Deutsche Post Identcode Generator

What Is a Deutsche Post Identcode?

Identcode is a numeric barcode symbology developed by Deutsche Post (Germany's national postal operator) for identifying individual mail items and parcels within its sortation network. It's built on an Interleaved 2 of 5 encoding structure, meaning digits are paired up and interleaved into bars and spaces, which keeps the resulting barcode compact even though every character is purely numeric.

Identcode is specifically the item-level counterpart to Deutsche Post's Leitcode, which instead encodes routing/destination information. Where Leitcode tells sortation equipment where a piece is going, Identcode identifies which specific piece it is — the two are often used together on the same parcel or mailing, and a dedicated deutsche post identcode generator makes it straightforward to produce a compliant code without hand-calculating the check digit.

Deutsche Post introduced Identcode as part of a broader family of Interleaved 2 of 5-based codes tailored to its own operations, distinct from the four-state formats used by postal authorities elsewhere. That heritage is why it looks and behaves more like an industrial barcode than the dashed, variable-height postal codes seen on UK or Australian mail.

How Identcode Encodes Data

An Identcode is 11 digits in the finished, encoded form: 2 digits identifying the mailer or customer, 8 digits forming a unique serial/item identifier, and a final check digit calculated with a weighted modulo-10 algorithm to catch transcription or scanning errors. Because it's built on Interleaved 2 of 5 structure, the barcode pairs digits together — the first digit of each pair defines the bar pattern, the second defines the space pattern — which is why Identcode (like ITF generally) requires an even total digit count and includes fixed start/stop patterns framing the data.

Barcode Mint calculates and appends the check digit automatically, so you only need to enter the 10-digit customer + serial portion when generating a code, and the live preview reflects the final 11-digit result immediately.

Technical Specifications

Identcode is numeric only and always 11 digits in its complete form: 2 digits for the customer/mailer identifier, 8 digits for the item serial number, and 1 modulo-10 check digit. It is a linear (1D) symbology using Interleaved 2 of 5 bar/space encoding, meaning digits are processed in pairs — the format inherently requires an even count of data digits before the check digit is appended. There is no alphanumeric support and no optional data fields; every Identcode follows this fixed 11-digit structure, which is part of what makes it fast and reliable for high-speed sortation equipment to parse.

Where Identcode Is Used

Identcode is specific to German postal and parcel logistics:

• Deutsche Post / DHL parcel labels — printed on parcels to give each item a unique identifier that sortation equipment and tracking systems can reference.
• Bulk mail identification — businesses sending large batches of mail through Deutsche Post use Identcode to give each piece a traceable serial number.
• Combined with Leitcode — many German shipping labels print Identcode alongside Leitcode, one identifying the item and the other its destination routing.
• Logistics tracking — internal warehouse and fulfillment systems in Germany sometimes adopt Identcode-style numbering for parcel tracking integration with Deutsche Post's network.

How to Create an Identcode in Barcode Mint

Select Deutsche Post Identcode from the Postal Code group in the symbology list. Enter your 10-digit customer and serial number data — the check digit is calculated and appended automatically, and the live preview updates instantly so you can confirm the finished 11-digit barcode before exporting. From there:

• Adjust bar width and height to match the label size required by your parcel or mailing template.
• Toggle human-readable text below the bars so staff can visually verify the code without a scanner.
• Keep the barcode printed in solid black on a light background — Deutsche Post's sortation equipment, like most postal scanners, requires high contrast rather than color variants.
• Export as PNG or SVG for label design, or use Copy to paste directly into a template.
• Use the bulk CSV → ZIP/PDF tool to generate a unique Identcode for every parcel in a shipment batch from a spreadsheet.
• Call the REST API — /barcode?type=identcode&data=YOURCUSTOMERANDSERIAL — to generate Identcodes on demand from a shipping or fulfillment system.

Print and Scan Best Practices

Because Identcode feeds high-speed sortation equipment, print quality directly affects reliable routing:

• Print at a size where the narrowest bar is clearly resolved by your printer — Interleaved 2 of 5 formats like Identcode are sensitive to bar-width distortion at small sizes.
• Maintain the required quiet zone on both sides of the barcode; crowding text or other graphics into that space is a common cause of scan failures.
• Print in solid black ink on non-glossy stock to avoid glare interfering with the postal scanner's optics.
• Verify your customer and serial number data before a large batch run — the automatic check digit will catch a corrupted scan, but it won't catch a wrong number typed at generation time.
• If placing Identcode alongside Leitcode on the same label, follow Deutsche Post's layout specification for spacing between the two codes so scanning equipment can distinguish them.

Identcode vs Leitcode vs Other Numeric Postal Codes

Identcode and Leitcode share the same Interleaved 2 of 5 foundation and the same Deutsche Post origin, but they answer different questions: Identcode answers "which specific item is this?" with a customer ID and serial number, while Leitcode answers "where is this item going?" with postal code, street, and house number detail. They're complementary rather than interchangeable, which is why German shipping labels frequently carry both side by side. Compared to other numeric postal-style codes like the Korean Postal Authority Code, Identcode's structure (fixed digit groups plus a calculated check digit) is more rigidly defined and specific to Deutsche Post's own sortation equipment — a code generated for one postal authority's network will not be read correctly by another's, so always confirm you're using the symbology tied to the destination country's postal service.

Common uses

• Deutsche Post and DHL parcel labels for unique item identification
• Bulk mail batches requiring traceable serial numbers per piece
• German shipping labels pairing Identcode with Leitcode for item + destination data
• Logistics and fulfillment tracking integrated with Deutsche Post's network

Frequently asked questions

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