Overview
EN ISO 10087:2022 - Small craft - Craft identification - Coding system defines a standardized coding system for uniquely identifying small craft (recreational boats and similar watercraft) with a hull length up to 24 m. The standard specifies the composition, format and minimum marking requirements for a permanent craft identification number (watercraft identification number) so that each vessel can be traced to its country and manufacturer, and linked to manufacture and model-year information.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope and applicability
- Applies to small craft of all types and materials with hull length (LH) up to 24 m.
- Code composition
- A craft identification number consists of 14 consecutive characters plus one hyphen (no spaces, slashes or additional dashes).
- Structure (in order): country code (ISO 3166-1 alpha‑2), 3‑character manufacturer identification, 5‑character serial number, and 4 characters encoding month of manufacture, year of manufacture (last numeral) and model year.
- Character rules
- Only capital Latin letters and numerals where allowed.
- Manufacturer ID: numerals/letters but not numerals 0 or 1.
- Serial number: numerals/letters but not letters I, O or Q (to avoid confusion).
- Month/year coding
- Month is coded A–L (A = January … L = December).
- Year of manufacture is expressed by the last numeral of the production year.
- Model year is a two‑character element that denotes the 12‑month marketing period; the manufacturer determines the model year.
- Marking requirements
- Characters must be permanent (carved, stamped, moulded, etc.) so alteration or removal is obvious.
- Minimum character height: 6 mm.
- Additional clauses
- The standard addresses location of marking, duplicate numbers, time of marking, display format and related guidance.
Applications and who uses it
- Manufacturers and assemblers: assign manufacturer identification and serials; mark craft at build/assembly.
- National authorities and recognized organizations: issue or validate manufacturer codes and manage registration databases.
- Dealers, importers, surveyors and registries: verify identification for registration, compliance, resale and post‑construction assessment.
- Regulatory compliance: provides a voluntary means to meet identification requirements of EU Directive 2013/53/EU (see Annex ZA in the EN text).
Related standards and references
- ISO 3166-1:2020 - country code (normative reference).
- ISO 8666:2020 - definition of small craft (term source).
- EN ISO 10087:2022 aligns with EU regulations and is endorsed by CEN for national adoption across member bodies.
This standard is essential for boat builders, registrars and regulators seeking consistent, tamper‑resistant craft identification, traceability, and conformity with regional regulatory frameworks.
