenticator does: the overall shape and side panels, the heel branding, the tongue Jumpman, the lace lock, the perforations, any reflective panels, the size tag and the box label. Every check compares your pair with a genuine Jordan 6 from the same release, because Jordan Brand changes the heel logo, the materials and the tags between retros.

The photos in this guide compare a genuine Carmine pair with Nike Air on the heel with a fake of the same colorway. The same method works for the Infrared, the Olympic and other colorways, and the release table below tells you what your pair should carry.

• Which Jordan 6 Do You Have?
• The Overall Shape
• The Heel: Nike Air or Jumpman
• The Tongue Jumpman
• The Tongue and Lace Slot
• The Lace Lock
• The Perforations
• The Reflective Material
• The Size Tag
• The Box Label
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Where Can I Get My Jordan 6s Authenticated?

Which Jordan 6 Do You Have?

The Air Jordan 6 first came out in 1991 and has been retroed many times under the same colorway names. Each release has its own style code, size tag and box, so a detail that is right on one release can look wrong next to another. Read the style code on the size tag and on the box label first, then compare your pair only with a genuine pair that carries the same code.

Two shoes are often mixed up with the Air Jordan 6. The Jordan 6 Rings is a separate hybrid model, first released in 2008, that borrows parts from several of Michael Jordan's championship shoes, including the Jordan 6 heel loop and lace lock. The Air Jordan 6 Low is a low-cut version with its own shape. Neither should be judged against photos of a high Air Jordan 6.

The Overall Shape

Start with the whole shoe from the side, in daylight, at the same angle as a genuine reference. Ignore the colors in the photo: two pictures are almost never taken under the same light, so a red that looks brighter or darker tells you about the camera, not the shoe.

Look at the rubber heel tab, the spoiler that sticks out at the back. On the pair below, the inlay on the fake's heel tab is shaped differently from the genuine one, so compare the outline of the tab and its inlay with a genuine pair of the same release.

Then look at the stitching along the side panels. On the genuine pair, the stitch line beside the perforations runs flat and straight. On the fake, the same line is wavy and the leather puckers around it. Wandering stitch lines anywhere on the upper are a reason to look closer. A loose thread or a small glue mark on its own is not, because genuine pairs leave the factory with them too.

The Heel: Nike Air or Jumpman

First check which logo your release should have. OG-style retros such as the 2019 Black Infrared and the 2021 Carmine carry Nike Air embroidered on the heel. Many other Jordan 6 retros carry a Jumpman there instead. A Jumpman on the heel is not a fake sign, and neither is Nike Air, as long as it is the logo that release was made with.

Then look at the embroidery itself. On the pair we compared, the fake's Nike Air is heavier: the NIKE letters look bolder and sit closer together, and the letters of AIR are thicker. Judge the stitch density, the letter shapes and the spacing, not the shade of the thread, and compare only with a genuine pair from the same release.

On genuine pairs the small leather piece at the heel usually has two rows of stitching above it, while many fakes show one. The construction can change between releases, so use it only against a genuine pair of the same release.

The Jordan 5 uses a similar Nike Air heel on its OG colorways, and the same embroidery checks apply there. See how to tell if Jordan 5s are fake.

The Tongue Jumpman

The Jumpman on the tongue, below the lace lock, is a reliable check because it is about embroidery and proportions, not color.

On the genuine pair below, the upper arm is smoothly curved and the head is round and clean. The lower arm, the one without the ball, is slim and does not look boxy. On the fake, the upper arm is thicker, the body is less curved and its outline is bumpy, and the head is less smooth. The close-ups show the fake's edges are rougher where the black thread meets the tongue fabric.

The Tongue and Lace Slot

Look at how the laces pass through the tongue. On genuine pairs the lace slot is cut into the tongue itself, while some fakes sew on an extra piece of material to hold the laces. This is not confirmed and may differ by release, so treat it as one more data point.

Check the stitching around the edge of the tongue as well. It should run evenly along the edge, without loose ends or places where the line wanders.

The Lace Lock

The Air Jordan 6 has a molded lace lock, the toggle at the top of the laces. Compare its shape and the logo printed on it with a genuine pair of the same release. In the photo above, the fake's lace lock looks slimmer than the genuine one and its print is placed differently.

Do not judge the laces or the lace lock by their color. Shades change with the light and the camera, and lace sets differ between releases, so a lace that looks a little different is not a fake sign by itself.

Also Read: How to Tell If Jordan 4s Are Fake

The Perforations

The Jordan 6 has rows of small holes on the side panels and on the toe. On a genuine pair they are evenly spaced and the same size. On fakes, look for uneven spacing, holes of different sizes, or holes that run off the line of the panel.

In the side close-up of the first photo, the genuine holes sit in tidy rows next to a straight stitch line. The fake's holes are spread less evenly beside its wavy stitching.

The Reflective Material

Most Jordan 6 colorways have no reflective material at all, so a pair that does not shine under a flash is not a fake for that reason. Some releases do use 3M reflective panels, for example the Reflections of a Champion, which has an all-over reflective upper.

Check whether your release should have reflective parts, and where, from the release table and official photos. Then check that they are in the right places. Do not judge a pair by how strongly the reflective parts shine, because that depends on the light and the camera.

