Skip to main content

T31 ICD-10-CM Code: Burns classified according to extent of body surface involved

Compare with another code for T31Check this code on a claim

Billing Status: NO. This is a non-billable ICD-10-CM code: report a more specific billable code beneath it.

Category · FY2027A non-billable heading in the tabular list: report a more specific code beneath it.

What you need to know

Source: CMS/NCHS Official ICD-10-CM tabular notes, quoted. From the CMS/NCHS tabular list for the release in force. A note the category or block publishes applies to this code too, and is marked with where it comes from.

The tabular list publishes no instructional note for this code itself.

Where it sits Source: CMS/NCHS

Under:Chapter 19: Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External CausesT07-T88 Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causesT20-T32 Burns and corrosionsT30-T32 Burns and corrosions of multiple and unspecified body regions

Codes under T31 (10)

  • T31.0Burns involving less than 10% of body surfaceBillable
  • T31.1Burns involving 10-19% of body surfaceNot billable
  • T31.2Burns involving 20-29% of body surfaceNot billable
  • T31.3Burns involving 30-39% of body surfaceNot billable
  • T31.4Burns involving 40-49% of body surfaceNot billable
  • T31.5Burns involving 50-59% of body surfaceNot billable
  • T31.6Burns involving 60-69% of body surfaceNot billable
  • T31.7Burns involving 70-79% of body surfaceNot billable
  • T31.8Burns involving 80-89% of body surfaceNot billable
  • T31.9Burns involving 90% or more of body surfaceNot billable

CompareCheck ClaimView Related Codes

Coder workflow for T31

MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record

Before you code T31

  1. T31 is not reportable as written. Select the more specific code beneath it that the documentation supports. Codes are reported to the highest level of specificity the classification provides (Guidelines I.B.2).

    ReviewT31.0, T31.1, T31.2, T31.3, T31.4, T31.5, T31.6, T31.7, T31.8, T31.9

    See the relationships section · Guide: How to choose an ICD-10-CM code →

  2. Confirm the injury type, the anatomical site at the most specific level documented, laterality where the family codes it, and the encounter for the 7th character. Each injury is coded separately unless the classification provides a combination code, and a superficial injury is not coded when a more severe injury of the same site is documented. Injury chapter guidelines (Guidelines I.C.19.b, I.C.19.b.1).

    Guide: 7th characters: initial, subsequent, sequela →

Choose the right path

  1. Does the documentation support one of the more specific codes beneath T31?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → T31 cannot be reported as written. Where the codes beneath it include an unspecified code, that code applies when the record goes no further; otherwise query for the missing detail.

    ReviewT31.0, T31.1, T31.2, T31.3, T31.4, T31.5, T31.6, T31.7, T31.8, T31.9

Report the code beneath T31 that the documentation supports, not T31 itself. Then confirm that code is valid for the date of service on its own page.

Documentation check

The provider’s diagnostic statement
Codes are assigned from the provider’s documented diagnosis, not from clinical criteria, test values or a medication list (Guidelines I.A.19).
Anatomical site
At the most specific level the record states; a site the classification separates cannot be assumed from a procedure or a measurement.
External cause, place and activity
For the external cause codes reported with the injury or poisoning, where documented (Guidelines I.C.20.a).

Every row is derived from this code’s own record — its title, tabular notes, 7th-character family and same-category siblings — with fixed MedCoder wording; nothing is inferred about a patient. The official notes and guideline text are in the sections each row links to, and they control.

Coding context

Guidelines, coding notes, decision aids, relationships (with MS-DRG and CCSR classification), hierarchy, HCC, coverage and the context map: what a coder reaches for after the core. Each section names whether it is official source data, a MedCoder-derived relationship or MedCoder editorial.

Code Overview

Burns classified according to extent of body surface involved is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (T31). A more specific billable subcode must be selected for claims submission.

MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.

Official Coding Guidelines

Official source data — quoted verbatim from the CMS/NCHS Official Guidelines

Verbatim excerpts from the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting (CMS/NCHS) that govern this code.

