How to Read a RAM Label: Samsung, Hynix, Micron Part Numbers Decoded
By the SellUsedRAM bench · Reviewed September 28, 2026 · About SellUsedRAM
A RAM label tells you everything a buyer needs to price the module — capacity, generation, speed, rank, and type — once you know each manufacturer's pattern. This guide is the decoder ring for the three DRAM makers whose names are actually on the chips (Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron) plus the module brands you will meet most often (Kingston, Crucial, Corsair, and G.Skill). No software required; if the machine still runs, though, the OS can read all of this for you — see how to tell what RAM you have.
Start with the generic line
Most labels carry a JEDEC-style summary such as 16GB 2Rx8 PC4-3200AA-RE1. Read it in four pieces: capacity (16GB), rank and chip width (2Rx8 — two ranks of x8 chips; the full story is in what rank markings mean), the speed code (PC4 = DDR4; PC4-25600 style numbers are bandwidth, PC4-3200AA style are the data rate), and a final letter block whose first letter is the module type — R registered, U unbuffered, E ECC unbuffered, L load-reduced, S SODIMM. Speed translations worth memorizing: DDR4-2133 = PC4-17000, 2400 = PC4-19200, 2666 = PC4-21300, 2933 = PC4-23400, 3200 = PC4-25600; DDR5-4800 = PC5-38400, 5600 = PC5-44800, 6000 = PC5-48000.
Samsung: M393A4K40CB2-CVF
The prefix names the family: M393 = DDR4 RDIMM, M386 = DDR4 LRDIMM, M391 = DDR4 ECC UDIMM, M378 = DDR4 UDIMM, M471 = DDR4 SODIMM; for DDR5, M321 = RDIMM, M323 = UDIMM, M425 = SODIMM. The middle block encodes capacity and organization (A4K40 is 32GB dual-rank x4; A8G40 is 64GB). The suffix pair after the dash is speed: CPB 2133, CRC 2400, CTD 2666, CVF 2933, CWE 3200. So M393A4K40CB2-CVF reads: 32GB DDR4-2933 registered — the module on our 32GB DDR4-2933 RDIMM page (currently $113–$131 per module).
SK Hynix: HMA84GR7CJR4N-WM
HMA is DDR4 (HMT was DDR3, HMC is DDR5). The three characters after it are the DRAM die density then the module depth, and the depth alone gives the capacity — 1G = 8GB, 2G = 16GB, 4G = 32GB, 8G = 64GB, AG = 128GB, with the character in front of them the die (4 = 4Gb, 8 = 8Gb, A = 16Gb, B = 32Gb), so HMA41G and HMA81G are both 8GB and HMA82G and HMAA2G are both 16GB — and the letter block tells the type: R for registered (R7 here), L for load-reduced, E for ECC unbuffered, U for unbuffered, S for SODIMM. R4 near the end is the chip width (x4). The tail letters are speed: TF 2133, UH 2400, VK 2666, WM 2933, XN 3200. HMA84GR7CJR4N-WM is therefore another 32GB DDR4-2933 RDIMM — same market row as the Samsung above.
Micron: MTA36ASF4G72PZ-2G9E1
Micron leads with the chip count: MTA36 = 36 DRAM packages (a dual-rank x4 ECC module), MTA18 = 18, MTA9 = 9. The block ASF4G72 encodes a 4G-deep, 72-bit organization — 32GB with ECC; ASF8G72 doubles it to 64GB, like the 64GB DDR4-3200 RDIMM (currently $334–$390 per module). PZ marks a registered module. The tail is speed: 2G3 2400, 2G6 2666, 2G9 2933, 3G2 3200. DDR5 Microns start with MTC.
Kingston: Server Premier, ValueRAM, and FURY
Kingston publishes a decoder for each of its lines. KSM is Server Premier, KVR is ValueRAM, KF is FURY, and HX is the older HyperX line. The two digits after the prefix are the speed (26 = 2666, 29 = 2933, 32 = 3200, 48 = 4800, 56 = 5600), and the number after the slash (DDR4) or hyphen (DDR5) is the total capacity, so a K2 kit marked 64 is two 32GB modules.
KSM29RD4/64HAR is Server Premier (KSM), 2933 (29), registered (R), dual-rank (D), built from x4 chips (4), 64GB (/64) and currently pays $197–$218. The letters after the capacity lock the parts inside: H is SK Hynix DRAM, A the die revision, and R a Rambus register. DDR5 Server Premier numbers add the CAS latency and letters for the power, SPD-hub, and thermal-sensor chips, so KSM56R46BD4PMI-64HAI is a 5600 registered module at CL46, dual-rank x4, 64GB, on SK Hynix A-die.
