How do you find a postcode in the U.K.? With our Postcode Finder, simply type in the partial details you have and soon you’ll be on your way to finding the complete postcode/address.
Our UK postcode finding tool can find you the full address and postcode, even if you only know the house number/name with a postcode, or if you only know the street name and town.
What is a postcode?
Postal codes used in the United Kingdom are known simply as postcodes. They are alphanumeric and were adopted nationally between 11 October 1959 and 1974, having been devised by the GPO (Royal Mail). A full postcode is known as a “postcode unit” and designates an area with a number of addresses or a single major delivery point.
Why we need a postcode?
Postcodes have been adopted for a wide range of purposes in addition to aiding the sorting of the mail: for calculating insurance premiums, designating destinations in route planning software and as the lowest level of aggregation in census enumeration.
The boundaries of each postcode unit and within these the full address data of currently about 29 million addresses are stored, maintained and periodically updated in the Postcode Address File database.
How postcodes work
Postcodes are made up of a group of between 5 and 7 letters and numbers that identify a group of houses or addresses. Each postcode has two parts, an Outward and Inward code, separated by a space. Each full Postcode contains an average of 15 delivery points and each postal delivery takes place in two stages.
When a letter is collected it is routed to the main sorting office identified within the first part of the Postcode, the outward Code. The local sorting office uses the second part of the Postcode, the Inward Code, to direct a letter right down to the individual postman’s walk. Postcodes operate at four levels. Take, for example, the Postcode B3 2BJ.
- Level 1: The UK is divided into 124 areas, and a postcode’s area is decided by the first one or two letters. ‘B’ means that B3 2BJ is part of the Birmingham postcode area.
- Level 2: Each area is divided into districts, which is decided by the number that completes the outward code. ‘B3’ means that B3 2BJ is located within Birmingham City Centre.
- Level 3: Each district is divided into sectors, which is decided by the first number in the inward code. There are around 9,000 sectors in the UK.
- Level 4: The final level of the postcode pinpoints a specific group of addresses. Some organisations which receive over 50 items of post a day may be allocated their own unique postcode. A postcode of ‘B3 2BJ’ means an address is somewhere on the street ‘Colmore Row’ in Birmingham City Centre .
How do I find a postcode in UK?
Love Your Postcode™ makes it easy to get a full postcode or complete any partial UK address. Our free-to-use tool is a great solution for anybody who needs to find a few extra details.
How does our Postcode Finder work? Fill in the details you know and we’ll do the rest. As you type, we’ll suggest matches. Simple! Love Your Postcode™ is able to return the full postcode match for a partially entered address.
Love Your Postcode Estate Agents:
Book an appointment with one of our property experts. Call us on 0800 862 0870 or book a free valuation on your home today.
How to find a postcode in the United Kingdom
By
