These are not rules of thumb. A code printed under the minimum size can be refused by a checkout scanner, and a code with its clear space cropped stops reading entirely. The Code tab on each product shows these figures for that product's own code.
How big
GS1 sets the width of one square, which it calls the X-dimension. The printed size of the whole code follows from how many squares it has.
- Smallest allowed: 0.0150 in (0.396 mm) per square.
- What GS1 aims for: 0.0195 in (0.495 mm) per square.
- Largest allowed: 0.0390 in (0.990 mm) per square.
For a typical product code on a short domain that works out at roughly 0.7 in (18 mm) across at the target size. Aim for the middle figure.
The clear space is part of the code
A QR code needs four squares of empty space on all four sides. It is called the quiet zone, and a scanner uses it to find where the code begins.
Heads up. This is the most common way a code fails on a real pack. A designer measures the black squares, fits the code into a tight corner, and the clear space is gone. Our downloads include the quiet zone, so do not crop them.
Where to put it
Within 50 mm (about 2 in) of the centre of your existing UPC, not its edge. That distance comes from testing: it is what keeps a checkout moving at the 40 to 70 items a minute the industry works to.
Keep both codes on the pack for now. Retailers are expected to be able to scan 2D codes by the end of 2027, and the old barcode comes off once they can.
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