ITF Barcode Generator
Generate Interleaved 2 of 5 barcodes for internal numbering.
What is Interleaved 2 of 5?
ITF, or Interleaved 2 of 5, is a compact numeric-only symbology. It encodes digits in pairs — one digit in the bars, the next in the spaces between them — which is where "interleaved" comes from and why it is denser than most alternatives for pure numbers.
Why the digit count must be even
Because digits are encoded two at a time, an odd count leaves half a pair with nothing to interleave with. The usual fix is a leading zero; this tool spots an odd count, explains it and offers the corrected value in one click.
ITF versus ITF-14
ITF-14 is ITF constrained to exactly fourteen digits with a GS1 check digit and a bearer bar around the symbol — the standard shipping-carton mark. Plain ITF is the general-purpose version: any even number of digits, no defined check digit, no bearer bar. Use ITF-14 for anything that crosses a trading-partner boundary and plain ITF for internal numbering.
The bearer bar problem
ITF is vulnerable to a partial scan: if the beam clips the top or bottom of the symbol it can read a shortened, valid-looking number. A bearer bar — a frame around the symbol — forces the beam across the whole width. If you are printing plain ITF on anything a laser scanner will read at speed, add a bearer bar in your artwork, keep the symbol a fixed length, and validate the result in your own software.
Where it is used
Warehouse location labels, internal carton numbering, some pharmaceutical and photo-finishing systems. It is a poor choice for anything alphanumeric — Code 128 is denser for mixed data and has a built-in check character.
Limitations
No character set beyond digits, no built-in check digit, and a known short-scan risk without a bearer bar. Those are properties of the symbology, not of this tool.
Frequently asked questions
Why does it insist on an even number of digits?
ITF encodes digits in pairs. An odd count cannot be encoded, so a leading zero is added — the tool suggests the exact value.
Does ITF have a check digit?
Not as part of the symbology. Some applications add a modulo-10 check digit by convention; ITF-14 always does.
Should I use ITF or ITF-14?
ITF-14 for GS1 case codes on shipping cartons. Plain ITF only for internal numbering you control end to end.
What is a bearer bar for?
It frames the symbol so a scanning beam cannot clip the top or bottom and read a partial number as if it were complete.
Curious how we build and check these codes? Read our methodology, and the disclaimer on what a generated barcode image is and is not.