What is a UFI code, and how do you generate one?

The UFI is computed from a company's VAT number and a freely chosen formulation number (an integer the company assigns). ECHA's UFI Generator applies a deterministic algorithm and returns a 16-character alphanumeric string, displayed in four groups of four separated by hyphens. The same inputs always produce the same UFI, which is why composition discipline at source matters more than the code itself.

The UFI is printed on the product label, preceded by the prefix \"UFI:\". Where the label is too small (small packs, outer packaging), the UFI may appear on the package leaflet or on the inner packaging. The UFI also goes on the harmonised Poison Centre Notification submitted via the ECHA Submission Portal.

A new UFI is required when the composition of the mixture changes outside the concentration ranges allowed by Annex VIII, or when you choose to differentiate two formulations that were previously identical. A new UFI without a corresponding new or updated PCN submission is non-compliant.

Annex VIII of CLP, introduced by Regulation (EU) 2017/542, phased in by intended use. All phases are now closed, including the transitional period for mixtures that had only ever been notified under a national scheme.

Three failure modes account for most enforcement findings: a UFI on the label that no longer matches the notified composition after a raw material swap, a mixture-in-mixture where the supplier's composition is unknown and the notification is filed on assumptions, and a UFI reused across SKUs whose compositions have quietly diverged. Each is a data-lineage problem, which is why the UFI is best generated from the substance master inside chemical compliance software and printed through the same system that produces CLP labelling and the safety data sheet.

A single brand with many SKUs across several Member States can end up managing hundreds of UFIs. Worldover generates UFIs from the substance master, prints them on labels and ties each UFI to its PCN submission and to the affected SDS records. When composition changes, the new UFI, the new notification and the new label all happen together.

The generator itself is free. ECHA hosts it at ufi.echa.europa.eu and there is no account, licence or fee. The work sits either side of it.

1. Confirm the mixture is in scope. Hazardous under CLP for health or physical effects, and placed on the EU or Northern Ireland market. Non-hazardous mixtures need no UFI.
2. Fix the composition. Lock the exact quantitative composition you intend to notify, including any mixture-in-mixture components, before you generate anything.
3. Enter your VAT number. Use the VAT number of the legal entity making the submission, including the country prefix. Companies without an EU VAT number use a key issued by ECHA instead.
4. Choose a formulation number. Any integer from 0 to 268,435,455. Assign it from a controlled internal sequence, never ad hoc, or you will collide with yourself later.
5. Generate and record. The tool returns the 16-character code. Store it against the formulation record, not in a spreadsheet, alongside the VAT number and formulation number used, so it can be reproduced.
6. Notify, then print. Submit the PCN carrying that UFI through the ECHA Submission Portal, then release the artwork. Printing before the notification is filed is the most common sequencing error.

For bulk work, ECHA also publishes the algorithm so UFIs can be generated in-house or by API rather than one at a time in a browser. That is how chemical compliance software issues them: from the substance master, at the moment the composition is approved.

Great Britain does not operate the UFI or the harmonised PCN format. GB uses its own notification route to the National Poisons Information Service, and a GB-only pack does not need a UFI on the label. Northern Ireland remains in scope of EU CLP Annex VIII, so a product sold across the whole UK typically still carries a UFI. Most teams keep the UFI on the label for all UK stock rather than run two artworks, which is permitted. See Poison Centre Notification for the submission routes side by side.

Every hazardous mixture placed on the EU market needs a UFI on the label that matches the composition declared in the corresponding PCN submission. Any meaningful change to composition or supplier triggers a new UFI, a fresh notification and an artwork update across every affected SKU.

Worldover generates UFIs against the composition record and ties each one to the PCN submission, the label artwork and the SKUs that carry it. When a composition or supplier changes, affected UFIs and notifications surface automatically and Willow drafts the artwork and submission updates for review.