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
A UFI is computed, not allocated. 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 by a fixed permutation, and prepends a mod-31 checksum, producing the familiar 16-character code in four blocks. Because no central register is involved, the same inputs always reproduce the same code, whether generated here, in ECHA’s tool, or inside a compliance platform.
That determinism cuts both ways: a lost code can be regenerated at any time, but the code must be derived 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.
New to the code itself? Start with what a UFI is, check any 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 UFI algorithm is deterministic and published in full in ECHA's UFI Developers Manual v1.5: the same company identifier and formulation number always yield 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 entirely in your browser as JavaScript. Your VAT number, company key, and formulation number never leave your machine and are not logged.
Should I use my VAT number or an ECHA company key?
Most companies use the VAT number of the legal entity that will submit the poison centre notification. The ECHA company key exists for companies without a VAT number, or that do not want their VAT number derivable along the supply chain. Keys are issued by 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, never reused after a recipe change. If you have no numbering scheme yet, design one first; a sequential or structured register both work.
Does generating a UFI create any obligation?
No. Generating a code is free and creates no duty by itself. Obligations attach when a hazardous mixture is placed on the market: the UFI must then appear on the label, and a matching poison centre notification must be submitted for that exact composition.
Why was my VAT number rejected?
The generator applies the per-country VAT formats from ECHA's specification, so check the two-letter prefix and the number as registered; spaces, dots and hyphens are ignored. If your identifier still fails, generate with an ECHA company key instead, or use ECHA's own UFI Generator, which accepts the same inputs.
Sources
- UFI Developers Manual, ECHA, version 1.5.
- UFI Generator, ECHA, accessed July 2026.