What is a CAGE code?

A CAGE code is a 5-character identifier assigned to a commercial or government entity at a specific location. For entities in the United States and its outlying areas, the Defense Logistics Agency CAGE program assigns and maintains the code. Foreign entities generally use an NCAGE code issued through the NATO codification system.

CAGE codes appear in SAM registrations, solicitations, contracts, payment systems, security processes, and federal award records. FAR 4.1802 requires an offeror to provide the CAGE code assigned to its location before certain contract awards when SAM registration or a UEI is required.

CAGE code vs. UEI

A UEI is the primary federal identifier for a registered entity. A CAGE code is location-oriented and remains important in procurement and defense systems. The identifiers often appear together, but they are not interchangeable.

A legal entity can hold multiple CAGE codes for different physical locations. It may also operate through subsidiaries or divisions with separate UEIs. Matching a CAGE code to a UEI and legal name prevents records from one location or entity from being attributed to another.

What a CAGE code does not prove

A CAGE code does not by itself show that an entity has an active SAM registration, holds a federal contract, has a facility clearance, or is not excluded. Those are separate facts with separate sources and dates.

The code is an identity signal. Contractor classification comes from observed prime awards, registration status comes from SAM registration data, and exclusion results come from the SAM.gov exclusions list.

How to look up a CAGE code

Search by the complete 5-character code when possible, then confirm the returned legal name, UEI, and location. If the company has several locations, compare the address and award recipient fields before treating the records as the same entity.

How this registry uses CAGE codes

federal.contractors displays the CAGE code reported for an entity and accepts it as a search input. A CAGE match helps resolve an imported roster row, but a conflicting legal name is surfaced for confirmation rather than silently treated as the same organization.

Primary sources

Search by CAGE code