The Size Tag

The size tag sewn inside the tongue or collar is the busiest label on a pair of Jordans. It shows the size in several systems, the country of manufacture, the style code, a UPC barcode, a short factory code and two dates. Nike has never said what the two dates mean. They are often read as the production window, but that is not confirmed, so treat them only as a rough check that they suit the release. Tags printed from around 2019 often add a QR code, and many genuine older tags have a barcode only. Counterfeiters copy genuine tags field by field, so a tag that agrees with itself shows the label is consistent, not that the shoes are real.

The size tag on a Jordan 6

Check that the style code on the tag matches your release in the table above, for example CT8529-106 for a 2021 Carmine. Then look at the printing: text that is smudged, misspelled or misaligned is a strong reason to look closer. Print weight changes between factories, so compare it only with a genuine tag from the same release. For what the QR code and the UPC can and cannot show, see what a Nike QR code and UPC can show.

If your tag has a QR, two details help here. The qr.nike.com page opens the same way for any code in the right format, even one that was never printed on a shoe, so a scan that works says nothing about the pair. And the 13-character code beside the QR uses digits and letters but never the letters I, L, O or U. Nike's own server rejects a code that contains one of them, and a fake tag can print such a code. If you read one of those letters, look again in good light, because a smudged 1 or 0 is easy to misread, then check the code in our Nike and Jordan code checker.

On the genuine Jordan tags we read, both dates fell before the pair's release, the later one by two to five months. Dates that start after the release are a question for the seller, because restocked pairs can carry later dates. Fakes copy the dates of genuine tags too, so dates that fit the release prove nothing alone.

Recent genuine tags also print a patent line, "This product is covered by one or more patents: www.nike.com/patentsvirtualmarking". A fake tag can get that line wrong, so its spelling is one of the things an authenticator compares. Older tags are laid out differently, so a pair without the line is not a fake for that reason.

The Box Label

The label on the end of a Jordan box repeats the shoe's details: the model name, the style code, the size, the colorway and a UPC barcode, and recent labels add a QR code. On a genuine pair in its own box, the UPC on the label matches the one on the size tag, while the box QR carries a different code from the tag QR. A second barcode sticker from a resale platform is normal, and so is a regional label on pairs sold in Asia. Box labels are the easiest part to reprint, so compare fonts and spacing only against a genuine box from the same release. A missing or replacement box is not a sign of a fake.

A barcode that scans proves little. Fakes print real Nike UPCs, and a fake barcode passes the barcode's own check digit too. A label can also print a real Nike barcode that belongs to another shoe or size, which is why the barcode, the style code and the size must agree. So check that the UPC on the tag matches the box, then that the number belongs to your style code and size. Recent tags print 14 digits starting with 00 after "UPC", and the box prints 12 digits plus a small two-digit add-on, so drop the add-on and the leading zeros before you compare.

The Jordan 6 box

The box design changes from one Jordan 6 release to the next, so compare the box only with a genuine box of the same release. On a pair in its original box, the style code and the size on the label should match the size tag inside the shoe.

A genuine label does not prove a genuine shoe either. In 2025, police in Shanghai broke up a gang that had sold about 3,400 pairs of sneakers built from genuine and fake parts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should my Jordan 6 heel say Nike Air or show a Jumpman?

It depends on the release. OG-style retros such as the 2019 Black Infrared and the 2021 Carmine have Nike Air on the heel, and many other retros have a Jumpman. Check which one your release was made with (see The Heel). Either logo can be genuine.

Are Jordan 6 Rings real Jordans?

Yes. The Jordan 6 Rings is a genuine Jordan Brand model, but it is not an Air Jordan 6. It is a hybrid, first released in 2008, that combines parts of several Air Jordans. Check it against a genuine Jordan 6 Rings, not against an Air Jordan 6.

Do Jordan 6s run true to size?

The Air Jordan 6 usually fits close to true to size, with a roomy toe box, so some buyers go half a size down. Fit is not an authenticity check, so do not use it to judge a pair.

How do I check an Infrared Jordan 6?

Find the release first. The 2019 Black Infrared is 384664-060, the 2026 Reverse Infrared is CT8529-001 and the 2026 White/Infrared is CT8529-105. Then run the same checks as in this guide, against a genuine pair with the same style code.

Is there a serial number or QR code check for Jordan 6s?

No. Jordans have no serial number a buyer can look up, and the QR code on newer tags opens a Nike page, not an authenticity check. See The Size Tag for what the codes do show, and why Jordans have no serial number for the full answer.

How old are Jordan 6s?

The Air Jordan 6 was first released in 1991. Since then it has come back in many retros and new colorways, which is why the release year matters so much when you check a pair.

Where Can I Get My Jordan 6s Authenticated?

When checking a Jordan 6, the most common flaws on fakes are:

• The wrong heel logo for the release, or heavy, bold Nike Air embroidery.
• A thick, bumpy tongue Jumpman with a thick upper arm and a rough head.
• Wavy side stitching and unevenly spaced perforations.
• A differently shaped heel tab or lace lock.
• Reflective panels on a release that should not have them, or missing ones on a release that should.
• A style code on the tag or box that does not match the release.

If you are still unsure after these checks, send clear photos of both shoes from the side, the heel, the tongue Jumpman, the lace lock, the size tag inside each shoe and the box label. LegitGrails authenticates Jordan from photos you upload, with results in under 30 minutes and a digital certificate with every order.

If your Jordan 6s fail any of these steps, send photos to our Jordan authentication service.