China supplier ID checker: Unified Social Credit Code
Every Chinese company has an 18-character Unified Social Credit Code (统一社会信用代码) printed on its business licence. Paste it here to check it against the national standard, GB 32100-2015, and to read the registering authority, entity type and province it encodes. A valid code is the first check; next, confirm the company on GSXT with the checklist below.
What the 18 characters mean
GB 32100-2015 splits the code into five parts. The State Council's 2015 plan that created the code gives the same structure.
| Positions | Part | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Registration authority code | Which kind of authority registered the organisation. 9 is industry and commerce, the register that companies are on. |
| 2 | Entity type code | The kind of organisation under that authority. For a company registered under 9, 1 is an enterprise, 2 an individual business and 3 a farmers' cooperative. |
| 3–8 | Administrative division code (GB/T 2260) | The area of the authority that registered it. The first two digits are the province. It is where the company is registered, which need not be where the goods are made. |
| 9–17 | Subject identifier (organisation code, GB 11714) | The organisation's own nine-character code, unique in China. |
| 18 | Check character | Computed from the first 17 characters, to catch typing errors. |
A supplier trading as a company normally starts 91: registered by industry and commerce, as an enterprise. 92 is an individual business (个体工商户), a sole trader.
How the check character is worked out
Each of the first 17 characters has a value: 0–9 for digits, then A = 10 up to Y = 30, skipping I, O, S, V and Z. Multiply each value by its position's weight, add the products, and take the remainder after dividing by 31. The check character is 31 minus that remainder: a result of 31 is written 0, and 30 is written Y.
Weights for positions 1–17: 1, 3, 9, 27, 19, 26, 16, 17, 20, 29, 25, 13, 8, 24, 10, 30, 28
Worked example from the standard
Annex B of GB 32100-2015 works through the code 91350100M000100Y43.
| Position | Character | Value | Weight | Value × weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 9 |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 27 |
| 4 | 5 | 5 | 27 | 135 |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 26 |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| 8 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| 9 | M | 21 | 20 | 420 |
| 10 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| 11 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| 12 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| 13 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 |
| 14 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| 15 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 16 | Y | 30 | 30 | 900 |
| 17 | 4 | 4 | 28 | 112 |
Sum 1640; 1640 ÷ 31 leaves 28; 31 − 28 = 3, so the check character is “3”.
What to verify next
A well-formed code tells you the number was typed correctly. These six checks tell you whether the company behind it is the one you are paying, and whether it makes your product.
Find the company on GSXT
Search the exact Chinese legal name, or the code, on the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System. The name, code, legal representative and registered address should match the licence you were sent, and the status should show the company is still operating.
gsxt.gov.cnRead the business scope (经营范围)
The scope on GSXT should include manufacturing (生产 or 制造) of your product. A scope that lists only sales (销售) or wholesale (批发) belongs to a trading company, which is fine if you know it, and a reason to ask where the goods are made.
Match the bank beneficiary to the licence
The beneficiary on the bank details must be the licensed company name, exactly. A personal account or a different company's name means the money is not going to the company you checked.
Compare the export entity with the seller
The company on the proforma invoice, the contract and the bank account should be the one on the export paperwork. If an agent or trading company exports on the factory's behalf, have that named in the contract.
Search the court enforcement lists
Search the company name on China Execution Information Disclosure (中国执行信息公开网), run by the Supreme People's Court, which lists judgment debtors and the dishonest-debtor list (失信被执行人).
zxgk.court.gov.cnAsk for a live video walk-through
A live call, not a recorded video: the name at the gate, the licence on the wall, the production line running your type of product, and the person you have been emailing.
Registration authority and entity type codes
These are the codes in Tables 2 and 3 of GB 32100-2015.
| Position 1 | Position 2 |
|---|---|
| 1 — Institutional establishment authority (机构编制) |
|
| 5 — Civil affairs (民政) |
|
| 9 — Industry and commerce (工商) |
|
| Y — Other (其他) |
|
Province from the division code
The first two digits of positions 3–8 name the province-level area, as GB/T 2260 codes them. 10 is the national level (100000).
- 10 National level
- 11 Beijing
- 12 Tianjin
- 13 Hebei
- 14 Shanxi
- 15 Inner Mongolia
- 21 Liaoning
- 22 Jilin
- 23 Heilongjiang
- 31 Shanghai
- 32 Jiangsu
- 33 Zhejiang
- 34 Anhui
- 35 Fujian
- 36 Jiangxi
- 37 Shandong
- 41 Henan
- 42 Hubei
- 43 Hunan
- 44 Guangdong
- 45 Guangxi
- 46 Hainan
- 50 Chongqing
- 51 Sichuan
- 52 Guizhou
- 53 Yunnan
- 54 Tibet
- 61 Shaanxi
- 62 Gansu
- 63 Qinghai
- 64 Ningxia
- 65 Xinjiang
Sources
Checked on 27 September 2026
- GB 32100-2015, Coding rule of the unified social credit identifier (standard text, National Organization Code Data Service Centre)
- SAMR national standards database: GB 32100-2015, status current
- State Council (国发〔2015〕33号): plan for the unified social credit code
- Wuhu Statistics Bureau: county-level and above administrative division codes (GB/T 2260)
- National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (GSXT)
- Supreme People's Court: China Execution Information Disclosure
This tool checks the format of a code against GB 32100-2015. It does not look up any registry and says nothing about whether a company exists, is trading or is reliable.
Questions about this tool
Does a valid Unified Social Credit Code mean the company is real?
It means the code is well-formed: the check character matches the other 17. A valid code is the first check; next, confirm the company on GSXT (gsxt.gov.cn), where the name, status and business scope are published.
How is the check character of a Chinese credit code calculated?
Under GB 32100-2015, each of the first 17 characters is given a value (0–9, then A = 10 to Y = 30, without I, O, S, V and Z), multiplied by a weight (1, 3, 9, 27, 19, 26, 16, 17, 20, 29, 25, 13, 8, 24, 10, 30, 28) and summed. The check character is 31 minus the remainder after dividing by 31, with 31 written 0 and 30 written Y.
What do the first two characters of the code tell me?
Position 1 is the registration authority and position 2 the entity type. A code starting 91 was registered by industry and commerce as an enterprise; 92 is an individual business and 93 a farmers' cooperative.
Can I tell a factory from a trading company from the code?
No. Both are usually enterprises starting 91. The difference shows in the business scope on GSXT (manufacturing or only sales), in the export paperwork and on a live video walk-through.
Why does the province in the code differ from the factory address?
Positions 3–8 are the area of the authority that registered the company, not the production site. A company can register in one place and make goods in another, so ask which address the goods ship from.
Want the factory checked before you pay a deposit?
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