EAN-13 Barcode Specifications
The following information provides a guideline for the size you should print the barcode on your product. This is extremely important if you need barcode verification. It is also a good guide for making sure your barcode scans correctly. If possible it’s very important you keep your barcode size within these standards. If you go outside these standards, you risk your barcodes being accepted by some retailers and rejected by others.
EAN-13 Dimensions with 100% Magnification:
Barcode width = 31.35mm
Left quiet zone (left blank margin) = 3.63mm
Right quiet zone (right blank margin) = 2.31mm
Total barcode width (including quiet zones) = 37.29mm
Barcode height (excluding the number) = 22.85mm
Barcode height (including the number) = 25.93mm
Allowable Magnification Range:
The specified magnification range for an EAN-13 Bar Code Symbol being scanned at retail point of sale is 80% – 200% (X-dimension 0.26mm-0.66mm). An acceptable minimum magnification of 75% (X-dimension 0.25mm) is applicable only to on demand (e.g. thermal) print processes. In this case, the bar height should never be truncated below the minimum needed height for an 80% magnification barcode symbol.
Where an item may also be scanned in a General Distribution Scanning environment (automated scanning), the acceptable magnification range for a General Distribution Environment is 150% to 200% (X-dimension 0.50mm – 0.66mm).
EAN-13 Dimensions at Different Magnifications:
Dimensions (All measurements in millimeters)
| Magnification | X-dimension | Width | Bar height | Left Quiet Zone | Right Quiet Zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.80 | 0.26 | 25.08 | 18.28 | 2.90 | 1.85 |
| 0.85 | 0.28 | 26.65 | 19.42 | 3.09 | 1.96 |
| 0.90 | 0.30 | 28.22 | 20.57 | 3.27 | 2.08 |
| 0.95 | 0.31 | 29.78 | 21.71 | 3.45 | 2.19 |
| 1.00 | 0.33 | 31.35 | 22.85 | 3.63 | 2.31 |
| 1.05 | 0.35 | 32.92 | 23.99 | 3.81 | 2.43 |
| 1.10 | 0.36 | 34.49 | 25.14 | 3.99 | 2.54 |
| 1.15 | 0.38 | 36.05 | 26.28 | 4.17 | 2.66 |
| 1.20 | 0.40 | 37.62 | 27.42 | 4.36 | 2.77 |
| 1.25 | 0.41 | 39.19 | 28.56 | 4.54 | 2.89 |
| 1.30 | 0.43 | 40.76 | 29.71 | 4.72 | 3.00 |
| 1.35 | 0.45 | 42.32 | 30.85 | 4.90 | 3.12 |
| 1.40 | 0.46 | 43.89 | 31.99 | 5.08 | 3.23 |
| 1.45 | 0.48 | 45.46 | 33.13 | 5.26 | 3.35 |
| 1.50 | 0.50 | 47.03 | 34.28 | 5.45 | 3.47 |
| 1.55 | 0.51 | 48.59 | 35.42 | 5.63 | 3.58 |
| 1.60 | 0.53 | 50.16 | 36.56 | 5.81 | 3.70 |
| 1.65 | 0.54 | 51.73 | 37.70 | 5.99 | 3.81 |
| 1.70 | 0.56 | 53.30 | 38.85 | 6.17 | 3.93 |
| 1.75 | 0.58 | 54.86 | 39.99 | 6.35 | 4.04 |
| 1.80 | 0.59 | 56.43 | 41.13 | 6.53 | 4.16 |
| 1.85 | 0.61 | 58.00 | 42.27 | 6.72 | 4.27 |
| 1.90 | 0.63 | 59.57 | 43.42 | 6.90 | 4.39 |
| 1.95 | 0.64 | 61.13 | 44.56 | 7.08 | 4.50 |
| 2.00 | 0.66 | 62.70 | 45.70 | 7.26 | 4.62 |
Barcode Number Requirements:
The barcode number (Which is also called “Human Readable Interpretation”) should be printed beneath the bar code symbol. The suggested typeface is OCR-B at a height of 2.75mm at nominal size (100% magnification, X-dimension 0.33mm). This typeface is a recommendation only and different type fonts and character sizes are acceptable provided the digits are clearly legible.
Terms:
– Bar Width = The width of barcode symbol excluding Quiet Zones
– Bar Height = The height of bar excluding guard bar patterns
– Quiet Zone = The area of white space on either side of the bars
It is a good idea to leave more more quiet zone space than is strictly required in case of ink spread or printing inaccuracies
If you are unclear on any of our terms used here and they are not in the glossary, please contact us.
If you need to obtain barcode verification, this can be bought here.
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