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How to Find an AWB Number

If you need to track a shipment but nobody sent a tidy “AWB: …” line, the number is still on the paperwork — you just have to know which box to read.

Direct Answer

The AWB number is the 11-digit identifier on the air waybill: a 3-digit airline prefix plus an 8-digit serial. Look first in the top-right box of the paper or e-AWB, then in the forwarder confirmation (MAWB), then on the cargo label. If you only see a house number, ask the forwarder for the master.

📅 Last Reviewed: October 2026 • ✍️ Editorial Review: AirwayBillTracker Logistics Team
📜 Standards: IATA air waybill layout

Track once you have the number

Paste the 11-digit master AWB. We open the airline’s official tracker from the prefix.

Places the number actually appears

  1. Paper air waybill or e-AWB PDF. IATA-style forms put the airline prefix and serial in the identification box at the top right. The same digits are often printed again as a barcode. Copies for shipper, issuing carrier and consignee all carry the same number.
  2. Forwarder booking or pre-alert email. Search the thread for AWB, MAWB, HAWB, or air waybill. The master is the one that starts with a 3-digit prefix such as 098 or 176.
  3. Cargo labels on the pieces. Each carton or pallet should show the AWB in text. Warehouse scanners use that barcode — so can you.
  4. Commercial invoice, packing list, or customs entry. Brokers repeat the AWB as the transport document reference.
  5. Airline or handler notification. Arrival notices and “freight ready” emails quote the AWB they hold in the warehouse.

How to tell a master from a house number

The master (airline) AWB is 11 digits. People write it with a hyphen after the prefix: 312-12345675. A house number is whatever the forwarder assigned and may not follow that shape. If both appear, use the master for airline tracking and the house for the forwarder’s own site. More on that split: HAWB tracking.

This page is only about finding the digits. How those digits are structured is AWB number format. Worked examples live on AWB number examples. Who creates the document is who issues an AWB.

If you still cannot find it

  • Ask the company that booked the freight (shipper, forwarder, or export agent). They issued or received the waybill.
  • Give them the booking reference, flight date, origin and destination — not just a company name.
  • Do not expect a public airline tracker to search by consignee name. The AWB is the key.

Once you have eleven digits, you can track them. The general method is on how to track air cargo.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the AWB number printed on the paper waybill?

On a standard IATA air waybill the 11-digit number is printed in the top-right identification box, and it is often repeated as a barcode on the same page and on piece labels.

The email only shows a house number. Where is the airline AWB?

Look for a field labelled MAWB, master, or airline AWB. If it is missing, reply to the forwarder and ask for the 11-digit master used for the flight.

Can I find the AWB from the flight number alone?

No. Many consignments share a flight. You need the waybill number (or the forwarder’s house number plus their help) to identify your cargo.

What if I lost every document?

The shipper, consignee, or booking agent can retrieve the AWB from their file. Airlines will not usually search by name alone on a public tracker.