Calculating the size of a barcode
The table below allows to calculate the barcode size for most symbology, by defining how many thin bars will be required to encode the data and the encapsulation/checksum.
| Barcode type | Characters encoded(1) | Input length* (2) | Char width Unit=thin bar width | Compression | Start/ Stop(3) size(in thin bar) | Checksums * = optional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPC-A | D | 11 | 7 | N | 11 | 1 |
| UPC-E | D | 11 or 6 | 3,5 (for 11) 7 (for 6) | Y (for 11) | 14,5 (for 11) 11 (for 6) | 1 (for 11) |
| EAN/JAN-8 | D | 7 | 7 | N | 11 | 1 |
| EAN/JAN-13 | D | 12 | 7 | N | 11 | 1 |
| Supplemental 2 or 5 for EAN/UPC | D | 2 or 5 | 9 | N | 13 | 0 |
| CODE 39 | DPU | 1 to 99 | 16 | N | 32 | *1 |
| 39 EXT | DPULC | 1 to 99 | DU:16 PLC:32 | N | 32 | *1 |
| Interleaved 2/5 | D | 2 to 100 | 9 | Y | 12 | *1 |
| Industrial 2/5 | D | 2 to 100 | 14 | N | 20 | *1 |
| Matrix 2/5 | D | 1 to 99 | 10 | N | 18 | *1 |
| EAN-128 | DPUCL | 1 to 99 | variable | Y | >=35 | 1 |
| Code 128 Auto | DPUCL | 1 to 99 | variable | Y | 24 | 1 |
| Code 128A | DPUC | 1 to 99 | 11 | N | 24 | 1 |
| Code 128B | DPUL | 1 to 99 | 11 | N | 24 | 1 |
| Code 128C | D | 1 to 99 | 5,5 | Y | 24 | 1 |
| UCC128 | D | 1 to 99 | 5,5 | Y | 51,5 (CHK) | 2 |
| RSS14 | D | 13 | 6 | N | 12 | 1 |
| Codabar | DP | 1 to 99 | 12 | N | 0 | *1 |
| MSI PLESSEY | D | 1 to 99 | 12 | N | 8 | *1 or 2 |
| CODE 93 | DPU | 1 to 99 | 9 | N | 19 | 2 |
| 93 EXT | DPULC | 1 to 99 | DU:9 PLC:18 | N | 19 | 2 |
| ZIP+4 | D | 5,9 or 11 | 29/600 Inch | N | 5,8/600 Inch | 1 |
| Singapore 4State | D | 6 | 88/600 Inch | N | 22/600 Inch | 1 |
| UK 4State | DU | 7, 8 or 9 | 88/600 Inch | N | 22/600 Inch | 1 |
| NL KIX | DU | 5 to 12 | 88/600 Inch | N | 22/600 Inch | 0 |
| AP 37-CUST | D | 8 | 44/600 Inch | N | 44/600 Inch | 1 |
| AP 52-FF-MET | DUL | 8+8D/5UL | 44/600 Inch | Y (N table) | 44/600 Inch | 1 |
| AP 67-FF-MET | DUL 8+15D/10UL | 44/600 Inch | Y (N table) | 44/600 Inch | 1 | |
| Singap. ZIP+4 | D | 5,9 or 11 | 29/600 Inch | N | 5,8/600 Inch | 1 |
| MaxiCode | DPLUC | up to 100 | N/A | Y | N/A | Codewords |
| PDF417 | DPLUC | up to 1848 | N/A | Y | N/A | Codewords |
| Data Matrix | DPLUC | up to 2335 | N/A | Y | N/A | Codewords |
| Codablock | DPLUC | up to 5366 | variable | Y | 46 | 1 |
| Aztec | DPLUC | up to 3832 | N/A | Y | N/A | Codewords |
| QRCode1/2 | DPLUC | up to 7089 | N/A | Y | N/A | Codewords |
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