Chapter 19: Injury, poisoning, and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)

6) Burns and corrosions classified according to extent of body surface involved Assign codes from category T31, Burns classified according to extent of body surface involved, or T32, Corrosions classified according to extent of body surface involved, for acute burns or corrosions when the site of the burn or corrosion is not specified or when there is a need for additional data. It is advisable to use category T31 as additional coding when needed to provide data for evaluating burn mortality, such as that needed by burn units. It is also advisable to use category T31 as an additional code for reporting purposes when there is mention of a third- degree burn involving 20 percent or more of the body surface. Codes from categories T31 and T32 should not be used for sequelae of burns or corrosions.

Chapter 19: Injury, poisoning, and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)

Categories T31 and T32 are based on the classic “rule of nines” in estimating body surface involved: head and neck are assigned nine percent, each arm nine percent, each leg 18 percent, the anterior trunk 18 percent, posterior trunk 18 percent, and genitalia one percent. Providers may change these percentage assignments where necessary to accommodate infants and children who have proportionately larger heads

Verify Before Coding

From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.

Relationships & Classification

MedCoder-derived relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name T31 or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.

Referenced by 2 Excludes1 notes: T07 — Unspecified multiple injuries, T66 — Radiation sickness, unspecified.

These codes’ tabular lists mark this diagnosis as mutually exclusive — not reported together unless the conditions are documented as unrelated.

Referenced by 121 Excludes2 notes: S00 — Superficial injury of head, S00-S09 — Injuries to the head (S00-S09), S01 — Open wound of head, S02 — Fracture of skull and facial bones, S03 — Dislocation and sprain of joints and ligaments of head, S04 — Injury of cranial nerve, S05 — Injury of eye and orbit, S06 — Intracranial injury, S07 — Crushing injury of head, S08 — Avulsion and traumatic amputation of part of head, S09 — Other and unspecified injuries of head, S10 — Superficial injury of neck, S10-S19 — Injuries to the neck (S10-S19), S11 — Open wound of neck, S12 — Fracture of cervical vertebra and other parts of neck, S13 — Dislocation and sprain of joints and ligaments at neck level, S14 — Injury of nerves and spinal cord at neck level, S15 — Injury of blood vessels at neck level, S16 — Injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at neck level, S17 — Crushing injury of neck, +101 more.

These codes’ tabular lists name this diagnosis as distinct — both may be reported when both are documented.

Contextual Map

Every relationship of T31 in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.

Run T31 with these 10 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Referenced by Excludes1 notes

Referenced by Excludes2 notes (121)

Nearest codes (64)

Change history

  • FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2016

Reference

Index terms and tables, published questions and FAQ, every source behind this page with its release and checksum, the date-of-service check and the complete change history.

Common coding questions

MedCoder editorial

Can T31 be billed directly?

No. T31 (Burns classified according to extent of body surface involved) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code. A more specific billable subcode must be selected based on clinical documentation.

Sources for this page

Codes, titles, notes, index terms and mappings on this page are transcribed from the datasets below. Relationships MedCoder computed and text MedCoder wrote are labelled where they appear.

Code, title, tabular notes and index terms Official source data
CMS/CDC ICD-10-CM FY2027 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2026 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Coding guidelines Official source data
ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting (FY2027), quoted by section Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v44.0 (October 2026) Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Change history and date-of-service validity Official source data
CMS ICD-10-CM release addenda, ingested release by release into the change ledger Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Comparisons, relationships and the contextual map MedCoder-derived relationship
Computed by MedCoder from the tabular notes and tables above; every derived relationship is marked as derived where it appears
Summary and FAQ answers MedCoder editorial explanation
Written by MedCoder to explain the sources above: drafted with AI assistance, checked by a person against the release files, and labelled as MedCoder text where it appears. Not official text.

Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder-derived relationship · MedCoder editorial explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates · CMS coding rules

Cite this page

Reference this page in a research guide, syllabus or article. The release is included because code content changes each year.

MedCoder.ai. "T31 — Burns classified according to extent of body surface involved." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/t31-burns-classified-according-to-extent-of-body-surface-involved

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Burns classified according to extent of body surface involved

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027, and none are recorded for this code. Note changes are tracked from FY2027 only.

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to T31 in its code family, with their registry titles.