What is a Code-11 barcode?
Code 11, also known as USD-8, is a numeric barcode developed by Intermec in the late 1970s. It was adopted mainly for labeling telecommunications equipment and components, and it still turns up on older telecom hardware and in inventory systems built around it.
Each character is made of three bars and two spaces, and the symbology encodes eleven characters: the digits 0 to 9 and the dash, which gives it its name. It is not self-checking, so a check digit is normally added; the generator turns it on by default and you can switch it off if your system does not expect it.
Code 11 is a legacy format. For a new numeric system, Code 128 is more compact, better supported and more reliable to scan; use Code 11 only when existing equipment or software requires it.
What data can Code-11 hold?
Digits 0-9 and the dash (-). Letters, spaces and other symbols are not allowed. The check digit is on by default and can be turned off.
Recommended size
Keep a quiet zone of at least 10 times the narrowest bar on each side. Code 11 is fairly wide for its data, so keep values short and use an X-dimension that your scanner reads comfortably, typically 0.25 mm or more.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Code 11 is not self-checking, so a single misread bar can produce a wrong but valid-looking number. The check digit lets the scanner detect that. Turn it off only if your reader or software is set up without it.
The dash is simply the eleventh data character, typically used as a separator in part or circuit numbers. It is encoded and read back like any digit.
Usually not. Code 128 encodes digits more compactly and is supported by nearly every scanner, so choose Code 11 only to match an existing telecom or inventory system.