---
title: "Tracking Number Identifier: Which Carrier? | Honey Parcels"
description: "Paste a tracking number to see which carrier format it matches (UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL, Royal Mail and other posts) and whether its check digit is right."
url: https://honeyparcels.shop/tracking-number-identifier/
---

# Tracking number identifier

Which carrier does this number belong to, and was it typed correctly? Checked offline, from the number's pattern and check digit alone.

## What it checks

Carriers number parcels in their own patterns, and most add a check digit: a last digit worked out from the others, so that a mistyped number can be spotted. The identifier matches each number against known patterns and recalculates the check digit. It never contacts a carrier, so it can't tell you whether a parcel exists or where it is.

- International post (UPU S10, used by Royal Mail, USPS and many other posts): two letters, eight digits, a check digit and the country code, as in RB123456785GB.
- UPS: 18 characters starting 1Z.
- USPS: 22 or 26 digits starting 92 to 95, sometimes after a 420 + ZIP routing code.
- FedEx: 12 or 15 digits, or 22 digits starting 96. DHL Express: 10-digit waybill numbers.

**Got a text about a parcel?** Messages saying a parcel is held until you pay a small fee, with a link to tap, are a familiar scam pattern, so never enter card details from one. To see where such a link leads without opening it on your phone, use [WebTraceCheck's disposable cloud browser](https://webtracecheck.com/): it runs on an isolated desktop that is deleted after each session.

## Sources

- Universal Postal Union, [UPU standards](https://www.upu.int/en/postal-solutions/programmes-services/standards): S10, the 13-character identifier for postal items and its check digit.
- USPS, [Publication 199](https://postalpro.usps.com/pub199): Intelligent Mail package barcode (IMpb) formats.
- Jeff Keen and contributors, [tracking_number_data](https://github.com/jkeen/tracking_number_data) (MIT licence): documented patterns, check-digit methods and test numbers for UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL and others, used to verify this tool.

## Questions

**The check digit is right. Does that mean my parcel is real?**

No. It only means the number is well formed. Anyone can make up a number that passes; only the carrier knows whether a parcel exists.

**Why can a number match more than one format?**

Some patterns overlap, such as all-digit numbers of the same length. The best match is shown first; the carrier named on your order confirmation settles it.

**Where do I track the parcel?**

On the carrier's own website or app. Reach it by typing its address yourself rather than by following a link in a message.