ITF-14 Specifications
This page shows the officially allowed sizes for your ITF-14 barcode on your carton. All measurements are in millimetres.
The top and bottom bearer bars are mandatory, whereas the vertical bearer bars are optional, provided a printing method is being used that doesn’t require printing plates.
Start here: where will your carton be scanned?
Every other measurement on this page depends on the answer.
General distribution scanning — automated scanning by machine as the carton passes along a conveyor belt. This is how most retail distribution centres work.
Permitted magnification: 50–100%. Minimum bar height: 32mm.
Other scanning environments — typically handheld scanners operated by a person.
Permitted magnification: 25–100%. Minimum bar height: 13mm.
Even where 13mm is permitted, bars should be as tall as your packaging allows. Every effort should be made to get as close to 32mm as possible.
Printing directly onto corrugated fibreboard? The ITF-14 should be above 62.5%, whichever scanning environment applies.
Size chart
50% and above — valid in all scanning environments
| Magnification | X-dimension | Width | Bar height | Quiet zones |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | 0.51 | 61.21 | 32 | 5.08 |
| 55% | 0.56 | 67.34 | 32 | 5.59 |
| 60% | 0.61 | 73.46 | 32 | 6.10 |
| 62.5% | 0.64 | 76.52 | 32 | 6.35 |
| 65% | 0.66 | 79.58 | 32 | 6.60 |
| 70% | 0.71 | 85.70 | 32 | 7.11 |
| 75% | 0.76 | 91.82 | 32 | 7.62 |
| 80% | 0.81 | 97.94 | 32 | 8.13 |
| 85% | 0.86 | 104.06 | 32 | 8.64 |
| 90% | 0.91 | 110.19 | 32 | 9.14 |
| 95% | 0.97 | 116.31 | 32 | 9.65 |
| 100% | 1.02 | 122.43 | 32 | 10.16 |
62.5% is the minimum for printing directly onto corrugated fibreboard.
Below 50% — other scanning environments only
| Magnification | X-dimension | Width | Bar height | Quiet zones |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25% | 0.25 | 30.62 | 13 | 2.54 |
| 30% | 0.30 | 36.73 | 13 | 3.05 |
| 35% | 0.36 | 42.85 | 13 | 3.56 |
| 40% | 0.41 | 48.97 | 13 | 4.06 |
| 45% | 0.46 | 55.09 | 13 | 4.57 |
The width column contains only the barcode. Add the quiet zone on each side to calculate the total space needed for your artwork — at 100%, that’s 122.43mm plus 10.16mm on each side, for a total of 142.75mm.
Bearer bars
The top and bottom bearer bars are mandatory. The vertical bearer bars on each side are optional, provided the printing method doesn’t require printing plates.
Quiet zones
The area of white space on either side of the bars, sized according to the chart above. Allow more space than the minimum wherever you can, in case of ink spread.
Bar width ratio
The ratio of wide modules to narrow modules — a wide module should be 2.5 times the width of a narrow module.
The target ratio is 2.5:1, and the acceptable range is 2.25:1 to 3:1.
Human-readable interpretation
Font, font size and location are not specified. They should be printed clearly and in proportion to the rest of the barcode. It is preferred for the font to appear below the barcode.
Terms used on this page
General distribution scanning environment — automated scanning by a machine as the item passes along a conveyor belt.
Other scanning environments — typically, handheld scanners.
X-dimension — the width of the narrowest bar in the barcode.
Bar width ratio — the ratio of wide modules to narrow modules in the ITF-14.
Quiet zones — the area of white space on either side of the bars.
Bearer bars — the heavy solid bars above and below the barcode (and optionally at the sides).