Format: nLength: 4Fixed length
DE 18

Merchant Type (MCC)

Data element
18
Format
n
Length
4
Encoding type
fixed
Bitmap
Primary

What it is

The MCC classifies the merchant's line of business: 5411 grocery, 5812 restaurants, 6011 ATM, 7995 gambling. It feeds interchange qualification, issuer risk and rewards logic, and regulatory blocking (e.g. gambling restrictions by market).

Example values

5411Grocery stores / supermarkets.
6011ATM cash disbursement.

Specification reference

Defined in ISO 8583:1987 (base). Card networks publish their own dialect tables (Visa BASE I / V.I.P., Mastercard CIS) that refine formats, lengths, and — for private-use elements — the entire layout. Always confirm against the interface specification you implement.

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