Codabar Barcode Generator

What is Codabar Barcode Generator?

Codabar, also called NW-7, Code 2 of 7 or USD-4, was developed in 1972 and is one of the oldest barcode symbologies still in service. It is a discrete, variable-length, self-checking symbology: each character is made of 7 elements, 4 bars and 3 spaces, and the bars and spaces are either narrow or wide. Because it needs only two element widths, it prints reliably even on simple, low-resolution devices such as dot-matrix printers.

The character set has 16 symbols: the digits 0 to 9 and the six symbols - (hyphen), $, : (colon), / (slash), . (full stop) and + (plus). Four additional letters A, B, C and D serve as start and stop characters. Some systems label them a/t, b/n, c/*, d/e instead, and a barcode may use different letters at each end to convey information, such as a category, to the receiving software. The symbology has no mandatory check digit, so many applications add their own.

Codabar remains in use in libraries for patron and item cards, in some blood banks and laboratories, in older parcel and airbill numbers and on photographic labs' envelopes. New applications normally choose Code 128, which is denser and has a built-in check character, but existing systems often still require Codabar.

When should you use it?

• You maintain a library or archive system whose existing cards and labels are in Codabar.
• A laboratory, blood bank or legacy logistics system still expects Codabar values.
• You need to reproduce a printed Codabar label for replacement or testing.
• You want to check how a scanner reads a specific start/stop combination.

Privacy

This tool runs in your browser. What you type, paste or open is processed on your device by JavaScript and is not sent to our servers, stored or shared. Your data stays on your device.

The value is turned into bars in your browser and is not sent anywhere. The barcode contains only the characters you typed, including the start and stop letters.