TAC lookup
Enter an 8-digit Type Allocation Code to see which manufacturer and model it was allocated to. A full IMEI works too: only its first eight digits are used.
- Free, no sign-up
- Model lookup runs in your browser
- A source on every line
What a TAC tells you
The TAC identifies a type of device, not one device. Every phone of the same model variant shares it. That is why we can look it up without your full IMEI: only the first four digits leave your browser, to fetch the part of the database that contains your TAC.
Our open data lists 22,524 TACs. 22,455 of them have a model name. 0 also have a manufacturer model code or Apple model number, and 0 have a variant such as “US Model”, “China Model” or “Global Model”. Year and chipset are listed where the source provides them.
TAC prefixes (reporting bodies)
The first two digits of a TAC identify the reporting body that allocated it, as listed in GSMA TS.06. They do not indicate where a device was made or sold. Counts are TACs in our dataset.
| Prefix | Reporting body | Status | TACs in dataset |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | DGPT, France | No longer allocating | 1,468 |
| 35 | BABT / TÜV SÜD, United Kingdom | Allocating | 15,526 |
| 44 | BABT, United Kingdom | No longer allocating | 2,385 |
| 45 | NTA, Denmark | No longer allocating | 245 |
| 49 | BZT / BAPT, Germany | No longer allocating | 595 |
| 50 | BZT ETS, Germany | No longer allocating | 108 |
| 52 | Cetecom, Germany | No longer allocating | 1,826 |
| 86 | TAF, China | Allocating | 170 |
| 01 | PTCRB (CTIA), United States | Allocating | 96 |
Questions
What is a TAC?
The Type Allocation Code is the first 8 digits of an IMEI. The GSMA allocates TACs to manufacturers, through reporting bodies, for each device model or variant. Every unit of that model shares the TAC. The remaining digits are a serial number and a check digit.
Does one model have one TAC?
Usually not. Popular phones have dozens or hundreds of TACs, for different regions, carriers, storage versions and production runs. The Galaxy S20 FE alone has more than 100 TACs in our data.
Is a TAC lookup the same as an IMEI check?
A TAC lookup only identifies the device type. It reveals nothing about one particular phone. That is why it is safe to share a TAC, and why no TAC or IMEI lookup can tell you if a specific phone is stolen.
Where does the official TAC list come from?
The GSMA maintains the official IMEI database and shares it with operators and licensed partners. It is not public. Our results come from openly licensed community datasets, so they can be incomplete or wrong. Each result shows its source.