CAGE Code Lookup: How to Find Any CAGE Code Free

A CAGE code lookup is a free search for a company's Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code, the five-character identifier the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) assigns to a business facility. The fastest official way to look one up is the Entity Information search on SAM.gov at sam.gov/entity-information. Type in the company's legal name, its Unique Entity ID (UEI), or its CAGE code, and the record comes back with its current registration status. The DLA's own CAGE Search and Inquiry (CSI) tool on cage.dla.mil is the second official option. Both are government-run, both are free, and neither one charges you a dime for a basic search.

That short answer covers the lookup itself. The rest of this guide covers what the code actually is, who assigns it, how to read the record you find, what to do when a search comes up empty, and how the code is used once you are bidding on real DLA work. If you are new to federal contracting, read it start to finish. If you already have a code and just cannot find someone else's, jump to the step-by-step search or the troubleshooting section.

What a CAGE Code Is and Who Assigns It

A CAGE code is a five-character identifier assigned to a supplier, a government agency, or another organization that does business in the federal supply chain. It ties a specific business location to a specific entity. That is the key detail most people miss: a CAGE code identifies a facility at a location, not just a company name. If your business operates two plants in two states, those two plants do not share one CAGE code.

The DLA CAGE Program Office issues CAGE codes for entities located in the United States and its territories. That is the "DLA CAGE program" you will see referenced in official guidance. For a company based outside the United States, the equivalent is a NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) code, which is requested through the NCAGE tool before a SAM.gov registration can begin. The DLA maintains both, and the CAGE home page at cage.dla.mil is the single landing point for searching, requesting, and updating them.

Here is the part that surprises people: you do not apply for a CAGE code in a separate process, and you do not pay a service to "register" you. A CAGE code is created when you register an entity in the System for Award Management (SAM) at SAM.gov. During registration, SAM.gov assigns one automatically if your entity does not already have a code. If an existing CAGE code is on file, SAM updates that record instead. The DLA's CAGE code page and its Registration, Renewal, and CAGE Creation in SAM.gov article state this plainly: the code can be created through registering an entity in SAM.gov.

Do not confuse the CAGE code with the UEI. The Unique Entity ID is a 12-character alphanumeric code that replaced the old DUNS number, and it is now the authoritative identifier across federal systems. The CAGE code is the older Department of Defense (DoD) identifier that still governs how the military logistics system sees your company. You will need both, and they will both print on the documents you submit. The registration process creates them at the same time.

Why the Code Matters at All

The CAGE code exists so that the government can point at one facility and be certain which one it means. When DLA buys a part, it has to know who is quoting, where that supplier ships from, and whether the supplier is the manufacturer or a distributor. A company name cannot carry that weight on its own, because company names change, get reused, and get shortened. A CAGE code does not.

That single fact is why CAGE validation is a mandatory step in entity registration. In the DLA's own words when it launched the modern CAGE system, if a business cannot get past CAGE registration validation, it is not eligible to receive government funding in any form. The code is a gate, not a formality.

How to Look Up a CAGE Code Step by Step

You have two official tools. Use SAM.gov when you want registration status and entity detail. Use CAGE Search and Inquiry when you want the code record itself, including the parent and location structure. Both answer the same basic question, but they are not identical, and one tends to work when the other feels thin.

Option 1: The SAM.gov Entity Search

1. Go to sam.gov/entity-information. You do not need an account for a basic public search.
2. In the search box, choose your search field. You can search by entity name, by UEI, or by CAGE code.
3. If you have the CAGE code, use it. It is the fastest and the most accurate. A five-character code returns one facility, not a list of companies that share a common word in their name.
4. If you only have a name, type the legal name as it would appear on incorporation papers. Leave off "Inc.," "LLC," and "Co." at first, then add them back if the first pass returns nothing.
5. Open the entity record. Confirm the legal name, the physical address, and the registration status. An entity that shows active can bid. An entity that shows expired or inactive cannot receive awards until it renews.
6. If you only need to know whether a registration is active, use the Check Entity Status tool instead. It asks for a UEI or a CAGE code and returns the status directly.

