DUNS
Data Universal Numbering System Number. The 9-digit identifier issued by Dun & Bradstreet — the North American counterpart of GS1 GLN.
Definition
The D-U-N-S Number is a 9-digit identifier proprietary to Dun & Bradstreet. Any commercial entity — company, branch, site — can obtain its number free of charge. Characteristics:
- Format: 9 digits, no official check digit (the 9th position was historically a mod-10 check, abandoned in 2006).
- Granularity: one number per site, not per legal entity. A group may have thousands of D-U-N-S, organised in parent-child hierarchies.
- Issuance: by D&B, free since 2017 (previously paid). Online request, turnaround 24-72h.
- Persistence: once allocated, the number remains attached to the entity forever (unless major change — merger, split).
In EDI, DUNS is the historical party identifier for X12 — carried by
ISA06 and ISA08 (Interchange ID) and N104 (Identification Code) with
qualifier 01 for standard DUNS, 14 for DUNS+4
(department/site qualification). DUNS+4 adds a 4-digit suffix to
distinguish multiple ship-to addresses under a single DUNS.
Origin
The D-U-N-S Number was created in 1963 by Dun & Bradstreet, then a US commercial information agency founded in 1841. The system was immediately adopted by procurement and trade credit insurance in the United States. Today, the D&B database holds more than 500 million active records worldwide. The US government required DUNS for federal contractors from 2000 to April 2022, when it was replaced by the SAM.gov Unique Entity ID (UEI) — a proprietary 12-character identifier developed by GSA. DUNS however remains the de facto standard in commercial EDI.
Example in context
X12 interchange opening between two DUNS-identified companies:
Reading: ISA05 = 01 (DUNS qualifier), ISA06 =
123456789 (sender DUNS), ISA07 = 01 (DUNS
qualifier), ISA08 = 987654321 (receiver DUNS). For DUNS+4,
use 14 in ISA05/07 and 13 characters in ISA06/08.