What is a Industrial 2 of 5 barcode?
Industrial 2 of 5 is a numeric barcode from the 2 of 5 family, used historically in industrial settings, warehouse sorting and some ticketing systems. It is simple to print and decode, which made it popular before denser symbologies were common.
Every digit is encoded in five bars, two wide and three narrow, while the spaces between them only separate the bars. That makes the symbol long for the amount of data it carries. Interleaved 2 of 5 improved on it by also using the spaces to store a second digit.
Industrial 2 of 5 is a legacy symbology. Pick it only if an existing scanner or system requires it; otherwise Interleaved 2 of 5 or Code 128 is a better fit for numbers.
What data can Industrial 2 of 5 hold?
Digits 0-9 only, any length. Spaces are removed. An optional modulo 10 check digit can be added.
Recommended size
Keep a quiet zone of at least 10 times the narrowest bar on each side. Allow plenty of width, since each digit uses five bars plus spacing.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Industrial 2 of 5 stores data only in the bars, so each digit needs its own set of bars. Interleaved 2 of 5 stores a second digit in the spaces, making it roughly half as wide but requiring an even number of digits.
No. Unlike Interleaved 2 of 5, it can hold any number of digits.
Many scanners support it, but it is often disabled by default. Enable it in your scanner settings and test a sample label before printing.