A Chanel tag holds a wealth of insights—if you know how to read it.
Whether you’re authenticating a Chanel handbag or you simply want to know more about it, the retail tag tells you more than just the price.
How to Read a Chanel Tag
The ability to read a Chanel retail tag is a key step in your luxury literacy. A Chanel retail tag is a snapshot of the bag’s identity. It uses an alphanumeric system to identify a product’s year, collection, style, material, and color. Knowing what these are helps you ensure the tag matches the bag.
Let’s use the tag from a Chanel 25 as our cipher:
26C refers to the year and season. In this instance, it’s part of the 2026 Cruise Collection.
AS563 refers to the model number. It identifies this bag as a Chanel 25.
B18799 refers to the hardware and material. This indicates the bag features suede calfskin and gold-tone hardware.
U5336 refers to the color code. This one is a seasonal pink.
UNI (sometimes NSZ or OS) can be found on all retail tags, regardless of brand. It’s typically used for handbags and accessories that are “one size fits all.”
Let’s take a closer look at each category.
Chanel Season Code
Chanel releases several collections annually. While seasonal items have specific codes, Classic or Revolving items (those produced every year) use OOV/Rev. The year will always read 00 for these, as they are part of Chanel’s evergreen collections.
When decoding the season code, these first two numbers identify the year of production, and the following letter indicates which collection the item belongs to. Here’s a list to help you navigate.
Chanel Model Code
The model or style number consists of one letter (usually ‘A’) followed by five digits that represent the specific silhouette. While there are countless Chanel styles (with new ones released every year), here are some of the most popular.
Chanel Material and Hardware Code
This code—typically one letter and four numbers—identifies the leather type, treatment, and hardware finish. Given the wide range of possible combinations, Chanel assigns a unique code to each one. We’ve included an extensive list here to show you just how detailed it gets.
Chanel Color Code
The color code is a five-digit number that corresponds to a specific shade in Chanel’s library. While the name of the color is often printed in plain text beneath the code, the numbers are the most accurate way to distinguish between subtle shade variations (like different versions of Chanel beige or red).
Reading the Rest
The remaining details on a Chanel retail tag include the original price (found at the bottom), the size (often listed as UNI or NSZ for “no size”), and a barcode for internal inventory tracking.
Shopping Pre-loved Chanel
Now that you’ve cracked the code, you’ve leveled up your luxury game. Hungry for more insider insights? Check out our guides to decoding Chanel serial codes and authenticating Chanel bags with the metal plates. If you’d rather skip the books and head straight to the bags, shop certified authentic Chanel at FASHIONPHILE now.
Haute Tip: Check the Comes With section when shopping at FASHIONPHILE to see if your bag comes with the tag.
