What do the numbers on Ray-Ban sunglasses mean?

The line inside the temple reads like RB4165 622/55 54□16 145 3P: model RB4165 (the Justin), frame colour 622 with lens 55, a 54 mm lens with a 16 mm bridge, 145 mm temples, and lens category 3 (dark) polarised. N at the end means not polarised, P polarised and F photochromic. Some models also print their name, and some print no size.

Where is the serial number on Ray-Bans?

There isn't one. Neither temple carries a per-pair serial number. One temple has the model line, which every pair of that model and colour shares; the other has the Ray-Ban logo, the country line with a single factory letter, CE, and POLARIZED on polarised pairs. A site that offers a Ray-Ban serial number lookup cannot prove a pair genuine.

Does a correct model code mean my Ray-Bans are real?

No. Most fakes we see print a full, correct-looking code, often copied character for character from a genuine pair. A code that checks out proves nothing. What can tell you something is a broken layout: no RB prefix, BR instead of RB, a model number with nothing after it, no colour code, or a size printed like 53□24-145.

What does 3N or 3P mean on Ray-Bans?

It is the lens category. The digit is the filter category from 0 (clear) to 4 (very dark, not for driving); most sunglasses are 3. The letter is N for a normal, non-polarised lens, P for polarised and F for photochromic. A genuine polarised pair also says POLARIZED on the other temple and carries Ray-Ban P on the lens.

Are Ray-Bans made in China fake?

No. Genuine Ray-Bans are made in Italy and in China, sometimes the same model in both: genuine Clubmasters, the RB3478 and many prescription frames say MADE IN CHINA, with a T after it. Fakes mostly print MADE IN ITALY, so the country line tells you nothing either way, and the tool does not check it.

Free Tool

Ray-Ban Temple Code Checker

What does RB4165 622/55 54□16 145 3P mean? This tool reads the code inside a Ray-Ban temple: the model, the colour, the lens width, bridge and temple length, and whether the lens is polarised. It also flags the printed layouts we have only seen on fakes. A code that checks out proves nothing: most fakes print a real Ray-Ban code.

Last reviewed 6 October 2026

Where the markings are

There is no serial number on a Ray-Ban. The model line is shared by every pair of that model and colour.

Inside of one temple	The model line: model code, sometimes the model name, colour code, lens width □ bridge, sometimes the temple length, and the lens category. This is the line the tool reads.
Inside of the other temple	The Ray-Ban script logo, the country line (MADE IN ITALY or MADE IN CHINA) with a single factory letter, CE, and POLARIZED on polarised pairs.
Outside of the temple	A raised Ray-Ban script plaque near the hinge on acetate frames.
Lens	A small RB etch near the hinge. Polarised lenses carry “Ray-Ban P” instead.

Enter the code from the inside of the temple

One arm carries the model line, for example RB2132 NEW WAYFARER 901 55□18 3N. Type the box between the two sizes as □, [] or a space.

Temple model line

What is it?

The other temple and the listing (optional)

What the other temple says

Listing says polarised?

Listing lens width (mm)

This is not an authenticity check. A matching code proves nothing: most fakes we see print a real Ray-Ban code, often copied character for character from a genuine pair.

Ray-Ban has no serial number. The temple code is shared by every pair of that model and colour, so it cannot be looked up to prove a pair is genuine. This tool decodes the line and flags layouts we have not seen on genuine sunglasses. It never says a pair is genuine. Code looks right but still unsure? Get the pair checked from $15 →

How to read a Ray-Ban temple code

Take RB3025 AVIATOR LARGE METAL 004/58 62□14 140 3P: an Aviator Large Metal, frame colour 004, lens 58, a 62 mm lens with a 14 mm bridge, 140 mm temples, and a category 3 polarised lens.

Part	Meaning
PrefixRB	Ray-Ban. Genuine prescription frames also print RB; kids’ frames use RJ.
Model number3025	Four digits. 2xxx and 4xxx are mostly acetate, 3xxx mostly metal, 8xxx carbon or titanium, 5xxx to 7xxx usually prescription frames (an observed pattern, not an official rule).
Suffix-N -CH -F	-N a newer revision, -CH Chromance lenses, -F Asian (low-bridge) fit, -VM the optical version.
Model nameAVIATOR LARGE METAL	Printed on many models, not all.
Colour code004/58	Frame colour before the slash, lens after it. No slash means the standard lens for that frame. Older pairs use a letter-and-digits code such as L0205 or W0366.
Size62□14	Lens width □ bridge, in millimetres. Some genuine models print no size at all.
Temple length140	In millimetres, on some models only.
Lens category3P	A filter category from 0 (clear) to 4 (very dark), then N (not polarised), P (polarised) or F (photochromic). Most sunglasses are 3.

Sizes and colours we have on record

Read from genuine pairs in our archive, plus a few from retailer listings (marked *). This is reference information, not a test: Ray-Ban makes far more sizes and colours than any table holds, and fakes print these exact codes too.

