TAC Lookup: How to Read the First 8 Digits of an IMEI

TAC stands for Type Allocation Code. The GSMA issues TACs to manufacturers for each device model (and often each regional or storage variant). Every phone of that variant shares the same TAC; the next 6 digits are the unique serial, and the final digit is the Luhn check digit.

Older IMEIs split the TAC into a 6-digit type approval code and a 2-digit Final Assembly Code (FAC). Since 2004 the full 8 digits are a single TAC, so ignore any guide that says digits 7–8 tell you the factory.

Our IMEI checker shows these parts for you automatically after validating the checksum.

• Digits 1–2: Reporting Body Identifier — which organisation allocated the range (e.g. 35 and 86 are very common).
• Digits 1–8: the full TAC — the make and model variant.
• Digits 9–14: serial number within that TAC.
• Digit 15: check digit, calculated with the Luhn algorithm.

• GSMA Device Database / IMEI Database — the authoritative source. Full access is for operators, manufacturers and approved organisations; members of the public typically use a service built on its data.
• Your carrier — can tell you what model the network sees for an IMEI.
• Carrier-backed checkers (e.g. stolenphonechecker.org in the US) often display the make and model alongside status.
• Compare with a phone you trust — the same model and variant usually shares a TAC. Different storage or regional variants may have different TACs.

If the TAC belongs to a different brand or model from the phone you're holding, the IMEI may have been altered, the main board swapped, or the box belongs to another device. Counterfeit phones often reuse a popular TAC or an obviously fake number that fails the checksum.

A matching TAC doesn't prove the phone is clean — pair it with a blacklist check through your carrier or national register.