Area Code 318 – Hengshui, Hebei

Overview of Area Code +86 318

Area code 318 is a geographic National Destination Code (NDC) assigned to Hengshui City (衡水市), located in the central-southern part of Hebei Province, China. Under the ITU-T E.164 international numbering plan, the full country calling code for China is +86, so numbers in Hengshui are dialed internationally as +86 318 XXX XXXX. Domestically, the trunk prefix 0 is used before the area code, resulting in the format 0318 XXX XXXX when calling from other regions within China.

Geographic Coverage and Administrative Jurisdiction

The 318 numbering area encompasses the entire prefecture-level city of Hengshui, including its central urban districts and all subordinate counties and county-level cities. Key administrative divisions served by this code include:

• Taocheng District (桃城区) – the main urban center and seat of the municipal government.
• Jizhou District (冀州区) – formerly Jixian County, now an urban district.
• Shenzhou City (深州市) – a county-level city under Hengshui's jurisdiction.
• Zaoqiang County (枣强县), Wuyi County (武邑县), Wuqiang County (武强县), Raoyang County (饶阳县), Anping County (安平县), and Fucheng County (阜城县).

This allocation follows the national numbering plan administered by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and is used for fixed-line (PSTN) services, including traditional copper lines and fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) VoIP-based fixed services.

Dialing Formats and Caller Instructions

Proper dialing procedures depend on the caller's location:

• Local calls within Hengshui (same area code): Dial only the 7- or 8-digit subscriber number. In most of China, local numbers are 7 digits, but in some areas they have been expanded to 8 digits. For Hengshui, subscriber numbers are typically 7 digits (e.g., 2XXXXXX). However, always verify the exact length with your service provider.
• Domestic long-distance from other Chinese cities: Dial 0 followed by the area code and subscriber number: 0318 XXX XXXX.
• International calls from outside China: Dial the international access prefix (e.g., 00 from most countries, or + from mobile) followed by 86, then 318 and the subscriber number: +86 318 XXX XXXX.

Numbering Plan and Overlay Considerations

Currently, there is no overlay code for Hengshui; 318 remains the sole geographic area code for the region. The number length for fixed-line subscribers is 7 digits, making the total international number length 11 digits (including country code). It is important to note that China's numbering plan is closed, meaning that all digits must be dialed even for local calls. There are no separate short codes for local dialing.

Practical Examples

For a fixed-line subscriber in Hengshui with the number 2XXXXXX, the international format would be +86 318 2XXXXXX. A caller from Beijing would dial 0318 2XXXXXX. A caller from the United States would dial 011 86 318 2XXXXXX.