How it works
A container number opens with a three-letter owner code registered with the Bureau International des Containers (BIC) in Paris, followed by a category letter defined by ISO 6346: U for a freight container, J for detachable freight-related equipment, Z for a trailer or chassis.
This lookup checks those four letters against our curated list of 54 frequently seen prefixes, below. A prefix that is not on the list may still be registered: the BIC register is the authority for every code, and ownership changes through mergers and fleet sales. Everything runs in your browser.
To check that a full container number is valid, use the ISO 6346 check-digit calculator. For how the registry works, see the BIC codes guide.
Frequently seen owner prefixes
| Owner, as listed | Prefixes |
|---|---|
| One Way Lease, Inc. | OWLU® · ANYU · LSEU |
| APL | APHU · APLU |
| Beacon (lessor) | BEAU · BSIU |
| CAI (lessor) | CAIU |
| CMA CGM | CMAU · CGMU · CXDU |
| COSCO | CSNU · CBHU · COSU |
| Evergreen | EGHU · EGSU · EISU · EITU · EMCU |
| Florens (lessor) | GLDU |
| Genstar (lessor) | GESU |
| Hapag-Lloyd | HLBU · HLXU · HLCU |
| Hapag-Lloyd (legacy UASC) | UACU |
| HMM | HMMU · HDMU |
| K Line | KKFU · KKTU |
| Maersk | MSKU · MAEU · MRKU · MRSU · PONU |
| MSC | MSCU · MSDU · MEDU |
| Ocean Network Express | ONEU · TCNU · TCLU |
| OOCL | OOLU · OOCU |
| PIL | PCIU |
| Seaco (lessor) | SEGU |
| TAL (lessor) | TGHU |
| Textainer (lessor) | TEMU · TGBU |
| Triton (lessor) | TRIU · TLLU |
| Wan Hai | WHLU |
| Yang Ming | YMLU · YMMU |
| ZIM | ZIMU · ZCSU |