Interleaved 2 of 5 barcode generator
A dense numeric-only symbology that encodes two digits in the space most formats give one. The basis for ITF-14, and still common on cartons and film.
Generate a Interleaved 2 of 5 barcode
SVG shape mask (decorative)
Upload an SVG — the barcode is clipped to its shape. A horse SVG makes a horse-shaped barcode.
Interleaved 2 of 5 — usually shortened to ITF — encodes digits in pairs. The first digit of each pair is carried in the bars and the second in the spaces between them, which is what "interleaved" means and why the data length must always be even. That trick makes it the most compact purely numeric linear barcode in common use.
The density comes at a cost. Because every element carries data, there is nothing in the symbol that marks where the middle is, so a scan that starts or ends part-way through can return a valid-looking but truncated number. This is the classic ITF short-read problem, and it is why serious deployments either fix the length, add a check digit, or wrap the symbol in bearer bars — which is exactly what ITF-14 does.
If you are labelling shipping cases to a GS1 specification, use ITF-14 rather than raw Interleaved 2 of 5. Plain ITF is for closed systems where you control what is scanned and how.
What Interleaved 2 of 5 encodes
| Character set | Digits 0–9 only |
|---|---|
| Length | Variable, but always an even number of digits |
| Check digit | Optional modulo 10; not added by default |
| Dimensions | Linear (1D) |
| Quiet zone | 10 × the narrow-bar width on each side |
| Standard | ISO/IEC 16390 |
Where Interleaved 2 of 5 is actually used
Warehouse and distribution
Carton and pallet identifiers in closed logistics systems.
Photographic film
135 film cartridges carry a DX number encoded as Interleaved 2 of 5 on the leader.
Industrial part numbering
Long purely numeric part or batch numbers where label width is tight.
Rules this Interleaved 2 of 5 generator enforces
- Digits only. Letters and punctuation are not encodable.
- The number of digits must be even. An odd-length value is normally handled by adding a leading zero — do that deliberately rather than letting a tool guess.
- Add a check digit if the receiving system expects one, and tell that system it is there. An unexpected check digit shows up as an extra trailing character on every scan.
- For anything crossing a company boundary, prefer ITF-14 (fixed length, bearer bar) or Code 128.
Printing a Interleaved 2 of 5 symbol that scans
Keep the length fixed across a deployment and configure the scanner to accept only that length. That single setting eliminates almost every short-read, because a truncated scan produces the wrong number of digits and is rejected.
ITF needs generous quiet zones — ten narrow-bar widths on each side — and it should not be printed so small that the wide-to-narrow ratio drifts. Export SVG for print, keep the bars black on white, and add top and bottom bearer bars if the symbol will be scanned by hand.
Interleaved 2 of 5 questions
Why does my Interleaved 2 of 5 barcode need an even number of digits?
Digits are encoded in pairs, one in the bars and one in the intervening spaces. An odd count leaves half a pair, so a leading zero is added to make the length even.
What is a short read?
A scan that captures only part of the symbol and still decodes, returning a shorter number that looks legitimate. Fixed lengths, check digits and bearer bars are the standard defences.
Is ITF-14 the same thing?
ITF-14 is Interleaved 2 of 5 constrained to fourteen digits, with a mandatory check digit and bearer bar, for GS1 shipping cases.