Codabar (NW-7)

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Blood banks, libraries, and parts of the FedEx network still read Codabar, a symbology Monarch Marking Systems released in 1972 and catalogued elsewhere as NW-7 or Code 2 of 7. Its four start and stop characters, designated A, B, C, and D, can be assigned meaning by the issuing system, so an identical numeric payload conveys different context depending on which pair frames it. The data character set covers the digits 0 through 9 and the symbols - $ : / . and +, with no alphabetic capability. Encoding is self-checking, and the design predates the check-digit conventions of later linear codes. A 0.19 mm X-dimension and ten-module quiet zones are typical. Codabar is not a GS1 carrier, and its persistence owes more to installed-base inertia in regulated archives than to technical merit.

  

  
An early self-checking barcode symbology still used in blood banking, library systems, and some FedEx applications. Codabar uses four start/stop characters (A, B, C, D) that convey additional context about the encoded data's purpose.

  

  




  

    

    

      

        
Codabar (NW-7)

        
        1D Linear
        
      

      
      
      

        Type
        1D Linear
      

      
      

      

        Data Length
        variable
      

      
      

      

        Character Set
        0-9, - $ : / . +
      

      
      

      

        Year
        1972
      

      
    

  






  



  

  



  




  
Related Guides

  

    
    
      
      
      
      

        
Codabar: The Legacy Barcode in Blood Banks & Libraries

        
Codabar's encoding scheme, four start/stop characters (A-D), ISBT 128 successor in blood banking, and where it's still used today.

      

    
    
    
      
      
      
      

        
Blood Bank Barcodes: ISBT 128 & Transfusion Safety

        
ISBT 128 barcode standard for blood products — donation identification, component labeling, and the transition from Codabar to ISBT 128.

      

    
    
  





  




  
Related Terms

  

    
    
      Codabar
    
    
    
      Self-Checking
    
    
    
      Blood Bank Barcode
    
    
  





  



  



  









  
Questions fréquemment posées

  
  

    Qu'est-ce qu'un code-barres Codabar ?
    
Codabar est un code-barres numérique à longueur variable introduit en1972, encodant les chiffres 0–9 et six caractères spéciaux avecquatre caractères de début/fin possibles.

  

  
  

    Où Codabar est-il utilisé aujourd'hui ?
    
Codabar est utilisé dans le suivi des banques de sang (prédécesseurde ISBT 128), les lettres de transport aérien FedEx et certainssystèmes de bibliothèques, bien que des symbologies plus récentes leremplacent.

  

  
  

    Codabar possède-t-il un chiffre de contrôle ?
    
Codabar n'a pas de chiffre de contrôle obligatoire dans la norme debase, bien que certaines implémentations ajoutent un caractère decontrôle Modulo 16 pour la vérification.