Code 16K

Example of a Code 16K barcode

Code 16K is a multi-row barcode developed by Ted Williams in 1989. In the USA and France, the code is used in the electronics industry for marking chips and printed circuit boards. Applications in the medical sector in the USA are also known.

Structure

The code is based on the structure of the Universal Product Code and Code 128. 77 ASCII characters or 154 digits can be encoded on an area of 2.4 cm². A single barcode is composed of two to sixteen rows separated by a horizontal bar. Each row contains exactly five ASCII characters padded with placeholder characters, containing the following:

• leading quiet zone
• start character
• guard bar
• five symbol characters
• stop character
• trailing quiet zone

The first and final horizontal row separators are longer than others, as they extend to the end of the leading and trailing quiet zones.

To ensure a high level of error security, Code 16K offers three forms of error detection:

• The parity is checked for each character.
• Each line is recognized indirectly via the display of a start/stop character
• Two checksum characters are appended at the end of the code.

Code 16K exists in three versions (A, B, and C). With an extended decoder, the code can be identified by all conventional readers. Before decoding, the entire block of the code must have been captured.

An exact code specification is available from the Association for Automated Identification and Mobility.

Sources

• Lenk, Bernhard (30 September 2002). Handbuch der Automatischen Identifikation 2. 2D-Codes (in German). Lenk Monika Fachbuchverla. ISBN 9783935551014.
• BARCODAT: 2D-Code-Fibel. 5th edition. BARCODAT, Dornstetten 2007, online (PDF; 4.35 MB), archive link retrieved on May 11, 2022.