EC postcode district map, City of London
Supplier statuses last checked .
The EC postcode area covers 27 districts and 3,550 live postcodes, from EC1A to EC4Y. It is centred on City of London.
Its districts are sparse, averaging 131 postcodes each.
Where the EC districts sit
3 districts are plotted without a label where labels would overlap; every one is in the table below.
Where EC sits
The whole area sits inside Greater London, which is unusual at this size.
Water supply across EC
All 27 EC districts are supplied by Thames Water, which is notable at this size: an area with this many districts usually crosses at least one supply boundary, and this one does not.
Thames Water has a hosepipe ban in force from 23 July 2026, covering the whole of EC.
The shape of the EC area
EC1V is the largest district with 482 postcodes around City of London, and EC3P the smallest with 25. The area divides into 121 postcode sectors.
Several districts share a settlement, which is a common source of confusion when a form rejects an address: EC1A, EC1M, EC1N, EC1P, EC1R, EC1V, EC1Y, EC2A, EC2M, EC2N, EC2P, EC2R, EC2V, EC2Y, EC3A, EC3M, EC3N, EC3P, EC3R, EC3V, EC4A, EC4M, EC4N, EC4P, EC4R, EC4V and EC4Y all point at City of London.
What borders EC
EC sits next to WC (London) to the west, E (City of London) to the north east, N (City of London) to the north, W (London) to the west and NW (London) to the north west.
Its neighbours run in 4 different directions, so EC is landlocked by other postcode areas on most sides.
EC districts, settlements and water supply
| District | Principal settlement | Water company | Hosepipe ban status |
|---|---|---|---|
| EC1A | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC1M | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC1N | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC1P | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC1R | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC1V | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC1Y | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC2A | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC2M | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC2N | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC2P | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC2R | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC2V | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC2Y | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC3A | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC3M | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC3N | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC3P | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC3R | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC3V | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC4A | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC4M | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC4N | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC4P | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC4R | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC4V | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
| EC4Y | City of London | Thames Water | Ban in force |
Principal settlement is the town or city each district sits in or nearest to, derived from OS Open Names. It is not the Royal Mail post town, which is licensed data and not published openly. Status is resolved live from each company’s own notice.
Water hardness in EC
No water company covering EC publishes hardness figures as open data. The gap is named per district below so you know who to ask.
| District | Hardness | As published | Supply zone | Published by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EC1A | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC1M | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC1N | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC1P | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC1R | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC1V | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC1Y | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC2A | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC2M | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC2N | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC2P | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC2R | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC2V | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC2Y | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC3A | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC3M | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC3N | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC3P | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC3R | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC3V | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC4A | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC4M | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC4N | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC4P | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC4R | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC4V | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| EC4Y | Not published by Thames Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
Hardness is published per census area, not per postcode, so these figures characterise a district rather than measuring one address. They are a scale and taste matter, not a safety one. Hardness data version wessex-water@2022-2025+yorkshire-water@2026.
Download the EC data
No signup, no email wall. GeoJSON carries the district points, the supplier and the live status, so it can be dropped straight into a map.
District positions are averaged postcode centroids from OS Code-Point Open. They show roughly where a district sits, not where its boundary runs, and are not legal boundaries.
Frequently asked questions
How many postcode districts are in the EC area?
There are 27 EC postcode districts, running from EC1A to EC4Y, and they contain 3,550 live postcodes across 121 sectors.
What towns does the EC postcode area cover?
EC covers City of London. The area takes its name from City of London, and each district is listed with its settlement in the table on this page.
Which water company supplies EC postcodes?
Thames Water supplies all 27 EC districts. Supply boundaries follow the pipe network rather than postcode geography, so confirm against your water bill if you are near the edge of the area.
Why do EC1A and EC1M both say City of London?
EC1A, EC1M, EC1N, EC1P, EC1R, EC1V, EC1Y, EC2A, EC2M, EC2N, EC2P, EC2R, EC2V, EC2Y, EC3A, EC3M, EC3N, EC3P, EC3R, EC3V, EC4A, EC4M, EC4N, EC4P, EC4R, EC4V and EC4Y all serve City of London, covering different parts of it. A single town routinely needs more than one postcode district once it passes a few thousand delivery points, so this is normal rather than an error in an address.
Can I download a free EC postcode map?
Yes. This page offers the EC districts as GeoJSON, CSV and SVG, free and with no signup or email address required. The GeoJSON carries each district's position, its water company and its current restriction status, so it can be dropped straight into a mapping tool.
How many postcode sectors are in EC?
EC contains 121 postcode sectors across its 27 districts. A sector is the district plus the first digit of the second half of the postcode, and it is the level a delivery round is actually planned around.
Is there a hosepipe ban in EC?
Yes, across the area: Thames Water has a restriction in force covering EC. The table on this page shows the position district by district.