Major Courier Tracking Number Formats
Many carriers use set formats: a UPS 1Z number has 18 characters, a DHL Express waybill has 10 digits, and an international postal item under the UPU S10 standard has 13 characters ending in a country code. Matching the format helps you find the carrier and spot a mistyped number. The example numbers on this page show the format only.
United States Carriers
UPS (United Parcel Service)
Format: 18 characters starting with "1Z"
Pattern: 1Z + [6 alphanumeric shipper number] + [2 service code] + [7 package number] + [1 check digit]
Examples:
- 1Z12345E0205271688
- 1Z12345E1305277940
- 1Z12345E6605272234
Additional Formats:
- UPS Mail Innovations: 22-34 alphanumeric characters (9261290100129790891234)
- UPS Freight (now TForce Freight, sold by UPS in 2021): Starts with "H" + 9 digits (H123456789)
- UPS Ground Saver: Similar to standard but may transfer to USPS
FedEx
FedEx Express: 12 digits or 15 digits
Pattern: All numeric, no letters
Examples:
- 123456789012 (12 digits)
- 123456789012345 (15 digits)
FedEx Ground: 15 digits, usually starts with 96, 02, 03, 04, or other prefixes
Examples:
- 961102098765431
- 020123456789123
FedEx Ground Economy: 22 digits (may transition to USPS)
Example: 9261299998765432100123
A Ground Economy number is a USPS barcode, because USPS makes the final delivery. UPS Mail Innovations uses the same barcode format and the same 9261 prefix, so a 22-digit number cannot be traced to one carrier from its digits alone. The identifier above will not guess at these deliberately; paste one into the universal tracker instead.
USPS (United States Postal Service)
USPS Tracking and Priority Mail: 22 digits: USPS Tracking numbers start with 9400 and Priority Mail numbers with 9205
Examples:
- 9400111899560438600329
- 9205590164917312751089
Priority Mail Express: 22 digits starting with 9270, or 13 characters starting with EA; Priority Mail Express International uses EC
Examples:
- EA123456789US
- EC999999999US
- 9270100000000000000000
Certified Mail: 22 digits starting with 9407
Example: 9407300000000000000000
Registered Mail: 22 digits starting with 9208, or 13 characters starting with RA, RB, RC
Example: RA123456789US
International: 13 characters ending with US
Patterns:
- LP123456789US (Letter Post)
- LK123456789US (Packet)
- CJ123456789US (ePacket to China)
Amazon Logistics
Format: Starts with "TBA" followed by 12 digits
Pattern: TBA + [12 numeric digits]
Examples:
- TBA123456789000
- TBA987654321999
Note: If your Amazon order shows a 1Z number or a 22-digit number instead of a TBA number, another carrier is delivering it; check it against the carrier sections above.
OnTrac
Format: 15 characters starting with "C" or "D"
Pattern: Letter + 14 digits
Examples:
- C12345678901234
- D98765432109876
International Carriers
DHL
DHL Express: 10 digits (most common)
Examples:
- 1234567890
- 9876543210
DHL eCommerce: 13-22 characters starting with GM, LX, RX, or other prefixes
Examples:
- GM123456789012345 (15-19 digits)
- LX123456789US
DHL Global Mail: 13 characters ending with country code
Example: GM123456789US
China Post / ePacket
Format: 13 characters ending with "CN" (China)
Pattern: [2 letters] + [9 digits] + CN
Common Prefixes:
- LP: Letter Post (standard mail)
- LM: Airmail Letter
- CP: Parcel
- CJ: ePacket (faster tracked service)
- LZ: Registered Small Packet
- RB: Registered Parcel
- RF: Registered Small Packet
Examples:
- LP123456789CN
- CJ987654321CN
- RB456789123CN
Royal Mail (UK)
Format: 13 characters ending with "GB" (Great Britain)
Pattern: [2 letters] + [9 digits] + GB
Common Prefixes:
- RG: Registered
- RM: Registered Mail
- JJ: International Tracked & Signed
- LA: Tracked 48
- LE: Special Delivery
Examples:
- RG123456789GB
- JJ987654321GB
Canada Post
Domestic: 16 digits
