Technical GUIDE • 8 min read
Barcode Size Guide: Standard Dimensions, X-Dimension & Scaling Rules
Official GS1 and ISO size specifications for UPC, EAN, Code 128, and ITF-14. Learn allowable magnification factors (80% to 200%) and bar height requirements.
Barcode Symbology Comparison Matrix
Compare density, character capacity, checksums, and ISO standards across all major 1D and 2D formats.
| Symbology | Category | Character Set | Standard / Checksum | Primary Application | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Code 128➔ | Logistics & Shipping | Full 128 ASCII character set (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and symbols) | ISO/IEC 15417 Modulo 103 check digit (automatically calculated) | Logistics, carton tracking, and container labeling | Create Code 128 |
| UPC-A➔ | Retail & Products | 12 Numeric digits (0-9) | GS1 General Specifications / ISO/IEC 15420 Modulo 10 check digit (3x odd positions + 1x even positions) | Retail point-of-sale checkout in the US and Canada | Create UPC-A |
| EAN-13➔ | Retail & Products | 13 Numeric digits (0-9) | GS1 General Specifications / ISO/IEC 15420 Modulo 10 check digit (1x odd positions + 3x even positions) | Global retail point-of-sale in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa | Create EAN-13 |
| Code 39➔ | Logistics & Shipping | 43 characters: 0-9, A-Z (uppercase only), and symbols (-, ., $, /, +, %, space) | ISO/IEC 16388 Optional Modulo 43 check character | US Department of Defense military supply chain (MIL-STD-129 / LOGMARS) | Create Code 39 |
| Code 93➔ | Logistics & Shipping | 47 characters (0-9, A-Z, 7 special characters), and full ASCII using 2-character sequences | ANSI/AIM BC5 Dual check characters ("C" and "K" modulo 47) | Canada Post delivery tracking and parcel routing | Create Code 93 |
| EAN-8➔ | Retail & Products | 8 Numeric digits (0-9) | GS1 General Specifications / ISO/IEC 15420 Modulo 10 check digit (3x odd positions + 1x even positions) | Small cosmetic products, lipsticks, pencils | Create EAN-8 |
| UPC-E➔ | Retail & Products | 8 Numeric digits (0-9) | GS1 General Specifications / ISO/IEC 15420 Modulo 10 derived from the decompressed 12-digit UPC-A | Small retail packages in the United States and Canada | Create UPC-E |
| ITF-14➔ | Logistics & Shipping | 14 Numeric digits (0-9) | GS1 General Specifications / ISO/IEC 16390 Modulo 10 check digit (3x odd positions + 1x even positions) | Master cartons and outer packaging containers | Create ITF-14 |
| ISBN➔ | Books | 13 Numeric digits (0-9, begins with 978 or 979) | ISO 2108 / Bookland EAN Modulo 10 check digit | Paperback and hardcover book back covers | Create ISBN |
| GS1-128➔ | Logistics & Shipping | GS1 Application Identifiers and alphanumeric data | GS1 General Specifications / ISO/IEC 15417 Modulo 103 check digit plus GS1 FNC1 start character | SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code) pallet labels | Create GS1-128 |
| Codabar➔ | Other | Numeric digits (0-9), 6 symbols (-:.$/+), and start/stop characters (A, B, C, D) | ANSI/AIM BC3 Self-checking (optional Modulo 16) | Blood bank tube labeling (ISBT 128 legacy systems) | Create Codabar |
| MSI➔ | Other | Numeric digits (0-9) | MSI Symbology Standard Modulo 10, Modulo 11, or Modulo 1010 check digits | Supermarket retail shelf price tags and restocking labels | Create MSI |
| Pharmacode➔ | Other | Single integer value from 3 to 131070 (standard) or 3 to 64570080 (two-track) | Laetus Pharmacode Standard Binary positional value (no parity check digit) | Pharmaceutical packaging lines to verify medicine boxes, bottle labels, and instruction leaflets | Create Pharmacode |
| Data Matrix➔ | 2D Codes | Full ASCII, ISO 8859-1 (extended ASCII), and binary data | ISO/IEC 16022 Reed-Solomon error correction (ECC 200) | Direct Part Marking (DPM) on aerospace and automotive steel parts | Create Data Matrix |
| PDF417➔ | 2D Codes | Full ASCII, binary data, numbers, and text (up to 1.1 kilobytes per symbol) | ISO/IEC 15438 Configurable Reed-Solomon error correction levels (Level 0 to Level 8) | US & Canadian driver licenses and government ID cards (AAMVA standard) | Create PDF417 |
| Aztec Code➔ | 2D Codes | Full ASCII, byte/binary, and UTF-8 characters | ISO/IEC 24778 Reed-Solomon error correction (adjustable percentage) | Airline electronic boarding passes (IATA specification) | Create Aztec Code |
| QR Code➔ | 2D Codes | Numeric (7,089 chars), Alphanumeric (4,296 chars), Binary (2,953 bytes), Kanji (1,817 chars) | ISO/IEC 18004 Reed-Solomon error correction (L: 7%, M: 15%, Q: 25%, H: 30%) | Website URLs and landing page promotion | Create QR Code |
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