Ford F-Series 4x4 chassis numbers

F-Series 4x4s are numbered like the rest of the range: the eleven-character Ford serial to 1980 with the truck-line letter F (F10 = F-100, F25 = F-250, F35 = F-350; from 1975 F14/F15 = F-150) and the model-year and plant codes, then the 17-character VIN from 1981 with the 1FT world manufacturer identifier; four-wheel drive is read from the model code (F11 = F-100 4x4, F26 = F-250 4x4 and so on) and, from 1981, from position 4 or the model code by year. [1]

← The F-Series 4x4 marque All Ford chassis numbers Paint codes

2NUMBERING SCHEMES0SEQUENCES LISTED9VEHICLES IN THE REGISTRY1SOURCES

Where to find it

The warranty/certification plate on the left door pillar (glove box on older trucks), the VIN tag at the base of the windscreen from 1968, and the number stamped on the frame rail.

How to read it

1948–1980Eleven-character Ford serial: 1 truck line: F = F-Series
2–3 body series, in which the second digit names the drivetrain: 10 = F-100 4x2, 11 = F-100 4x4 (from 1959), 14 = F-150 4x2 and 15 = F-150 4x4 (from 1975), 25 = F-250 4x2, 26 = F-250 4x4, 35 = F-350 4x2, 36 = F-350 4x4 (from 1979)
4 engine code
5 assembly plant
6 model year
7–11 serial from 10001. The engine, plant and year letters are tabled by year in Ford’s truck VIN guides
1981–today17-character VIN: 1–3 world manufacturer identifier: 1FM = Ford multipurpose vehicle (Bronco, Bronco II, Explorer, Expedition, Excursion), 1FT = Ford truck (F-Series, Ranger), 2FM/2FT = Ford of Canada, 3FM/3FT = Ford of Mexico, MNA/MNB = Ford Thailand (Ranger T6, Everest), AFA = Ford South Africa, 6FP = Ford Australia
4 restraint system and gross-weight class
5–7 model line and body series (the Bronco’s U15 wagon code carried over from the pre-1981 serial; the F-Series and Ranger codes likewise)
8 engine
9 check digit
10 model year (B = 1981 … Y = 2000, 1–9 = 2001–09, A = 2010, B = 2011 … the cycle repeats)
11 assembly plant
12–17 serial. The letter tables for positions 4–8 and 11 change by year and are in Ford’s VIN guides and the enthusiast decoders

Prefixes

Prefix or code	Means
F11 …	F-100 4x4, 1959–74
F15 …	F-150 4x4 from 1975
F26 …	F-250 4x4 (the Highboy years, 1967–77, and after)
F36 …	F-350 4x4 from 1979
1FT…	Every F-Series and Ranger VIN from 1981

Examples

F26…12345: The form of a 1967–77 F-250 4x4 (Highboy) number: F Series, 26 the F-250 4x4 body series, then the year’s engine, plant and year letters and the serial — composed from the code tables, not a particular vehicle.

Sources

1Vehicle identification number (Ford WMIs and the 1981 standard)Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-22

The numbers are as the sources cited above record them — the parts trade's frame-number charts, the clubs' transcriptions of the makers' bulletins and the enthusiast decoders; a blank cell means no number is recorded. Registry research, not a factory record — check the vehicle's plate and the maker's build record before relying on a range. Corrections through the suggestion form.