Free UFI code generator from your VAT number
A UFI generator creates the 16-character Unique Formula Identifier for a mixture from two inputs: the company's VAT number or ECHA company key, and a formulation number between 0 and 268,435,455. The same inputs always give the same UFI. This generator uses ECHA's published algorithm and runs entirely in your browser.
Your VAT number and UFI never leave the browser.
How the generator works
Nobody allocates a UFI. It’s computed. The algorithm in ECHA’s UFI Developers Manual (v1.5) packs your company identifier and formulation number into a 74-bit payload, encodes it in base 31, shuffles the characters in a fixed order and puts a mod-31 checksum in front, which gives the 16-character code in four blocks. There’s no central register, so the same inputs give the same code wherever you generate it: here, in ECHA’s tool or inside a compliance platform.
That cuts both ways. A lost code can be regenerated at any time, as long as you derive it from the right identity. Generate under the VAT number of the legal entity that places the mixture on the market and submits the notification, not a parent or sister company. Before you issue codes at scale, design a formulation-numbering scheme and keep a register. The full working method is in how to generate a UFI.
If the code itself is new to you, start with what a UFI is. You can check an existing code with the free UFI checker, read one back with the UFI decoder, and see when a UFI has to change before you reuse a formulation number.
Worked examples
The examples ECHA publishes in the UFI Developers Manual, Annex A and B.
| Company identifier | Formulation number | UFI |
|---|---|---|
| VAT number IE9Z54321Y | 134217728 | GMTT-2SQN-6FDD-6TV1 |
| VAT number FRRF987654321 | 134217728 | 6KTT-PSK1-AFDM-KEFU |
| VAT number GB987654321 | 156920229 | GJC1-S7TH-AKFK-TR8P |
| ECHA company key 1828639338661 | 156920229 | NJC1-671A-UKF3-J0M8 |
Frequently asked questions
Is the code identical to what ECHA's UFI Generator produces?
Yes. The algorithm is published in full in ECHA's UFI Developers Manual v1.5, and the same company identifier and formulation number always give the same 16-character code, whichever correct implementation computes it. This tool is tested against the worked examples in that manual.
Is my VAT number sent anywhere?
No. The algorithm runs in your browser as JavaScript. Your VAT number, company key and formulation number never leave your machine and aren't logged.
Should I use my VAT number or an ECHA company key?
Either works. The VAT number of the legal entity that will submit the poison centre notification is the usual choice. The ECHA company key is for companies without a VAT number, or that don't want their VAT number derivable along the supply chain. Keys come from ECHA's own generator: issue one, store it and reuse it for every future UFI.
Which formulation number should I enter?
Any whole number from 0 to 268,435,455 that your company has assigned to exactly this composition. One number per formulation, and never reuse it after a recipe change. If you have no numbering scheme yet, design one first. A sequential register works, and so does a structured one.
Does generating a UFI create any obligation?
No. Generating a code is free and creates no duty by itself. The duties start when a hazardous mixture is placed on the market. The UFI then has to appear on the label, and a matching poison centre notification has to be submitted for that exact composition.
Why was my VAT number rejected?
Because it doesn't match the per-country VAT format in ECHA's specification. Check the two-letter prefix and the number as registered. Spaces, dots and hyphens are ignored. If it still fails, generate with an ECHA company key instead, or use ECHA's own UFI Generator, which takes the same inputs.
Sources
- UFI Developers Manual, ECHA, version 1.5.
- UFI Generator, ECHA, accessed July 2026.