ITF-14 barcode generator
The barcode on the outside of a shipping case. Fourteen digits, printed with bearer bars so it survives being printed straight onto corrugated cardboard.
Generate a ITF-14 barcode
SVG shape mask (decorative)
Upload an SVG — the barcode is clipped to its shape. A horse SVG makes a horse-shaped barcode.
ITF-14 encodes a GTIN-14: an indicator digit, the thirteen-digit article number of what is inside without its check digit, and a fresh check digit of its own. The indicator distinguishes packaging levels — 1 for an inner carton, 2 for a case, and so on up to 8, with 9 reserved for variable-measure trade items.
It exists because retail symbologies are not robust enough for corrugated board. Printing directly on brown fluted cardboard produces ink spread and rough edges that would destroy an EAN-13, so ITF-14 uses much wider bars and adds a bearer bar: the heavy black frame around the symbol that stops a scanner from reading a partial symbol when the beam clips the top or bottom edge.
The underlying symbology is Interleaved 2 of 5, which encodes digits in pairs and has a known weakness for short reads. The bearer bar and the fixed fourteen-digit length are precisely the defences against that.
What ITF-14 encodes
| Character set | Digits 0–9 only |
|---|---|
| Length | 13 digits (check digit computed) or a complete 14 |
| Check digit | Modulo 10, weights 3 and 1 alternating from the left |
| Dimensions | Linear (1D), based on Interleaved 2 of 5 |
| Bearer bar | Mandatory — a solid frame or top-and-bottom rules around the symbol |
| Standard | ISO/IEC 16390 with the GS1 General Specifications |
Where ITF-14 is actually used
Shipping cases
The outer carton of a pallet layer, scanned at goods-in rather than at a till.
Distribution centres
Cross-docking and put-away, where a case is handled as one unit.
Wholesale and cash-and-carry
Trade units sold by the case, priced and stocked at case level.
Rules this ITF-14 generator enforces
- Digits only, 13 or 14 of them.
- With 13 digits the check digit is appended; with 14 the one you supplied is validated.
- The GTIN-14 is not the same number as the EAN-13 on the item inside. It is the item’s GTIN without its check digit, prefixed with an indicator and given a new check digit.
- Never print ITF-14 without its bearer bar. It is a functional part of the symbol, not a border.
Printing a ITF-14 symbol that scans
ITF-14 is deliberately large: a nominal symbol is about 142 mm wide and 32 mm tall including the bearer bar, and GS1 allows scaling from 50 % to 100 % of that when printed on a label rather than directly on board. Direct print on corrugated needs the larger sizes and a wider bar width increase to compensate for ink spread.
Give it a proper quiet zone of at least ten times the narrow bar width on each side, outside the bearer bar. Cases are handled roughly and scanned at speed, so err towards a larger symbol placed on a flat, unglued part of the panel and repeated on the adjacent face.
ITF-14 questions
What is the bearer bar for?
It prevents partial scans. If the beam crosses only part of the symbol height, the heavy frame produces an invalid read rather than a truncated, plausible-looking number.
Is ITF-14 the same as the EAN-13 inside the box?
No. The ITF-14 is a GTIN-14 built from the item GTIN plus a packaging-level indicator digit and its own check digit. They identify different trade units.
Can I scan an ITF-14 at a supermarket till?
You should not. ITF-14 identifies a case, not a consumer unit, and most point-of-sale scanners are configured to ignore it precisely so a case code cannot be rung up as an item.