# Part Numbering Scheme Generator Template

> Source: https://netray.co/tools/part-numbering-scheme-generator-template
> Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems.
> Section: Free Tools

## Short answer

Fill in your company rules and get a one-page part numbering standard with format, class codes, examples and governance rules.

## Category

engineering-plm

## Audience

- ERP administrator
- Engineering manager
- MDM lead
- Configuration manager

## Tool

**Kind:** template

**Output:** document

**Fields:**

#### Company name

**Key:** company

**Type:** text

**Default:** Acme Precision Ltd

#### Standard owner

**Key:** owner

**Type:** text

**Default:** Engineering Data Steward

#### Effective date

**Key:** date

**Type:** date

**Default:** 2026-11-01

#### Numbering style

**Key:** style

**Type:** select

**Options:**

- Non-significant (sequential)
- Semi-significant (class prefix + sequence)
- Fully significant (coded attributes)

**Default:** Semi-significant (class prefix + sequence)

#### Class prefix example

**Key:** prefix

**Type:** text

**Default:** MCH

#### Sequence length (digits)

**Key:** seq_len

**Type:** number

**Default:** 6

#### Revision rule

**Key:** rev_rule

**Type:** text

**Default:** Revision is held in a separate field, never in the part number

#### Example part number

**Key:** example

**Type:** text

**Default:** MCH-004217

#### Class codes (one per line)

**Key:** classes

**Type:** textarea

**Default:** MCH = Machined parts
FAB = Fabricated sheet metal
ELC = Electronic components
ASM = Assemblies
RAW = Raw material
PKG = Packaging

#### Extra rules

**Key:** rules

**Type:** textarea

**Default:** No letters O or I to avoid confusion with 0 and 1.
No special characters except a single hyphen after the prefix.
A number is never reused after release, even if the part is obsoleted.

**Blocks:**

#### Part Numbering Standard

**Body:** Company: {{company}}
Owner: {{owner}}
Effective: {{date}}
Style: {{style}}

#### 1. Format

**Body:** Format: {{prefix}}-NNNNNN, where the prefix is a class code and the sequence is {{seq_len}} digits.
Example: {{example}}

Part numbers are assigned by the ERP or PLM number generator only. Manual numbers are not permitted.

#### 2. Class codes

**Body:** {{classes}}

#### 3. Revision handling

**Body:** {{rev_rule}}

#### 4. Additional rules

**Body:** {{rules}}

#### 5. Field limits

**Table:**

**Columns:**

- Item
- Rule
- Check

**Rows:**

**0:** Maximum length

**1:** Fits the shortest ERP, PLM and label field in use

**0:** Allowed characters

**1:** A to Z, 0 to 9, one hyphen

**0:** Case

**1:** Upper case only

**0:** Leading zeros

**1:** Preserved, stored as text

#### Approvals

**Signatures:**

- Engineering
- Quality
- Materials management
- ERP administrator

**Notes:** A starting point to adapt, not a prescription. Check the maximum item length in your ERP and in every integrated system (PLM, MES, WMS, label printers) before you fix the sequence length. Always store part numbers as text so leading zeros survive Excel round trips.

## Content

**Intro:** A part numbering scheme is one of the few ERP decisions that is very hard to reverse. This template turns the key choices (style, prefix, length, revision rule, reserved characters) into a short standard that engineering, purchasing and the ERP admin can sign.

**Sections:**

#### How to use it

**Body:** Fill in the fields with your current practice or your intended design. Replace the class codes with your own and add any rules you already enforce informally. The output is a one-page standard with the format, a table of limits and a signature block. Export it to Word if you want to edit it further, or PDF to circulate for approval. Keep the signed version in your document control system next to the ERP configuration record.

#### Significant versus non-significant numbers

**Body:** Non-significant numbers are plain sequences. They never need to change when an attribute changes, which is why many ERP and PLM consultants recommend them. Fully significant numbers encode material, size or finish. They are readable on the shop floor but break when a part changes material or the code space runs out. Semi-significant schemes keep a short class prefix and a sequence, which is a common compromise. Attributes belong in classification fields, where they can be searched and corrected without renumbering.

**Bullets:**

- Non-significant: easiest to maintain, least readable
- Semi-significant: class prefix plus sequence
- Fully significant: readable but brittle

#### Worked example

**Body:** A machine shop picks the semi-significant style with a three-letter prefix and a six-digit sequence, giving MCH-004217. That is ten characters with the hyphen, so it fits an 18-character ERP field with room for a customer suffix in integrations. The standard states that revision lives in a separate field. When the drawing is revised from B to C, the part number does not change unless form, fit or function changes, which is the rule most configuration management practices follow.

#### Common mistakes

**Body:** Putting the revision into the number creates duplicate masters and breaks where-used. Letting every site create numbers locally leads to collisions during consolidation. Ignoring the length limits of connected systems truncates numbers silently. Reusing numbers of obsolete parts corrupts history and traceability. Finally, writing the standard but not configuring the ERP number range or workflow means the rule is advisory only, and people will bypass it.

**Cta:** If you are migrating or merging item masters and need numbers mapped and de-duplicated, we can help build and test that mapping inside your own environment.

**Faq:**

#### Should part numbers be significant or non-significant?

**Answer:** Most master data practitioners favor non-significant or lightly coded numbers, and put attributes in classification fields. Significant numbers are easy to read but break when attributes change. Choose based on how often attributes change and how much shop floor readability matters to you.

#### How long should a part number be?

**Answer:** As short as your growth allows, within the shortest field limit among all connected systems. Six to ten digits of sequence is common. Plan for at least ten years of volume and leave room for a prefix or suffix used by interfaces.

#### Should the revision be part of the part number?

**Answer:** Generally no. Keep revision as a separate attribute so history, where-used and inventory stay on one master. Change the number only when form, fit or function changes so that the old and new parts cannot be interchanged.

#### Can I reuse the part number of an obsolete item?

**Answer:** It is best avoided. Old transactions, drawings, supplier references and serial history still point at the number. Reuse makes those records misleading. Retire numbers with an obsolete status instead of recycling them.

## Search terms

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