What is Bates numbering?
Published October 27, 2026
Bates numbering, also called Bates stamping, puts a unique number on every page of a set of documents, in order: SMITH-000001, SMITH-000002, SMITH-000003. The count runs on from one document to the next, so no two pages in the set share a number. When lawyers, parties and judges talk about a page, they cite its Bates number, and everyone can find the same page. This is general information, not legal advice.
Where the name comes from
The name comes from Edwin G. Bates of New York, who patented numbering machines in the late 1800s. His U.S. Patent No. 484,391, granted on October 18, 1892, is titled "Consecutive-numbering machine". It describes a machine that moves on to the next number each time it prints, and Bates assigned it to the Bates Manufacturing Company of New York. Stamp one page, then the next, and each page gets its own number in sequence.
The idea has not changed since. Today the same numbering is done by software, which writes the number onto each page of a PDF.
What Bates numbers are for
- Pointing to one exact page. "See SMITH-000047" in a letter, a deposition or a motion means one page and only one, even in a set with fifty bank statements that all say "Page 1 of 3".
- A record of what was handed over. "We produced SMITH-000001 to SMITH-000412 on May 4" says exactly what was in the set. If someone later says a page was never sent, the numbers and a kept copy answer it.
- Spotting gaps. The numbers run without breaks, so a missing number means a missing page, or one that was held back and needs explaining.
- Keeping order. Pages that get printed, split into folders or shuffled can be put back in order by their numbers.
The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure do not mention Bates numbers. Rule 34, the rule on requests for documents, says nothing about them. A requirement to number, and the format to use, can come from a court order, a local rule or an agreement between the parties. One example: in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill litigation, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana entered Pretrial Order No. 16 in 2010, which says "The parties agree to produce imaged documents with a legible, unique page identifier ('Bates Number')", placed where it does not hide any information on the page.
What a Bates-stamped page looks like
A Bates-stamped page is an ordinary page with one extra line of small text, usually near a bottom corner, away from the content. "Bates stamped documents" just means documents that carry these numbers. The parts:
| Part | Example | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Prefix | SMITH- | Says who produced the page, often a last name or a short company name |
| Number | 000047 | The page's place in the whole set, padded with zeros to a fixed width |
| Position | Bottom right corner | Out of the way of the text. The exhibit instructions of the federal court in Arizona name the bottom right corner for Bates numbers on bulky exhibits. |
| Label (optional) | CONFIDENTIAL | A separate legend, for example on pages covered by a protective order |
Nothing else on the page changes. The number sits on top, the way an ink stamp would.
Bates numbers vs page numbers
Page numbers start again in every document. Bates numbers do not. Three documents in one set:
| Document | Page numbers | Bates numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Lease, 3 pages | 1 to 3 | SMITH-000001 to SMITH-000003 |
| Bank statement, 5 pages | 1 to 5 | SMITH-000004 to SMITH-000008 |
| Pay stub, 1 page | 1 | SMITH-000009 |
"Page 2" could be either of two pages here, and in a real production, dozens. "SMITH-000005" is one page.
Who uses it
Bates numbers are used when documents are handed to the other side in a lawsuit, by law firms, paralegals, companies and people representing themselves who have received a request for production. See responding to a request for production and Bates numbering a discovery response without a lawyer. Some courts' exhibit procedures also mention Bates numbers on long exhibits; exhibit numbers vs Bates numbers explains how the two differ. For prefixes, digits and ranges, see Bates number format.
How it is done today
Adobe Acrobat Pro has a Bates numbering tool; Adobe's help page for it is titled "Add Bates numbering in Acrobat Pro". Without Pro, free browser tools such as batesstamp.com number a batch of PDFs at no cost, and there are paid tools too. Bates numbering without Acrobat compares the options. Whatever the tool, a list of each file's range, a production index, is what makes the numbers useful months later.
BatesNumbering.app numbers every page across your PDFs in the order you choose, in your browser, and writes that index as a PDF and a CSV. In the same pass it looks for Social Security, account and card numbers for you to review, and the first 10 pages are free.
Common questions
What is Bates numbering?
Bates numbering puts a unique, running number on every page of a set of documents, usually with a prefix, such as SMITH-000001. The numbers continue from one document to the next, so any page in the set can be cited by its number.
Why is it called Bates numbering?
It is named after Edwin G. Bates of New York, who patented numbering machines in the late 1800s. His patent No. 484,391, granted in 1892, describes a consecutive-numbering machine that moves to the next number each time it prints.
What is a Bates stamp?
The number printed on each page, usually in a bottom corner, often with a prefix that names the party producing the documents. The word comes from the stamping machine; today software adds it to PDF pages.
Is Bates numbering required in discovery?
The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure do not mention it. A requirement can come from a court order, a local rule or an agreement between the parties, and a lawyer or your court's self-help center can say what applies in your case.
Redact and Bates-number a set of PDFs in one pass →Or check a PDF for numbers left in it, free →
More guides: Bates numbering without Acrobat · Bates number format and examples · Bates numbering a discovery response without a lawyer · Exhibit numbers vs Bates numbers · How to redact a PDF for free · Redacting SSNs and account numbers in court filings · Redacting a bank statement · Why black box redactions fail · Redacting a PDF on iPhone or Mac · A document production index · Rolling productions · Responding to a request for production · Bates and redaction tools compared · batesstamp.com alternatives · RedactifyAI alternatives · Adobe Acrobat alternatives for Bates and redaction