What is a Bates number?
A Bates number is a unique identifying number stamped on every page of a set of documents, usually a prefix followed by digits with leading zeros, such as ACME000001. Bates numbering lets lawyers, courts and auditors refer to any single page precisely, and shows whether pages are missing from a production.
Also called: Bates numbering, Bates stamp, Bates stamping
Updated October 14, 2026 · By the PDFZyro team
What a Bates number looks like
Most Bates numbers have three parts. The prefix identifies the case, client or party producing the documents, for example SMITH or ACME. The number runs in sequence and is padded with leading zeros to a fixed length, so ACME000001 is followed by ACME000002. Some productions add a suffix, such as a volume or confidentiality code. The number usually sits in a bottom corner of the page, clear of the content.
The numbering continues from one document to the next. If the first file ends at ACME000120, the next file starts at ACME000121, so a whole set of documents reads as one numbered run and no two pages share a number.
Where Bates numbering is used
Bates numbering is standard in litigation and discovery, where each side produces documents to the other and both need to cite exact pages in letters, depositions and court filings. It's also used in audits, regulatory submissions, insurance claims and medical records, and by any team that needs a reliable way to point to one page among thousands.
The name comes from the Bates numbering machine, a hand stamp patented in the late 19th century that moved on to the next number after every press. Today the numbers are added digitally, but the purpose is the same.
Bates numbers and page numbers
Ordinary page numbers start again in every document, so page 3 could be in any file. A Bates number is unique across the whole set, and because it's stamped onto the page, it stays with the page when documents are printed, split or attached to other filings. Courts and parties often have their own rules about the format, so check any instructions you've been given before you number a production.
How to add Bates numbers in PDFZyro
- Open Bates numbering and choose one document or a set of up to 100, in the order the numbers should follow.
- Set the prefix, the number of digits, the first number and where the number goes on the page.
- Apply. Every page gets its own number, continuing across the documents, and each document is saved as a new version, so the unnumbered originals are kept.
Tools and guides
Related terms
- RedactionPermanently removing sensitive text or images from a document before it is shared.
- Document comparison (redline)Checking two versions of a document to show every addition, deletion and change.
- PDF metadataInformation stored about a PDF rather than on its pages: author, title, dates and software.