The invention discloses a freight car number identification system based on image processing. The system conducts identification through the following steps that 1, a car number is positioned, wherein collected video images or static pictures are subjected to filtering, boundary enhancement and other processing, and the position of the car number is found automatically in the collected carriage image; 2, the images are preprocessed, wherein the car number image is subjected to graying, equalization, edge processing, binarization and other processing to make preparation for work in the next step; 3, characters are divided, wherein a car number area is divided into individual character areas to make preparation for character identification and solve the problems of ambiguity, character breakage and the like; 4, the characters are identified, and the process is a pattern recognition process.