Barcode Classes [back] [next]


Barcode classes are based on how much and what kind of data can the barcode hold

Barcodes have three main classes:

  • Numeric only (linear): numbers only 0-9

  • Alpha-numeric (linear): These can get tricky, code 128 allows for all ASCII characters , while code 39 only allows Uppercase letters, numbers and space -, .,$, /,+, %

  • 2-Dimensional (2D): Can hold large amounts of data of various type
  • When choosing a barcode, it is very important to know what type of information will be coded into the barcode and what it will be used for. There are several industry standards, requiring the use of a particular barcode. The most commonly known is the UPC barcode - to identify products for resell. ISBN is another familiar barcode used only for books and media.
    Example: bar coding the SKU of a product for internal purpose (such as inventory tracking.)
    First, you must know if the product SKU is numeric or alpha-numeric. If the SKU is alpha-numeric then you must find out if it has any special characters in it.
    Next, if you want the barcode to contain more that one piece of data, you may need to check into a 2d barcode.


    Some linear barcodes can hold more than one piece of data, but are limited to a certain number of charters.


    Types of Barcodes by class
    EAN 13 Numeric Barcode
    Numeric Only
    Code PDF 417 2D Barcode
    Alpha-Numeric
    Code PDF 417 2D Barcode
    2-Dimensional (2D)
    Code 11 Codebar QR Code
    EAN 13 Code 128 Aztec Code
    EAN 8 Code 39 Composite Code
    Industrial 2 of 5 Code 93 DataMatrix
    Interleaved 2 of 5 UCC/EAN 128 Maxicode
    Standard 2 of 5 PDF-417
    Postnet
    UCC/EAN Shipping
    UPC-A
    UPC-E