Tracking Number Formats: Courier, Postal, Container and AWB
2026-10-06 · HS Code Atlas
The number on a dispatch message can identify a package, postal article, piece of equipment or freight document. Knowing the difference helps you choose the right tracker and avoids searching with a retailer order number.
The examples below illustrate supported patterns in Universal Shipment Tracking. They are not live shipment references, and they are not an exhaustive specification for every service a carrier offers.
Courier and package references
| Carrier | Common supported pattern here | Illustrative example |
|---|---|---|
| DHL Express | Ten digits | 1234567891 |
| DHL parcel/eCommerce | Supported JD, JJD or GM prefixes | GM2951173225174494 |
| FedEx | Supported 12-, 15-, 20- or 22-digit formats | 794612345678 |
| FedEx door tag | DT plus 12 digits | DT106212345678 |
| UPS | 1Z plus 16 letters or digits | 1Z999AA10123456784 |
| Blue Dart | Eleven digits for automatic suggestions here | 50123456789 |
| DTDC | One letter plus eight digits | D48219376 |
| Delhivery parcel | Thirteen or fourteen digits | 2826419375160 |
| Aramex | Ten or eleven digits | 4729381056 |
Numeric lengths are not unique carrier identifiers. Ten digits can fit more than one courier, and eleven digits can overlap with airline cargo references. Blue Dart’s official guidance includes waybills of eight to eleven digits; automatic detection here covers the eleven-digit pattern, while other lengths may need manual carrier selection. See Blue Dart’s waybill and reference guidance.
For carrier-specific differences, use the DHL, FedEx and UPS pages. In particular, a door tag, registered reference and tracking ID may use different official search methods.
International postal numbers
An S10 reference such as EE123456785IN contains two service letters, eight serial digits, a check digit and two country letters. The country letters describe the issuing authority, not the delivery destination. Keep all 13 characters. Domestic postal formats can differ; USPS also has long numeric package references. The UPU S10 standard defines the international identifier structure.
Container identifiers
MSKU1234565 demonstrates an 11-character ISO 6346 container number. It combines a three-letter owner code, equipment category, six-digit serial and check digit. The identifier describes equipment, not a whole booking. A leased box may travel with a line other than the suggested owner. See BIC’s container identification reference.
Airline master air waybills
176-12345675 illustrates an airline master AWB: a three-digit prefix followed by seven serial digits and one check digit. Preserve leading zeros. The prefix can route a supported AWB to its airline, but a courier reference described as an AWB is not necessarily an airline master AWB. Read what an AWB number means before searching a forwarder’s house reference.
Match the number to the question
Use parcel tracking for courier packages, postal tracking for postal articles, container tracking for ocean equipment and AWB tracking for airline cargo. All four use the same universal tool. The official carrier record, not a successful format check, establishes the shipment’s current status.