Example: 1234567890123456
International: 13 characters ending with "CA"
Pattern: [2 letters] + [9 digits] + CA
Examples:
- RA123456789CA
- LK987654321CA
Australia Post
Domestic: 13 digits
Example: 1234567890123
International: 13 characters ending with "AU"
Pattern: [2 letters] + [9 digits] + AU
Examples:
- RB123456789AU
- CP987654321AU
Asian E-commerce Carriers
Yanwen
Format: Starts with "YT" followed by 16 digits
Pattern: YT + [16 numeric digits]
Examples:
- YT1234567890123456
- YT9876543210987654
Note: Common for AliExpress and other Chinese marketplace shipments
4PX Express
Format: 13 characters with country code at end
Pattern: [2 letters] + [9 digits] + [2-letter country code]
Examples:
- RF123456789SG
- LP987654321CN
Alternative: Some 4PX numbers start with "4PX" + 12 digits
Yun Express
Format: Similar to Yanwen, starts with "YT"
Alternative formats: Various alphanumeric combinations
Examples:
- YT1234567890123456
- UY123456789012
India Post / Speed Post
Format: 13 characters, two letters then nine digits then "IN"
Pattern: [2 letters] + [9 numeric digits] + IN
Examples:
- EE123456789IN
- CP987654321IN
What the first two letters mean: EE and EU are domestic Speed Post, EM and EA are international EMS, RX and RA are Registered Post, CP is Express Parcel, PP is a passport consignment.
Note: IN is the country code for India, so a parcel sent to India from elsewhere ends in the sender country's code instead. This follows the same UPU S10 standard as Royal Mail, China Post and Australia Post, which is why the shape looks familiar.
European Carriers
Deutsche Post / DHL Germany
Format: Varies by service
DHL Paket: 12-14 digits or JJD prefix + numbers
Examples:
- 123456789012
- JJD12345678901234
La Poste / Colissimo (France)
Domestic: 13 to 15 characters
Example: 6A12345678901
International: 13 characters ending with "FR"
Pattern: [2 letters] + [9 digits] + FR
Example: RB123456789FR
PostNL (Netherlands)
Format: 13 characters starting with "3S"
Pattern: 3S + [letters and numbers]
Example: 3SABCD1234567
Alternative: RB123456789NL (international format)
Regional & Express Carriers
LaserShip
Format: Starts with "LX" or "LS" followed by 8-10 digits
Examples:
- LX12345678
- LS1234567890
GLS (General Logistics Systems)
Format: 11-13 digits
Examples:
- 12345678901
- 1234567890123
DPD
Format: 14 digits
Example: 12345678901234
Alternative: Varies by country (UK uses different format)
Universal Postal Union (UPU) Format
Most international postal services follow the Universal Postal Union standard format for international tracking:
📮 UPU Standard Format
Pattern: [2 letters] + [9 digits] + [2-letter country code]
Total length: 13 characters
Example: RB123456789US
First 2 Letters indicate service type:
- R: Registered items
- C: Parcels
- E: Express Mail Service (EMS)
- L: Letter-post
- V: Insured letters
Last 2 Letters are ISO country codes:
- US = United States
- CN = China
- GB = United Kingdom
- CA = Canada
- AU = Australia
- DE = Germany
- FR = France
- JP = Japan
Common Tracking Number Patterns
⚠️ Important Tips for Entering Tracking Numbers
- No spaces: Enter tracking numbers without spaces
- Case doesn't usually matter: Most systems accept uppercase or lowercase
- Avoid common mistakes:
- Confusing O (letter) with 0 (zero)
- Confusing I (letter i) with 1 (one)
- Including dashes or special characters
- 24-48 hour activation: Tracking numbers need time to activate in the system
Sample and Test Tracking Numbers
If you have searched a tracking number and found nothing but developer documentation, you have probably found a sample. These are numbers the carriers publish so software engineers can build and test tracking integrations without a real shipment. They look completely genuine, they pass every format check, and no parcel has ever moved under them.