Option 2: The DLA CAGE Search and Inquiry Tool

1. Go to cage.dla.mil/Search, the CAGE Search and Inquiry (CSI) page.
2. Accept the terms of use for the government system.
3. Search by CAGE code, by company name, or by other identifiers the form allows. CSI returns the CAGE record, including the entity's name, address, and status.
4. Read the record for the location you care about. Remember that a single company can hold more than one CAGE code if it operates more than one facility.
5. If you need to request a new code or update an existing one, the request and update page is where that starts.

The CAGE home page also carries its own FAQ and posts notices that can affect search and validation. Check it before you assume a tool is broken, because scheduled maintenance windows are a common reason a lookup suddenly fails.

What a Good CAGE Record Tells You

A clean record gives you the legal business name, the physical address tied to that code, the CAGE code itself, the UEI, and the registration status. It will also show whether the entity is the manufacturer or a dealer, and often lists related codes for the same parent organization. That last part matters when you are doing a CAGE lookup on a competitor or a potential supplier, because a company that looks small under one code may be part of a much larger corporate family.

Keep your expectations honest. Neither tool is a polished consumer search engine. They are government systems built for accuracy, not for clever matching. A search that returns nothing usually means the record does not exist under the terms you typed, not that the system is down.

How to Get a CAGE Code If You Do Not Have One

If your search comes up empty because your own company has no code yet, the fix is a SAM.gov registration. There is no separate application, no fee, and no legitimate shortcut. Anyone offering to "obtain your CAGE code for a fee" is charging you for a free process.

1. Create a SAM.gov account. Sign-in is handled through Login.gov. Use an email address your business controls.
2. Start an entity registration from your SAM.gov workspace. Enter your legal business name, date of incorporation, and state of incorporation exactly as they appear on your IRS and state records.
3. Let SAM.gov validate your entity. The system checks your legal name and physical address against public records through the entity validation service. If it cannot match you automatically, you upload documentation and a reviewer handles it. Simple cases move in about five business days. Cases that need extra documents can take several weeks.
4. Get your UEI. The registration process generates it. You do not buy it and you do not get it from a third party.
5. Continue through the core registration data, then submit. A CAGE code is assigned during this step if one does not exist for your entity.
6. Wait for CAGE processing. The DLA CAGE Program Office can take up to 10 business days to process CAGE requests. Allow at least 10 business days for the registration itself to become active.
7. Check your status instead of refreshing your inbox. Use the Check Entity Status tool with your UEI or CAGE code.

The DLA walk-through on registration, renewal, and CAGE creation is the source for the timelines above. If you get stuck, the DLA Customer Interaction Center is open 24 hours a day at 1-877-352-2255, and the Federal Service Desk handles SAM.gov tickets. Free help is also available from your regional APEX Accelerator, whose counselors exist specifically to walk small businesses through registration at no cost.

Once your code is live, the next step is getting it working on DLA systems. Our DIBBS registration guide picks up where the CAGE code leaves off.

CAGE Code Lookup Errors and How to Fix Them

Most failed lookups are not system failures. They are input problems, and each one has a fix.

The name does not match exactly

A CAGE lookup keyed to a name fails when the name you type is not the name on the record. Companies get registered under their full legal name, which may include a "Corporation" or "Incorporated" you never write, or an ampersand where you typed "and." Apostrophes, commas, and punctuation all matter. Start broad, then narrow. If a partial name returns a list, scan for the address rather than the name, because the address is often the most stable identifier in the record.

The entity is registered under a different location

Because a CAGE code is tied to a facility, a company might be registered at a headquarters address while the search you run expects a plant. If the record looks right but the address is wrong, you may be looking at a different location for the same parent company. Search the parent name and compare the codes.

The registration has lapsed

SAM registration must be renewed every year. When a vendor lets it expire, the entity loses active status, and it disappears from the results that matter even if the historical record still exists. If a supplier you depend on suddenly cannot be found, check the status before you assume the code is gone. The registration probably expired.

The code was merged, changed, or retired

Businesses change. A facility can be acquired, it can move, and it can consolidate its records under a parent. When that happens, an old CAGE code may no longer be the active identifier for that location, and the record that appears now may point to a new code. If you have an old code from a decades-old drawing or purchase order, search it, read the current record, and note the active code before you quote or reference it. If nothing comes back at all on an old code, that is your signal that the record is no longer maintained and you need the current one from the company directly.

