How to make barcodes for inventory and stock labels

A small warehouse, a school equipment cupboard or a workshop full of tools can be tracked with a barcode scanner and a spreadsheet. The barcodes only need to be read inside your organisation, which makes them much simpler than retail barcodes: no registration, no fees, any numbering scheme you like.

Internal codes versus retail codes

Retail barcodes such as EAN-13 and UPC-A carry numbers issued by GS1, so that every product in every shop worldwide is unique. Making one up risks clashing with a real product. For internal use, use a format that does not imply a registered number. Code 128 is the usual choice. The guide to UPC vs EAN vs Code 128 explains the difference.

Choose the format

• Code 128: letters, numbers and symbols, compact, read by every modern scanner. The default for stock, assets and bins.
• Code 39: older, wider, uppercase letters and numbers only. Use it only if existing equipment needs it.
• ITF-14: for outer shipping cartons, usually printed on corrugated board.

Design the numbering scheme

• Keep it short. Shorter values make smaller, easier-to-scan barcodes. TOOL-0042 beats WORKSHOP-POWER-TOOLS-DRILL-0042.
• Use a prefix by type: ASSET-, BIN-, SKU-, so a scan tells you what kind of thing it is.
• Pad numbers with zeros, such as 0042, so they sort in order; see sorting a list naturally.
• Avoid look-alike characters such as O and 0, I and 1, in case someone types a code by hand.
• Never reuse a number for a different item, even after the first is retired.

Keep the master list in a spreadsheet. Before printing, check it for repeats with Remove Duplicate Lines and put it in order with Sort Lines.

Make the barcodes

1. Open the Barcode Generator and choose CODE128.
2. Type the value, such as BIN-A-014.
3. Keep “Show the value under the bars” on, so a person can read the code when a scanner fails.
4. Adjust bar width and height for your label size, then download.

Printing labels that scan

• Leave a quiet zone, a clear margin either side of the bars. Cutting too close is the commonest failure.
• Do not squash the bars. Resize proportionally; narrow bars printed on a low-resolution label printer can merge.
• Use durable labels for tools and outdoor assets: thermal-transfer or laminated labels last far longer than paper.
• Test the first sheet with your actual scanner before printing hundreds.

QR codes for inventory?

QR codes hold more data and can be scanned with any phone camera, which suits asset tags that link to a maintenance page. Linear barcodes scan faster with handheld scanners. Many organisations use Code 128 on shelves and bins and QR codes on equipment. For QR printing sizes, see QR code print sizes.