ValueRAM and FURY put the module type and CAS latency after the speed. KVR32N22D8/32 is a 3200 non-ECC desktop DIMM (N) at CL22, dual-rank x8, 32GB (currently $71–$79); an S in that spot makes it a laptop SODIMM. KF556C40BBK2-64 is FURY DDR5 (KF5) at 5600, a desktop DIMM (C) at CL40, Beast series in black (BB), a kit of two (K2) totalling 64GB (currently $312–$365 for the kit).
Crucial: CT32G4DFD832A
Crucial puts capacity first: CT32G4DFD832A is Crucial (CT), 32GB (32G), DDR4 (4), with the speed in the tail digits (32 = 3200); an S in the form block makes it a SODIMM, as in CT32G4SFD832A.
Corsair: CMK32GX4M2E3200C16
Corsair's number reads left to right. CM is Corsair Memory, and the letters after it are the product line, read together with the generation: K is Vengeance LPX on DDR4 but Vengeance on DDR5, W is Vengeance RGB Pro, T is Dominator Platinum RGB, and SX is a Vengeance laptop SODIMM. 32G is the capacity of the whole kit, X4 or X5 the DDR generation, and M2 the number of modules, so 32G with M2 is two 16GB sticks. The letter before the speed is Corsair's model revision. The speed and latency at the end are the overclock profile's values: C before the latency means an Intel XMP profile, and on DDR5 a Z there means AMD EXPO.
So CMK32GX4M2E3200C16 is a Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200 kit of two 16GB modules at CL16 (currently $62–$70 for the kit). The version printed on the sticker names the DRAM maker with its first digit: 3 is Micron, 4 is Samsung, and 5 is SK Hynix.
G.Skill: F4-3200C16D-32GVK and F5-6000J3038F16GX2-TZ5NR
G.Skill's DDR4 numbers are short. F4 is DDR4, 3200 the speed, C16 the CAS latency, and the letter after it the number of modules (S one, D two, Q four). The number after the hyphen is the whole kit, and the closing letters are the series: VK is Ripjaws V in black, TZN Trident Z Neo. So F4-3200C16D-32GVK is two 16GB DDR4-3200 modules at CL16 (currently $62–$70 for the kit).
DDR5 numbers changed the order. The letter right after the speed is the module type, not a latency: J or U is a desktop DIMM, S a laptop SODIMM, and R a registered module. The next four digits are the timings, then comes a voltage letter, and the capacity counts per module, so 16GX2 is two 16GB modules. F5-6000J3038F16GX2-TZ5NR is a Trident Z5 Neo RGB kit of two 16GB DDR5-6000 desktop modules at 30-38-38 and 1.35V (currently $171–$190 for the kit).
HPE, Dell, Lenovo, and Cisco labels
Server makers print their own numbers on top of the module maker's. Those numbers have their own decoders: HPE option, spare, and assembly numbers, Dell SNP numbers and DP/Ns, Lenovo option and FRU numbers, and Cisco UCS product IDs. The module underneath is still a Samsung, SK Hynix, or Micron part, and it prices as one.
When the sticker is missing, damaged, or wrong
Modules get relabeled, stickers fall off, and counterfeits exist. The ground truth lives in the SPD chip on the module, which is what our bench reads on every stick at intake — the SPD always wins over the sticker. If you cannot identify a module, do not guess: paste whatever is legible into the quote form, which fuzzy-matches part numbers with or without dashes, or check the label against the rows on the Payout Index.
FAQ
What does PC4-25600 mean on my RAM?
DDR4 with 25,600 MB/s of theoretical bandwidth — which is DDR4-3200. Divide the PC number by eight to get the data rate; PC5 numbers work the same way for DDR5.
What does the -CVF suffix mean on Samsung memory?
It is Samsung's speed code for DDR4-2933. The neighboring codes are CPB (2133), CRC (2400), CTD (2666), and CWE (3200) — one sticker letter-pair is often the entire difference between two price tiers.
My part number is not on your site. Is it worthless?
No — the catalog lists the most-traded configurations, not everything we buy. Paste the exact part number into the quote form; matching variants (different die revisions, vendor-branded labels) is our job, not yours.
Does the manufacturer on the label change the value?
A little. Samsung sets our benchmark; SK Hynix and Micron modules of the same specification pay a few percent less, and Kingston, Crucial, Corsair, and G.Skill modules less again. The brand table on each module page shows the exact ranges. A server maker's sticker on top (Dell, HPE, Lenovo) does not change the module underneath.
Label decoded? The quote form turns that part number into a firm figure within four business hours.