You are searching a foreign company in the U.S. CAGE search

Entities outside the United States hold NCAGE codes, not U.S. CAGE codes. A U.S. lookup can come up empty on a foreign supplier that is perfectly registered. Look the company up through the NCAGE tools instead.

How a CAGE Code Is Used on Government RFQs and DIBBS Quotes

Once you have a code, you will use it constantly. It is not a one-time formality that sits in a filing cabinet.

On the DLA Internet Bid Board System (DIBBS), the CAGE code is how DIBBS knows who you are. To submit a quote, you must be registered and logged into the secure section. You find the solicitation through RFQ Search, open it, complete the quote form, and submit. When you want to confirm that a quote was received, you log in, open My Account, and use the search for submitted offers or quotes. DIBBS returns the list of your submissions for the CAGE code you selected. Your code is the key the whole system indexes on.

The code also tells buyers what kind of seller you are. Many DLA solicitations describe an item by an approved source's CAGE code along with a part number and a short description. When you bid against that kind of line, you are quoting either as the approved source or as an alternate. If you are the approved manufacturer, you quote without exception. If you are offering a substitute, the procurement notes for alternate offers govern how the quote is evaluated. Either way, the buyer reads your CAGE code first to understand who is behind the offer. Pricing is where most of these quotes are won or lost, and our government contract pricing strategy guide covers how to set a bid that holds up.

Understanding the item description matters just as much as the code. DLA line items are usually identified by a National Stock Number (NSN), a 13-digit number built from a four-digit Federal Supply Class (FSC) and a nine-digit National Item Identification Number (NIIN). The DLA explanation of NSNs breaks down the structure, and it is worth reading once, because you cannot quote what you cannot identify.

Finally, your code shows up on every compliance and eligibility check downstream. DLA requires vendors to keep an active registration and a working electronic funds account, and electronic quoting in DIBBS is mandatory. Solicitations under the simplified acquisition threshold are posted electronically as HTML RFQs on the DIBBS RFQ search, while larger buys go out through the full solicitation process. Our guide to government contracting compliance requirements covers the registrations and certifications that sit around your CAGE code on the way to an award.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I look up a CAGE code for free?

Use the Entity Information search at sam.gov/entity-information, or the CAGE Search and Inquiry tool at cage.dla.mil/Search. Both are official government tools, both are free, and neither requires a paid subscription. Search by CAGE code if you have it, by UEI if you have that, or by legal business name if all you have is the company name. The SAM.gov Check Entity Status tool also returns a registration status from a CAGE code or UEI in one step.

Does my CAGE code expire?

The code number itself does not carry an expiration date the way a license does, but its usefulness does. Your CAGE code is tied to your SAM.gov registration, and that registration must be renewed every year. When the registration lapses, the entity loses active status and cannot receive federal awards until it renews, even though the historical code record may still be visible in a search. DLA can also retire or consolidate codes that are no longer valid for a location. Treat renewal as the thing that keeps your code working, and start the renewal about 45 days before your expiration date.

What is the difference between a CAGE code and a UEI?

The Unique Entity ID is a 12-character alphanumeric code that replaced the DUNS number and is now the authoritative federal-level identifier across SAM, FPDS, CPARS, and USASpending. The CAGE code is a five-character Department of Defense identifier tied to a specific facility and location. You get both from the same SAM.gov registration. Government systems increasingly key on the UEI, but the CAGE code remains the identifier the military logistics and cataloging systems, including DIBBS, are built around.

Can I get a CAGE code without registering in SAM.gov?

No. For a U.S. entity, the CAGE code is created as part of the SAM.gov entity registration process. There is no standalone application, and there is no fee. If an entity already has a CAGE code, the registration updates that record rather than creating a new one. Companies located outside the United States follow a different path and must request an NCAGE code through the NCAGE tool before starting a SAM.gov registration.

Why can't I find a company in the CAGE search by its name?

Nine times out of ten it is a name mismatch. The record uses the full legal name, which may include a suffix you dropped, an ampersand instead of "and," or punctuation that differs from how the company markets itself. Try the shortest version of the name first, then scan results by address. If you still get nothing, the company may be registered under a different location, its registration may have lapsed, or it may be a foreign entity that holds an NCAGE code and will not appear in the U.S. CAGE search.