Model	Sizes	Colour codes (category)
RB2140Original Wayfarer	50□22, 54□18*	901 (3N), 962/40 (3N), 6112/17 (3N), 901/58 (3P)*
RB2132New Wayfarer	52□18, 55□18, 58□18	901 (3N), 902 (3N), 710 (3N), 710/51 (2N), 6450/3R (3P), 622*
RB3025Aviator Large Metal	55□14, 58□14, 62□14	L0205 (3N), 112/17 (3N), 112/19 (3N), 003/32 (2N), 004/58 (3P), W3361 (3P), 001/58 (3P), 002/58 (3P)
RB3026Aviator Large Metal II	62□14	001/33 (3N)
RB3016Clubmaster	49□21, 51□21, 55□19*	W0366 (3N), 901/58 (3P)
RB3447Round Metal	50□21, 53□21, 47□21*	002/71 (3N), 9001/A5 (3N), 9002/A6 (3N), 112/58 (3P)
RB4171Erika	54□18	622/8G (3N), 865/13 (3N), 6001/11 (2N)
RB4165Justin	54□16, 51□16, 55□16	622/55 (3P), 622/T3 (3P), 854/7Z (3N), 856/11 (2N)
RB3548Hexagonal	51□21, 54□21, 48□21*	001 (3N), 001/9O (3N), 001/Z2 (2N), 9069/A5 (3N)

What the tool flags

About one fake in five we checked had one of these layout errors, and once Aviators and prescription frames are set aside, none of the genuine sunglasses in our archive did. Most fakes print a full, correct-looking code.

•No RB in front of the model number, or BR instead of RB.
•A model number with nothing after it.
•No colour code between the model and the size.
•A size that runs into the temple length with a hyphen, like 53□24-145.
•A lens code and category that disagree (a polarised lens code with N, or the reverse), POLARIZED on the other temple with an N code, and a listing that claims something the code contradicts. These are consistency checks: fakes that print a full code usually get them right.

What it does not flag

Each of these appears on genuine Ray-Bans.

•MADE IN CHINA. Genuine Clubmasters, an RB3478 and prescription frames we’ve checked say it, and fakes mostly say Italy.
•A model number we don’t know. Ray-Ban has used hundreds over the decades, and fakes copy real ones.
•A size or colour that isn’t in our reference table. Our table is not complete.
•No size on the temple. The RB4068, RB4104, RB4175 and RB4180 print none.
•The Aviator layout 62□14-135 with no colour code on an RB3025 or RB3026: some genuine Aviator Large Metal II temples are printed that way.
•Prescription frames, whose layout varies.

Polarised or not

A genuine polarised pair says so three times: the code ends in P (3P), the other temple reads POLARIZED, and the lens carries “Ray-Ban P” instead of the plain RB etch. Lens codes such as /58, /55 and /83 are polarised on the pairs we know; /71, /17 and /33 are not. Fakes copy all of this, so treat it as a consistency check, and as a way to test a listing that says “polarised”.

Made in Italy or Made in China

Both are genuine, sometimes for the same model: we have seen genuine Clubmasters made in each. China-made pairs carry a T next to MADE IN CHINA. Fakes mostly print MADE IN ITALY, so the country line tells you nothing either way, and the tool doesn’t check it. The single factory letter on that line is real, but Ray-Ban doesn’t publish what it means.

What this tool can't tell you

•Whether the pair is genuine. Most fakes print a full, correct-looking code, often exactly the one on a genuine pair.
•Anything from a serial number. Ray-Ban has none.
•Whether the lenses block UV. Only a UV meter can tell you that, and an optician will usually check it in seconds.
•Anything about vintage Bausch & Lomb pairs from before 1999, which carry different markings.

Want the full authentication guide?

Read how to spot fake Ray-Ban sunglasses for the hinges, the temple script, the lens etching and the G-15 glass: the checks a copied code cannot pass.

Frequently asked questions

What do the numbers on Ray-Ban sunglasses mean?: The line inside the temple reads like RB4165 622/55 54□16 145 3P: model RB4165 (the Justin), frame colour 622 with lens 55, a 54 mm lens with a 16 mm bridge, 145 mm temples, and lens category 3 (dark) polarised. N at the end means not polarised, P polarised and F photochromic. Some models also print their name, and some print no size.
Where is the serial number on Ray-Bans?: There isn't one. Neither temple carries a per-pair serial number. One temple has the model line, which every pair of that model and colour shares; the other has the Ray-Ban logo, the country line with a single factory letter, CE, and POLARIZED on polarised pairs. A site that offers a Ray-Ban serial number lookup cannot prove a pair genuine.
Does a correct model code mean my Ray-Bans are real?: No. Most fakes we see print a full, correct-looking code, often copied character for character from a genuine pair. A code that checks out proves nothing. What can tell you something is a broken layout: no RB prefix, BR instead of RB, a model number with nothing after it, no colour code, or a size printed like 53□24-145.
What does 3N or 3P mean on Ray-Bans?: It is the lens category. The digit is the filter category from 0 (clear) to 4 (very dark, not for driving); most sunglasses are 3. The letter is N for a normal, non-polarised lens, P for polarised and F for photochromic. A genuine polarised pair also says POLARIZED on the other temple and carries Ray-Ban P on the lens.
Are Ray-Bans made in China fake?: No. Genuine Ray-Bans are made in Italy and in China, sometimes the same model in both: genuine Clubmasters, the RB3478 and many prescription frames say MADE IN CHINA, with a T after it. Fakes mostly print MADE IN ITALY, so the country line tells you nothing either way, and the tool does not check it.

Code looks right but still unsure?

Get the pair checked from $15. Send photos of both temples, the hinges, the lens etching and the logo, and an authenticator checks the glasses themselves and gives you a written result.

Start Authentication →