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An ITF-14 barcode is a one-dimensional (1D) used to track and manage products throughout a supply chain. ITF-14 is optimized for product identification of cases, pallets, and other product formats not sold at retail point-of-sale. ITF-14 can be printed directly onto corrugated material. This makes it faster and more cost effective to create. While you might be used to using a UPC-A barcode to track information for individual products, an ITF-14 barcode makes it easier to monitor entire packs, cases, and pallets without scanning each item inside. You can effectively manage larger quantities of items by grouping them together and using an ITF-14 barcode.
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1D Barcode
Linear, or 1-Dimensional (1D), barcodes can often look similar to one another with the untrained eye. An ITF-14 barcode is still considered a 1D barcode and possesses many of the same characteristics as more common barcodes like UPCs. However, each has telltale features that set them apart. The vertical lines of the ITF-14 code are arranged in a slightly different pattern than other 1D barcodes. You’ll notice that an ITF-14 is usually printed larger than other barcodes. The minimum size of an ITF-14 is 1.25 inches tall.
Barcode Format
At its core, an ITF-14 barcode appears like other linear ones. However, the thick black border called the bearer bar is one identifying feature that makes it stand out from others. With an ITF-14, you will notice:
A pattern of vertical lines
A quiet zone on either side of the barcode
Bearer bars
Numbers under the barcode that correspond with the coded bars above
The lines, sometimes called bars, have only two sizes. This structure allows them to be larger and easily printed on corrugated boxes. The bearer bars are like a box around the barcode and help to improve scan readability and reliability. It also helps to disperse pressure while printing the barcode, so it can be more easily printed on surfaces like corrugated materials.
While the ITF-14 code includes full bearer bars when printed directly on corrugated materials, it does not require the sides when printed on a label. This means the bearer bars are only on the top and bottom of the barcode. A quiet zone is required from the left and right of the ITF-14 barcode.
ITF-14 Barcode Structure
Like other barcodes used throughout a supply chain, the ITF-14 code has a unique structure that sets it apart from other 1D barcodes. The structure of an ITF-14 barcode includes five distinct positions. The left quiet zone, the start pattern, the data, the stop pattern, and the right quiet zone. The start pattern lets systems know when to start looking for data. The data encoded will be the GTIN in a 14-digit format, which can be a GTIN-14, GTIN-13, GTIN-12, or a GTIN-8. The stop pattern lets systems know the data has ended. The quiet zones on the left and right of the barcode will be 10 times the width of the thinnest bar in the barcode.
ITF-14 vs. UPC vs. GTIN
Unlike UPC and European Article Number (EAN) barcodes, ITF-14 is not used for products sold at retail point-of-sale. Instead, ITF-14 is used to mark cases, cartons, and pallets that contain individual products. Retail uses a UPC barcode to encode a Global Trade Item Number® (GTIN®). UPC-A and ITF-14 are both types of barcodes, while GTIN is the identifier they encode. You may hear UPC used interchangeably with GTIN-12.
Create an ITF-14 Barcode
In GS1 US DataHub®, you can use the GS1 US Barcode Generator to create an ITF-14 code for your product cases, pallets, and cartons. GS1 US ensures that each barcode generated is unique to your products and cases so it can be properly tracked through the supply chain. You can generate an ITF-14 code once the GTIN is created for your product. Generating an ITF-14 with GS1 US allows you to track packaging from one end of the supply chain to the other.
Get Your U.P.C. Barcodes From GS1 US
Scale Up With a GS1 Company Prefix
A GS1 Company Prefix allows businesses to get multiple barcodes at a single time, as well as identify locations, mixed cases, create coupons, and create higher levels of packaging like a case or pallet.
Start Small With a GS1 US GTIN
Barcodes issued by GS1 US uniquely identify a single retail product online and in retail stores around the world. If you have only a few products that need barcodes, this might be the most cost-effective option for your company.
