Barcode Generator for ITF‑14, I2 of 5 and VIN

How to make a barcode

1. Pick the type your label spec, customer or scanner asks for. If nobody has said, see “Which barcode type do I need?” in the FAQ.
2. Type the data. For ITF-14, EAN-13 and UPC-A you can leave off the last digit and the check digit is added. Type the whole number and it is checked instead, so a typo is caught before you print.
3. Set the size in millimetres. Module width X is the width of the narrowest bar; everything else scales from it. Keep the quiet zones (the blank margins) at the default or wider.
4. Download. SVG is vector and is the better choice for print and label software. For PNG, choose your printer's DPI: the bars are snapped to whole pixels, and the note shows the X you actually get.
5. Test-scan a printed copy with the scanner that will be used, before a full print run.

What is Interleaved 2 of 5 (I2of5)?

Interleaved 2 of 5, also written I2of5, I 2/5 or ITF, is a barcode that holds digits only. It is specified in ISO/IEC 16390. The name describes how it works:

• 2 of 5: every digit is drawn with five elements, two wide and three narrow.
• Interleaved: digits are encoded in pairs. The first digit of a pair is carried by five bars, the second by the five spaces between them.
• A start pattern of four narrow elements and a stop pattern of wide bar, narrow space, narrow bar frame the data.

Because digits travel in pairs, an I2of5 barcode always holds an even number of digits. If you type an odd number, this tool adds a leading 0 and tells you. An optional check digit uses the same 3-1 weighting as GS1 numbers. This tool offers wide : narrow ratios of 2.25 : 1, 2.5 : 1 and 3 : 1, the range GS1 sets for ITF-14, with 2.5 : 1 as the default. For a plain I2of5 label, use the ratio your scanner or label spec asks for.

What is an ITF-14 code?

ITF-14 is Interleaved 2 of 5 used to carry a 14-digit GTIN. GS1 describes it as the barcode for trade items that are not expected to pass through a retail checkout, and as better suited to printing straight onto corrugated board. The GS1 rules include:

• Always 14 digits, the last one a check digit.
• Quiet zones of at least 10X on both sides.
• Wide : narrow ratio of 2.25 : 1 to 3 : 1, with 2.5 : 1 as the target.
• Size: for items scanned in general distribution, X runs from 0.495 to 1.016 mm, and bars at least 31.75 mm tall (not counting text or bearer bars).
• Bearer bars are mandatory unless they aren't technically feasible. Printing plates need a 4.83 mm frame around the whole symbol. Other printing methods need bars at least twice the narrow bar width on the top and bottom.
• Leave at least 1.02 mm between the bearer bar and the human-readable digits.
• Printed straight onto corrugated board with plates (flexo, the usual way cartons are printed): GS1 says ITF-14 symbols with an X below 0.635 mm "SHOULD NOT be printed directly on corrugate with conventional (plate-based) processes." Use the “Corrugated board” preset for X = 0.635 mm with a 4.83 mm bearer frame. Labels and other printing methods can use the smaller X.

This tool uses those values as its ITF-14 defaults and warns you when you go outside them. GS1 also allows smaller sizes for items too small for the minimum; check your customer's label spec.

ITF-14 vs GTIN-14: what's the difference?

A GTIN-14 is the number. ITF-14 is one barcode that can carry it (GS1-128 is another). A GTIN-14 for a case is usually built from the GTIN of the item inside:

indicator (1–8) + inner GTIN without its check digit + new check digit

GS1's own example: the item 0614141123452 packed in a case with indicator 1 gives 1 061414112345 9. Try it in the “Build a GTIN-14” box above. Indicator 9 is reserved for variable-measure items.

How the check digit is calculated

ITF-14, EAN-13, UPC-A and the optional I2of5 check digit all use the GS1 method:

1. Starting from the rightmost digit (before the check digit) and moving left, multiply the digits by 3, 1, 3, 1…
2. Add the results.
3. Subtract the sum from the nearest equal or higher multiple of ten. That's the check digit.

GS1's worked example is 629104150021. The sum is 57, and 60 − 57 = 3, so the full GTIN-13 is 6291041500213. If you type a full number with the wrong last digit, the generator refuses it and tells you the correct digit.

VIN barcodes

Under the US rule for vehicle identification numbers (49 CFR Part 565, from the NHTSA):

• A VIN has 17 characters.
• The letters I, O and Q are never used. The allowed letters are A–H, J–N, P, R–Z, plus the digits 0–9.
• Position 9 is a check digit. Each letter is given a value (A=1, B=2 … H=8, J=1 … N=5, P=7, R=9, S=2 … Z=9). Each character is multiplied by its position weight (8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 10, —, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2) and the products are added. The remainder after dividing by 11 is the check digit, and a remainder of 10 is written as X.

The rule's own example, 1G4AH59H45G118341, adds up to 411. 411 ÷ 11 leaves 4, so the check digit is 4. This generator checks position 9 the same way and warns you if it doesn't match. Vehicles built for other markets may not follow the US rule.

Part 565 sets the characters, not a barcode format. Barcoded VIN labels are covered by industry specs such as SAE J1877 (current version J1877_202501, revised January 2025). This tool draws the VIN as Code 39, which holds every VIN character, or as Code 128, which is shorter. Use whichever your scanner or label spec asks for.

This is a barcode maker, not a VIN generator. It won't invent VINs or look up a vehicle.

Code 39, Code 128, EAN-13 and UPC-A

• Code 39 (ISO/IEC 16388) holds A–Z, 0–9, space and - . $ / + %. Start and stop * characters are added for you, and a mod 43 check character is optional. Some readers try “full ASCII” Code 39, where pairs such as +A or %U are read as other characters (one of the two decoders we test with does this by default). If your scanner is set that way, avoid those pairs.
• Code 128 (ISO/IEC 15417) holds any keyboard character and is more compact. This tool switches to the double-density digit mode for runs of digits automatically. It makes plain Code 128, not GS1-128 with application identifiers.
• EAN-13 and UPC-A are the retail checkout barcodes for GTIN-13 and GTIN-12. GS1's retail size table gives X from 0.264 to 0.660 mm, with 0.330 mm as the target. Quiet zones are 11X left and 7X right for EAN-13, and 9X on each side for UPC-A. The guard bars run 5X longer than the rest.