Understand minifigure part numbers

Anyone buying minifigure parts reads numbers like 3626cpr0001 or 973c01h01pr0030. They follow a pattern, and once you know it you spot the right part in a shop faster.

The base number tells you what kind of part it is

• 3626 is a head.
• 973 is a torso.
• 970 is hips with legs.

The number at the start stands for the basic shape. Everything after it describes a variant.

Letters right after the number: the mold

The head 3626 exists in three molds that differ at the stud on top: 3626a with a solid stud, 3626b with a blocked open stud and 3626c with a hollow stud. From the outside they are hard to tell apart.

The same print often exists in several molds, for example 3626bpr0001 and 3626cpr0001, both the standard grin.

pr, pb and pat: print and pattern

• pr and a number: a print. 3626cpr0001 is a head of mold c with print 0001, the standard grin.
• pb and a number: also a print, just numbered differently, for example 973pb0006, a torso with a logo.
• pat and a number: a pattern, for example black boots on the legs (970c01pat03).

Without pr, pb or pat a part is usually unprinted, for example 3626c as a plain head.

c, h and further digits: finished assemblies

Torsos and legs are listed as assemblies. 970c01 is hips and legs in one entry, 973c01h01 a torso including arms and hands. The digits after c and h tell variants apart, for example the color of arms and hands. The catalog name states it, such as “Yellow Arms and Hands”.

An example from front to back

973c01h01pr0030 from the pirate captain template: 973 is the torso, c01h01 the assembly with arms and hands, pr0030 the print. The catalog name reads “Torso, Vest, Purple, Anchor Tattoo Print, Yellow Arms and Hands”: a torso with a purple vest, an anchor tattoo, yellow arms and hands.

The same number, different systems

Rebrickable, BrickLink and LDraw, the library of the 3D models, do not number everything alike. FigForge shows the Rebrickable number in the Builder and the LDraw number on the theme pages. For BrickLink, FigForge only maps a part when the mapping is documented; otherwise the part stays blocked for that list.

So before you buy, compare not just the number but also name, print and color.