# GB-ID

> A GB-ID is GenetixBay's permanent identifier, such as GB-GEN-0001842-6, for a genetic line, landrace, seed batch, plant, cut, grow, harvest, trial or document, so records never get lost or renamed.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/gb-id.html
- Also written: GB ID, GBID, GenetixBay ID, GB-IDs, GenetixBay identifier
- Glossary category: GenetixBay terms
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

A GB-ID is the permanent identifier GenetixBay assigns to every record in its genetics archive: lines, [seed batches](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/seed-run.md), individual plants and cuts, grows, harvests and supporting documents. Once issued, a GB-ID is never reused or reassigned, so the record keeps its identity even if a name changes or is disputed.

## In practice

A breeder registers a new cross as a line, links it to the GB-IDs of its mother and father, and gives each seed batch its own ID, so a restock made from different parents is visibly a different batch. A grower's plant from that batch gets its own ID, and its journal, harvest and lab results attach to it. Lineage statements on the record are claims with evidence levels (L0-L4), and crosses logged on the platform as they happen carry a "witnessed" flag. QR batch IDs on packs help growers check that a pack is genuine.

The point is provenance and preservation: when the same cut circulates under a thousand names, a permanent ID with an evidence trail is how the genetics stay traceable.

## How to read one

A GB-ID [looks](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/bag-appeal.md) like `GB-GEN-0001842-6`:

- **GB** marks it as a GenetixBay ID.
- **GEN** is the record type. Common ones: GEN (genetic line), LRC ([landrace](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/landrace.md) population), BAT (seed batch), PKG (seed pack), IND (individual plant, including the males in [the Stud Book](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/stud-book.md)), CUT (cutting), GRW (grow journal), HRV (harvest), DOC (document), TRL ([Bay Trial](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/bay-trials.md)), CRT (certificate) and USR (member).
- **0001842** is the serial, seven digits.
- **6** is a check digit. Mistype one digit or swap two neighbours and the ID won't validate, so the search box can tell you "did you mean" instead of opening the wrong record.

IDs carry no country, year or owner: those live on the record, where they can be corrected openly. Most serials count up, so a low number shows a record is old. Serials 0000001 to 0041999 are reserved for records recovered from the original 2009 exchange and the beta years; new records start at 0042000. Member IDs are the exception: they're random, so nobody can work out how many members there are from one. Paste any GB-ID into search to open its record.

## Don't confuse with

- **Strain name**: a label anyone can attach. A GB-ID identifies a specific record.
- **Seed-to-sale tag**: a regulator's compliance tracking for licensed businesses.
- **Evidence level**: how well a claim on a GB-ID record is supported, not the ID itself.

## Related terms

[Evidence levels L0-L4](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/evidence-levels-l0-l4.md), [Renamed cut](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/renamed-cut.md), [Seed-to-sale tracking](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/seed-to-sale-tracking.md), [Stud Book](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/stud-book.md), [Grow journal](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/grow-journal.md)

## Read more

- [How to document lineage evidence (GB-ID evidence levels L0-L4)](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/breeding/documenting-lineage-evidence.md)
- [Breeder record-keeping and naming ethics](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/breeding/record-keeping-naming-ethics.md)