UCC/EAN-128

UCC/EAN-128 is a global data-exchange standard, not a symbology in its own right, that encodes data using Code 128 while defining Application Identifiers (AIs) that specify the meaning and format of the encoded data.

UCC/EAN-128 was developed to provide a worldwide standard for exchanging data between different companies. UCC/EAN-128 not only encodes the data, but also provides a method for defining the meaning of that data through a list of "Application Identifiers" (AIs).

UCC/EAN-128 is not, by itself, a symbology.

It is a standard that defines what kind of data is represented and how that data is formatted. UCC/EAN-128 encodes data using the Code 128 symbology, so the printing requirements of Code 128 still apply to UCC/EAN-128.

A typical UCC/EAN-128 barcode has the following structure:

1. A Code 128 start character (START-A, START-B, or START-C)
2. A Code 128 FNC1 character
3. Application Identifier (AI)
4. Encoded message
5. Check character
6. Stop character
7. Termination bar

Every UCC/EAN-128 symbol encodes an AI to indicate what type of data is encoded. In most cases, the AI also determines the length and format of the data. All dates are represented in the format YYMMDD. YY values between 51-99 indicate years between 1951 and 1999. YY values between 00-50 indicate years between 2000 and 2050.

If an AI number contains an 'x' or 'y', that means a single digit must be appended to the AI. The x digit indicates the length of the data field that follows; the y digit indicates the position of the decimal point within the data field.