How to use it
- Type the value. Lower-case letters are converted to upper case.
- Use 13 mil bars for labels; Code 39 is wide, so keep values short.
- Download, or print a sheet of labels.
Where Code 39 is still used
Code 39 was one of the first alphanumeric barcodes (1974) and is still built into countless systems. You'll see it on VIN labels (see our VIN barcode generator), US Department of Defense labels, automotive parts labels (AIAG), healthcare HIBC labels and employee ID badges. If a customer's spec says "3 of 9", this is it.
How it works
Each character is nine elements, five bars and four spaces, and three of them are wide. That's where "3 of 9" comes from. Every character checks itself, so a check digit is optional. Asterisks (*) mark the start and stop. We add them for you, so don't type them.
Code 39 or Code 128?
For new projects, Code 128 is usually better: it supports lower case, has a built-in check character and is about 30–40% narrower for the same text. Choose Code 39 when an existing system, customer or industry standard requires it.
About barcode fonts
Many people make Code 39 in Excel with a "3 of 9" font. That works only if you remember the asterisks, and only on computers where the font is installed. Our generator creates an image, so it looks the same everywhere. For many values at once, use the bulk generator.