Unit Codes

UN/ECE Recommendation 20 unit codes for e-invoicing. All codes are valid for ZUGFeRD, Factur-X, XRechnung, Peppol, and UBL invoices.

Time Units

For time-based services, subscriptions, and rentals.

Code	Description	Use Case
`SEC`	Second	API calls, micro-billing
`MIN`	Minute	Phone calls, meeting room rentals
`HUR`	Hour	Consulting, development, hourly rates
`DAY`	Day	Daily rates, rentals, workshops
`WEE`	Week	Weekly subscriptions, sprint billing
`MON`	Month	Monthly subscriptions, SaaS billing
`ANN`	Year	Annual licenses, yearly contracts

Weight Units

For physical goods sold by weight.

Code	Description	Use Case
`MGM`	Milligram	Pharmaceuticals, precious materials
`GRM`	Gram	Spices, jewelry, small items
`KGM`	Kilogram	Food, bulk goods, parcels
`TNE`	Tonne (1000 kg)	Raw materials, freight, heavy goods
`ONZ`	Ounce (28.35g)	Precious metals (US market)
`LBR`	Pound (0.45 kg)	US/UK market goods

Length Units

For linear measurements and distance-based pricing.

Code	Description	Use Case
`MMT`	Millimeter	Precision parts, thickness
`CMT`	Centimeter	Fabric, ribbon, small items
`MTR`	Meter	Cable, pipe, construction materials
`KMT`	Kilometer	Freight, mileage, long distances
`INH`	Inch (2.54 cm)	US/UK market goods
`FOT`	Foot (30.48 cm)	Lumber, construction (US)
`YRD`	Yard (0.91 m)	Fabric, landscaping (US/UK)
`SMI`	Mile (1.61 km)	Freight, mileage (US/UK)

Volume Units

For liquids, gases, and bulk materials.

Code	Description	Use Case
`MLT`	Milliliter	Perfume, medicine, samples
`LTR`	Liter	Beverages, fuel, chemicals
`HLT`	Hectoliter (100 L)	Beer, wine, bulk liquids
`MTQ`	Cubic meter	Gas, water, construction volume
`CMQ`	Cubic centimeter	Engine displacement, small volumes
`INQ`	Cubic inch	US engine displacement
`FTQ`	Cubic foot	Freight volume (US)
`GLI`	Gallon (US, 3.79 L)	Fuel, liquids (US market)

Area Units

For surface measurements and area-based pricing.

Code	Description	Use Case
`CMK`	Square centimeter	Labels, small surfaces
`MTK`	Square meter	Flooring, painting, real estate
`KMK`	Square kilometer	Land, forestry, large areas
`INK`	Square inch	Printing, small areas (US)
`FTK`	Square foot	Real estate, flooring (US)
`HAR`	Hectare (10,000 m²)	Agriculture, land parcels

Energy Units

For electricity, gas, and energy consumption.

Code	Description	Use Case
`WHR`	Watt hour	Battery capacity, small devices
`KWH`	Kilowatt hour	Electricity billing, EV charging
`MWH`	Megawatt hour	Industrial power, large consumers
`GWH`	Gigawatt hour	Power plants, national grids

IT & Digital Units

For digital storage, bandwidth, and data transfer.

Code	Description	Use Case
`AD`	Byte	Data size (rarely used)
`2P`	Kilobyte	Small files, messages
`4L`	Megabyte	Files, images, documents
`E34`	Gigabyte	Storage, bandwidth, cloud billing
`E35`	Terabyte	Large storage, data centers

Packaging Units

For grouped or packaged goods.

Code	Description	Use Case
`PK`	Pack	Multi-item packs, bundles
`BX`	Box	Boxed goods, shipments
`CA`	Case	Wholesale cases, bulk
`CT`	Carton	Shipping cartons, multi-packs
`PAL`	Pallet	Bulk freight, warehousing
`ROL`	Roll	Paper, fabric, foil
`SET`	Set	Product sets, collections

Quantity Units

For counting items and standard quantities.

Code	Description	Use Case
`C62`	One (piece/unit)	Default unit, individual items
`EA`	Each	Individual items (synonym for C62)
`PR`	Pair	Shoes, gloves, socks
`DZN`	Dozen (12)	Eggs, roses, bulk items
`GRO`	Gross (144)	Wholesale, bulk counting
`NMP`	Number of packs	Package quantity

Usage Example

Invoice with mixed unit types:

{
  "items": [
    {
      "description": "Software Development",
      "quantity": 40,
      "unit": "HUR",
      "unit_price": 120.00,
      "vat_rate": 19
    },
    {
      "description": "Cloud Storage",
      "quantity": 500,
      "unit": "E34",
      "unit_price": 0.10,
      "vat_rate": 19
    },
    {
      "description": "Electricity",
      "quantity": 1250,
      "unit": "KWH",
      "unit_price": 0.30,
      "vat_rate": 19
    },
    {
      "description": "USB Cables",
      "quantity": 10,
      "unit": "C62",
      "unit_price": 5.99,
      "vat_rate": 19
    },
    {
      "description": "Annual SaaS License",
      "quantity": 1,
      "unit": "ANN",
      "unit_price": 999.00,
      "vat_rate": 19
    }
  ]
}

Default Unit

If you don't specify a unit, the API defaults to C62 (piece/unit).

Full Reference

For the complete list of all 1,800+ UN/ECE Recommendation 20 codes, see the official UNECE documentation .

💡 Pro Tip

All unit codes are case-sensitive. Use uppercase for proper EN 16931 compliance (e.g., HUR, not hur).