Why 1Z999AA10123456784 appears everywhere
This is the number UPS uses in its own developer documentation, and it has spread from there into tutorials, code samples, test suites and screenshots across the entire web. Every search for it returns the same thing: nothing.
The giveaway is the middle. A UPS 1Z number has 18 characters: 1Z, then 16 more. In this sample the characters after 1Z begin 999AA, and later the digits run 0123456. Repeated characters and sequential digits are the tell.
How to tell a sample from a real number
The same number, spaced out: the 1Z prefix, then 999AA1, then 0123456784. The repeated 9s and the 0123456 run mark it as a documented sample.
- Sequential runs. A number containing
123456or1234567890in order is almost certainly an example. Carriers assign numbers from counters, not in visible sequence. - Repeated characters.
999,000orAAAin a row. - It appears in search results with quotation marks around it. If a search for your exact number returns forum posts and code repositories rather than a carrier page, other people have the same number, which no real consignment ever does.
- It resolves on no carrier site at all. A real number that is simply too new returns "not found" on its own carrier and nothing anywhere else. A sample returns nothing everywhere, permanently.
What it means if a seller gave you one
A seller who sends a sample number has done so for one of three reasons. The seller pasted an example from a template instead of the real number. Their shipping software generated a placeholder because the label failed to create. Or no label was ever bought and the number is a stalling tactic.
None of these resolve on their own. If the number you were sent matches a documented sample, the parcel has not shipped, and waiting will not change that. Go back to the seller and ask for the label image or a screenshot of their carrier account rather than another number. On marketplace orders, a sample tracking number supplied as proof of dispatch is grounds for a claim, because no dispatch took place.
💡 Test numbers are not the same as unrecognised numbers
A brand new tracking number often returns nothing for 24 to 48 hours because the carrier has the label on file but has not scanned the parcel. That is normal and resolves itself at the first scan. A sample number never resolves, no matter how long you wait. The difference is whether the format is one of the published examples above.
Quick Reference Chart
| Carrier | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| UPS | 1Z + 16 chars | 1Z999AA10123456784 |
| FedEx Express | 12 digits | 123456789012 |
| USPS Tracking | 22 digits (9400) | 9400111899560438600329 |
| DHL Express | 10 digits | 1234567890 |
| Amazon | TBA + 12 digits | TBA123456789000 |
| China Post | 13 chars (ends CN) | LP123456789CN |
| Yanwen | YT + 16 digits | YT1234567890123456 |
| Royal Mail | 13 chars (ends GB) | RG123456789GB |
| India Post | 13 chars (ends IN) | EE123456789IN |
📮 UPS
✈️ FedEx Express
🇺🇸 USPS Tracking
📦 DHL Express
🛒 Amazon
🇨🇳 China Post
🚚 Yanwen
🌍 Royal Mail
🇮🇳 India Post
Still Can't Identify Your Carrier?
Use ParcelsZen's universal tracking tool to automatically detect which carrier is handling your package. Enter your tracking number and our system will identify the carrier and retrieve tracking information from 1000+ couriers worldwide.
🔍 Automatic Carrier Detection
If you do not know the carrier, the ParcelsZen tracker:
- ✓ Identifies the carrier from your tracking number
- ✓ Retrieves tracking information from the correct system
- ✓ Displays tracking updates and delivery status
- ✓ Supports 1000+ international carriers
Sources
Official pages this guide relies on, checked in October 2026.
Additional Resources
- Complete Package Tracking Guide - Learn how to track any package
- Tracking Status Definitions - What each status means
- Customs Clearance Guide - Navigate international shipping
- All Supported Carriers - Browse supported couriers
- Track by Marketplace - Find tracking for AliExpress, Amazon, SHEIN, etc.