Codabar ile Code 39
Two early alphanumeric barcodes from the 1970s. Code 39 supports 43 characters and became the industry standard, while Codabar's simpler 16-character set found niches in blood banks.
Specification comparison
| Specification | Codabar (NW-7) | Code 39 |
|---|---|---|
| Classification | 1D Linear | 1D Linear |
| Symbology family | Independent Symbologies | Code Family |
| Year introduced | 1972 | 1974 |
| Developer | Monarch Marking Systems (Pitney Bowes) | David Allais & Ray Stevens (Intermec) |
| Data length | variable | variable (1-80 characters) |
| Variable length | Yes | Yes |
| Character set | 0-9, - $ : / . + | A-Z, 0-9, - . $ / + % space |
| Maximum capacity | Variable numeric with special characters | 80 alphanumeric characters (practical limit) |
| GS1 data carrier | No | No |
| Unicode encoding | No | No |
| Binary data | No | No |
| Minimum X-dimension | 0.19 mm | 0.19 mm |
| Nominal height | 15 mm | 15 mm |
| Quiet zone | 10X | 10X |
| Example payload | A12345B | HELLO2026 |
Highlighted rows mark specifications where the two symbologies differ.