ITF-14 Barcodes: A Guide for Shipping and Cartons
ITF-14 is the barcode you see on shipping cartons and outer cases. Here is what it encodes and how to print it so it survives the journey.
What ITF-14 is for
ITF-14 encodes a fourteen-digit number that identifies a trade item at the case or carton level, the box that holds multiple retail units. It is built for the rough surfaces and longer scanning distances of logistics, not the retail shelf.
The "ITF" stands for Interleaved Two of Five, a numeric-only symbology that packs digits efficiently.
The bearer bars
A defining feature of ITF-14 is the thick frame, called bearer bars, printed around the symbol. These improve scan reliability on corrugated cardboard by preventing partial reads where the print quality is uneven.
When you print ITF-14, keep that frame intact.
Printing on cardboard
- •Print larger than retail barcodes; cartons are scanned from farther away.
- •Leave wide quiet zones on both sides.
- •Account for ink spread on absorbent corrugated stock.
- •Keep the code on a flat panel, not over a fold or seam.
Validate the digits
ITF-14 carries a check digit, and the symbology requires an even number of digits. A good generator enforces both. Still, confirm the fourteen digits match your case-level GS1 identifier before printing a pallet’s worth.
Where it fits
Use ITF-14 on the outer packaging and the retail format (EAN-13 or UPC-A) on the individual units inside. The two work together across the supply chain.