Codabar Scanner
Read Codabar — the barcode still used on library cards, blood bank bags and older courier forms.
Scan a code with your camera, drop in an image, or paste one with Ctrl + V.
How to use the Codabar Scanner
- Point your camera at the barcode, drop in an image, or paste one with Ctrl + V.
- The start and stop letters are part of the symbology, not the data — they may or may not be shown.
- The decoded digits appear with the symbology named.
About the Codabar Scanner
Codabar is a 1970s symbology that survives in a few specific places because replacing it would mean re-labelling millions of existing items. Libraries use it on membership cards and book spines; blood banks use it on bags and sample tubes; some courier and photo-processing systems still print it on forms.
It encodes digits and six symbols, and its distinguishing feature is a set of four start and stop characters — A, B, C and D — which appear at each end of the code but are not part of the data. Different industries assign different meanings to which pair is used, so the same digits bracketed by A/B and by C/D can mean different things to the systems reading them.
Codabar has no check digit built into the symbology. Where accuracy matters, the industry using it defines its own — the blood banking standard, for instance, layers additional structure on top. This is worth knowing when you scan one: the number you get back is exactly what is printed, with no arithmetic having verified it.
Scan with your camera, from an image, or by pasting one. Everything decodes on your device with nothing uploaded. For the general-purpose alphanumeric alternative see the Code 128 scanner.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Codabar still used?
Libraries, blood banks and some older courier and photo-processing systems. It persists because re-labelling existing stock would cost more than keeping it.
What are the A, B, C and D characters?
Start and stop characters that bracket the code. They are not part of the data, and different industries attach different meanings to which pair is used.
Does Codabar have a check digit?
Not in the symbology itself. Industries that need one define it separately, so a scanned Codabar value has not been arithmetically verified the way an EAN has.
Should I choose Codabar for a new system?
No. It is limited to digits and a few symbols and has no built-in error checking. Code 128 is better in every respect unless you must match existing labels.