GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jun 26, 2026
UIC Number Car
When a freight wagon is handed over at a border crossing, the UIC number is the first thing dispatchers and forwarders check: a twelve-digit identifier assigned uniquely to every railway freight wagon worldwide.
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Source: https://www.uic.org
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Definition & Explanation
When a freight wagon is handed over at a border crossing, the UIC number is the first thing dispatchers and forwarders check: a twelve-digit identifier assigned uniquely to every railway freight wagon worldwide. Standardised by the Union Internationale des Chemins de fer (UIC), the digit sequence encodes wagon type, technical characteristics such as axle load and tare weight, and the country of the registered keeper. In cross-border rail freight, it serves as the primary reference for asset tracking, wagon allocation, and invoicing across different railway undertakings. Unlike a locomotive's operational number, which may change, the UIC wagon number remains fixed throughout the wagon's entire service life.
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