Free ITF-14 barcode generator

ITF-14 at a glance

All values are from the GS1 General Specifications, section 5.3 and symbol specification table 2 (trade items scanned in general distribution). GS1 US describes ITF-14 as the barcode for cases and cartons that are not scanned at the point of sale, suited to printing directly on corrugated board.

A printed example

What each setting does for an ITF-14

• Data. 13 digits get the check digit added; 14 digits are checked. GS1 uses indicator digits 1 to 8 for packaging levels and reserves 9 for variable measure items.
• X-dimension. Starts at 0.495 mm, GS1’s minimum. GS1 says symbols below 0.635 mm should not be printed directly on corrugated board with plate-based printing; the generator warns outside 0.495–1.016 mm.
• Bar height. Starts at 31.75 mm, the minimum for general distribution. GS1 lets it drop to 12.70 mm, or 5.08 mm, only when the item is physically too small.
• Quiet zone. 10 modules each side. With bearer bars on, the quiet zones sit inside the frame, as GS1 requires.
• Bearer bars. On by default, as a frame 3 modules thick, which meets GS1’s “at least twice the narrow bar” for printing without plates. For plate printing on corrugated board GS1 asks for a 4.83 mm frame, so make the frame in your artwork or use a printer’s template for that.
• Wide bars. The generator draws wide elements three times as wide as narrow ones (3:1), the upper end of GS1’s range.

How wide it gets

GS1 gives the width as W = (P(4N + 6) + N + 6)X + 2Q, with P = 7 digit pairs, N the wide-to-narrow ratio and Q the quiet zone. At the generator’s 3:1 that is 135 modules of bars, plus two 10-module quiet zones: 155 modules, 76.7 mm at 0.495 mm. The 3-module frame adds 6 more modules, so the generator’s default comes to about 79.7 mm wide. GS1’s own example, at X 1.016 mm with a 2.5:1 ratio and 10.16 mm quiet zones, is 142.75 mm.

Common mistakes

• Using the unit’s UPC on the case. A case of 12 needs its own GTIN-14, or a scanner counts one unit when twelve arrive. ITF-14 for shipping cartons explains how case GTINs are built.
• Printing too small on corrugated board. Ink spreads on rough board; that is why GS1 sets 0.635 mm as the floor for plate printing.
• Dropping the bearer bars. They protect against short scans that read part of the symbol as a valid shorter number.

Worked example

1. Your unit’s GTIN-12 is 614141123452 and the case gets indicator 1. Drop the unit’s check digit 2, write the rest with a leading zero (061414112345) and put the indicator in front: 1061414112345. This is the grouping GS1 shows in its own GTIN-14 example.
2. Type those 13 digits. From the right: 5×3 + 4 + 3×3 + 2 + 1×3 + 1 + 4×3 + 1 + 4×3 + 1 + 6×3 + 0 + 1×3 = 81, so the check digit is 9: 10614141123459.
3. For a thermal label at 203 dpi, keep X at 0.495 mm: the PNG rounds it to 4 dots, 0.500 mm, with 32.13 mm bars.

GS1’s rules decide when a carton needs a new GTIN; see when you need a new GTIN. This is general information, not legal advice.

Sources

1. GS1: GS1 General Specifications Standard (Release 26.0) (accessed October 27, 2026)
2. ISO: ISO/IEC 16390:2007, Interleaved 2 of 5 bar code symbology specification (accessed October 27, 2026)
3. GS1 US: Types of Barcodes (accessed October 27, 2026)