ITF-14 Barcode Generator
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ITF-14 is the barcode printed on the outer case — the carton or pallet layer that holds the individual retail units, not the units themselves. Its fourteen digits are a GTIN-14: a packaging indicator saying how many units are inside, the product’s own GTIN, and a check digit. Because it is printed straight onto corrugated cardboard, where ink spreads, the bars are drawn wide and the symbol is physically large. Type thirteen digits and the fourteenth is worked out here.
The barcode on the box, not on the product
ITF-14 identifies a trade unit that is not sold at a till: the case of twenty-four, the shrink-wrapped tray, the pallet layer. Its fourteen digits are a GTIN-14 — a one-digit packaging indicator, the GTIN of the item inside (with its leading zero), and a check digit. The indicator is what distinguishes a case of twelve from a case of twenty-four of the same product, so two different case configurations get two different ITF-14s even though the product inside is identical.
The symbology itself is Interleaved 2 of 5, where pairs of digits are encoded together — one digit in the bars, the other in the spaces between them. That is where the “interleaved” comes from, and why the digit count must be even.
Bearer bars, and why they matter
A production ITF-14 printed directly onto corrugated board is surrounded by a solid frame called the bearer bar. It is not decoration: it stops a scanner reading a partial symbol if the beam clips the top or bottom edge, and it braces the printing plate so the outer bars do not spread more than the inner ones. This tool does not draw the bearer bar frame. Your printer or prepress house adds it, at the same stage they widen or narrow the bars to compensate for how much ink the board will absorb — a correction called bar width reduction that depends on their press and your substrate, not on anything that can be decided here.
If the ITF-14 is going onto a printed paper label rather than straight onto board, the frame requirement relaxes, and the symbol from this page can be used as it is.
Size
ITF-14 is deliberately large. GS1 specifies a narrow bar between 0.495 mm and 1.016 mm, which gives a symbol somewhere between roughly 71 mm and 146 mm wide and 32 mm to 41 mm high before the frame. That range exists because case printing is imprecise: the bigger the bars, the more ink spread the symbol can absorb and still scan from a moving forklift. Keep the narrow bar wide here, and send the SVG to whoever prints your cases. The retail symbol for the units inside the case is a job for the barcode generator.
Frequently asked questions
Does this draw the bearer bars?
No. GS1 asks for a solid frame — the bearer bars — around an ITF-14 printed directly onto corrugated board, and that frame is not included here. Your printer or prepress will add it, which is also when the bar width gets adjusted for how much the ink will spread.
What is the first digit for?
It is the packaging indicator: it says what level of packaging this is and, in practice, how many retail units the case holds. 1 through 8 are used for cases, 9 for a variable-measure item.
How big does it need to be?
Considerably bigger than a retail barcode — GS1 specifies a narrow bar between 0.495 mm and 1.016 mm, giving a symbol from roughly 71 mm to 146 mm wide. Cardboard printing is not precise, and the size is what absorbs that.
Does this tool draw the bearer bars?
No. The frame around a production ITF-14 is added by your printer or prepress, together with the bar width reduction their press and board require. The symbol here is correct; the frame is a printing step.
What is the first digit of an ITF-14?
The packaging indicator. It distinguishes one case configuration from another for the same product — 1 to 8 for fixed-measure cases, 9 for variable-measure items.
Can I use ITF-14 on a retail product?
No. Till scanners expect EAN-13 or UPC-A on a consumer unit. ITF-14 is for the outer case that the consumer units travel in.
Why does ITF need an even number of digits?
Because Interleaved 2 of 5 encodes digits in pairs — one in the bars, one in the spaces. An odd count has nothing to pair with, which is why ITF-14 is fixed at fourteen.
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