Planet

PLANET is a US Postal Service barcode used alongside POSTNET to track mail pieces, encoding 12 or 14 digits with a Mod 10 check digit.

The US Postal Office uses a combination of two tracking numbers (the POSTNET code and the PLANET code) to track a customer's piece of mail. The USPS Confirm service provides delivery information about:

• incoming hard-copy reply mail (Origin Confirm)
• outbound mail going to customers (Destination Confirm)

A PLANET symbol has 12 or 14 digits. The PLANET code symbology is the inverse of the POSTNET code. The encoding is shown in the table below:

The check digit is based on the Mod 10 algorithm. The value of the check digit is such that, when added to the sum of the other digits in the barcode, it results in a total that is a multiple of 10. For example, the check digit for address code 40123456789 is 1, since 4+0+1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9=49, and adding check digit 1 gives a sum of 50, which is 5 times 10.

The PLANET barcode starts with a long bar (frame bar) and ends with a frame bar. Between these two frame bars is the encoded address information, followed by a check digit. Each code character is made up of five bars, either long or short.

The PLANET barcode can be placed anywhere in the address block portion except the lower right. For more information, visit .

Legacy links (no longer active) (1)

• http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/pubs/pub197/197c6.html