Australia Post Barcode Generator

What Is an Australia Post 4-State Barcode?

An australia post barcode generator produces the 4-State Customer Barcode, a postal symbology used by Australia Post for automated mail and parcel sortation. Like other four-state postal codes, each bar can be printed in one of four vertical positions — full bar, ascender (top half), descender (bottom half), or tracker (short middle segment) — which lets the format encode more information per unit of horizontal space than a simple two-state barcode.

The barcode is built around a Format Control Code (FCC) that tells sorting equipment what kind of data follows, combined with a Delivery Point Identifier (DPID) or postcode-based routing data. It's the barcode you'll see printed along the bottom of Australian parcel labels and reply-paid mail, distinguishable by its short bars in groups running along the label edge.

How the Barcode Encodes Data

An Australia Post 4-State Customer Barcode is structured in three main parts: a Format Control Code (FCC) that identifies the barcode's purpose and length variant, the actual routing/customer data (typically a Delivery Point Identifier or postcode-based digits), and a checksum-like Reed-Solomon-derived encoding scheme applied across the bar pattern for error tolerance. Several standard lengths exist depending on how much data needs to travel with the piece — shorter formats carry just enough for basic postcode routing, while longer formats can carry a full DPID plus additional customer reference information used in presorted mail programs.

Because each bar has four possible states rather than two, the visual result is a dense row of short vertical marks of varying heights rather than the wide/narrow bar pattern typical of linear barcodes like Code 39.

Technical Specifications

The Australia Post 4-State Customer Barcode is defined in three standard lengths: a 37-bar format for basic postcode-level routing (Format Control Code 11), a 52-bar format that adds a Delivery Point Identifier (FCC 59), and a 67-bar format that carries a DPID plus additional customer information for presort mail programs (FCC 59 with extended data). Each bar encodes 2 bits of information across its four possible states, and the message is protected by a Reed-Solomon error-correcting code computed across the encoded bar values, letting sorting equipment recover from a limited number of misread bars rather than rejecting the item outright.

Valid input data is numeric for postcode and DPID fields, with the Format Control Code itself determined by which of the three standard barcode lengths you're generating.

Where Australia Post Barcodes Are Used

This symbology is specific to Australian mail and parcel handling:

• Parcel labels — Australia Post parcel and satchel labels carry a 4-State barcode alongside the human-readable tracking number for automated conveyor sortation.
• Presorted bulk mail — businesses using Australia Post's presort mail programs print DPID-encoded barcodes to qualify for reduced postage rates tied to machine-sortable mail.
• Reply-paid and business reply mail — pre-printed barcodes on Australian business reply envelopes speed up return processing.
• Direct mail and statements — utilities and financial institutions in Australia print these codes on mailed statements for sortation efficiency.

How to Create an Australia Post Barcode in Barcode Mint

Select Australia Post from the Postal Code group. Enter your Format Control Code followed by the routing/customer data string as specified by Australia Post's technical documentation for your mail class — the live preview renders the four-state bar pattern as you type so you can visually confirm it before export. From there:

• Adjust bar height and spacing to match the barcode placement zone required on your label or envelope.
• Keep the barcode in solid black on a light background — Australia Post's sorting equipment, like most postal scanners, is calibrated for high-contrast printing rather than color.
• Export as PNG or SVG for direct placement in a label template, or use Copy for quick insertion into design software.
• Use the bulk CSV → ZIP/PDF tool to generate a unique barcode for every parcel or mail piece in a batch from a spreadsheet of DPIDs or reference numbers.
• Call the REST API — /barcode?type=auspost&data=YOURFCCANDDATA — to generate these barcodes programmatically from a shipping or mail-merge system.

Print and Scan Best Practices

Because this barcode feeds automated sortation equipment running at high speed, print accuracy directly affects delivery:

• Place the barcode in the designated zone on parcel labels or envelopes as specified by Australia Post's mailing and labeling guidelines.
• Print in solid black ink — avoid reversed contrast, tints, or textured stock that can scatter the light used by optical bar sensors.
• Verify your Format Control Code matches the actual data length and mail class you're using; a mismatched FCC can cause sorting equipment to reject or misroute the item.
• Keep the surrounding quiet zone free of other print, since the four-state bar pattern is easy for overlapping ink or graphics to corrupt.
• Test print a sample barcode with a barcode scanner or verifier before a large production run, especially if you're generating DPID-based codes for a presort mail program with strict Australia Post specifications.

Australia Post 4-State vs Related Postal Codes

Australia Post's 4-State Customer Barcode shares its core four-state, height-modulated bar mechanic with other national postal codes, but the data structure is entirely Australia-specific — its Format Control Code and DPID fields won't validate against UK, Japanese, or generic 4-state readers built for other standards. Royal Mail's RM4SCC and Mailmark 4-State encode UK postcodes and delivery point suffixes instead of an FCC/DPID pair, while Japan Post's barcode encodes a Japanese postal code and address number. The generic DAFT notation (Descender/Ascender/Full/Tracker) underlies all of these visually, describing the same four bar states without any country-specific encoding rules layered on top. Always generate the format that matches the postal network actually sorting your mail.

Common uses

• Australia Post parcel and satchel label sortation
• Presorted bulk mail programs qualifying for reduced postage
• Business reply-paid envelopes and return mail in Australia
• Utility and financial statement mailings using DPID-based routing
• Logistics labels requiring automated Australian postal sortation

Frequently asked questions

Related barcode types

Browse all 106 barcode & QR types →