MaxiCode is the fixed-size 2D barcode with a bullseye in the center that UPS prints on its package labels. barKoder reads and decodes MaxiCode with the phone and tablet cameras in your iOS, Android and web apps, so your app can scan parcels the way sorting systems do.
| Type | Fixed-size 2D matrix symbology. Offset rows of hexagonal modules around a central bullseye finder pattern. |
| Character set | All 256 byte values, through code sets A to E |
| Capacity | Up to 93 alphanumeric characters or 138 digits per symbol. Structured append links up to 8 symbols. |
| Error correction | Reed-Solomon. The primary message always uses enhanced error correction; the secondary message uses standard error correction except in mode 5. |
| Standard | ISO/IEC 16023:2000. Developed by UPS. |
| Typical uses | UPS package labels (modes 2 and 3), parcel sorting and tracking |
MaxiCode is a 2D matrix barcode that UPS developed in 1992 to track and sort packages. It was designed to be read quickly, even on parcels moving along a conveyor. Unlike QR Code or Data Matrix, it never changes size: a symbol is about one inch square, 1.11 x 1.054 inches nominal including its quiet zone.
Every symbol has three parts:
Reed-Solomon error correction lets a reader rebuild the data when part of a label is scratched or torn. Structured append spreads a longer message over up to eight symbols, which can be scanned in any order.
A mode indicator in the symbol tells the reader how the data is laid out. UPS labels use mode 2 or mode 3, the structured carrier message. barKoder returns the whole message as one string, starting with the postal code, country code and class of service, so your app splits out the fields it needs.
| Mode | What it is | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Mode 2 | Structured carrier message with a numeric postal code of up to 9 digits, plus a 3-digit ISO 3166 country code and a 3-digit class of service | UPS domestic shipments, mainly in the US |
| Mode 3 | Structured carrier message with an alphanumeric postal code of up to 6 characters, plus country code and class of service | UPS international shipments |
| Mode 4 | Standard symbol: free-form data with standard error correction on the secondary message | General use outside carrier labels |
| Mode 5 | Full enhanced error correction on both the primary and secondary message | Labels that need extra protection |
| Mode 6 | Reader programming | Configuring scanners by scanning a symbol |
MaxiCode was built for one job: moving parcels through automated sorting at high speed.
UPS labels carry the destination postal code, country and service class in the MaxiCode primary message, which sorting systems read to route each package. Depots, transit hubs and customs checkpoints scan parcel labels again along the way.
Barcode scanning for logistics →Receiving teams scan the UPS label on inbound parcels to log deliveries and route them inside the building. Reading MaxiCode with a phone camera lets any device in the warehouse do this.
Barcode scanning for warehousing →Retail distribution centers handle large volumes of carrier-labeled parcels, outbound and returned. Scanning MaxiCode alongside the 1D tracking barcode keeps throughput up in the supply chain.
Barcode scanning for retail →The barKoder Barcode Scanner SDK reads MaxiCode on iOS, Android, the web, Windows and Linux, and in Flutter, React Native, .NET MAUI, Capacitor, Cordova and NativeScript apps. These features matter most for this code.
barKoder tested its MaxiCode decoder on 44 blurred, damaged, aged and otherwise altered samples, under different lighting, angles and backgrounds, and published the results against five other SDKs. barKoder scored highest.
MaxiCode support and test results →AR Mode outlines and labels each detected code on the camera view in real time, so a user sees which parcels are already scanned and which are not.
Augmented reality barcode overlays →Decodes several barcodes in one camera view, whatever their type or size. Read the MaxiCode and the 1D barcodes on a shipping label, or several labels, in one pass.
Batch MultiScan →The free online barcode scanner reads MaxiCode with your camera or from a photo or screenshot, with no app and no sign-up. It is a quick way to check what a label contains.
Free online barcode scanner →Enable only the decoders you need. This Web SDK call enables MaxiCode, using the decoder constant from the barKoder docs.
Barkoder.setEnabledDecoders(Barkoder.constants.Decoders.MaxiCode);On Android the same decoder is Barkoder.DecoderType.MaxiCode.
Decoder lists for other platforms: Android general example and Android API reference.
Install the free barKoder demo app, or open the web demo, and scan the MaxiCode on a real UPS label before you integrate the SDK. To read a MaxiCode from a photo or screenshot, use the free online barcode scanner.
iPhone and iPad
Scan with your camera, or point it at the QR code to open the App Store.
Android phones and tablets
Scan with your camera, or point it at the QR code to open Google Play.
Any modern browser
Runs the Web SDK in your browser, on desktop or mobile, with nothing to install.
Test with known samples. Print or display the testing sheet and scan each 1D and 2D barcode with the demo app. The data sheet summarizes the SDK for your team.
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Solution Provider listing covering barcode, mobile application and 2D barcode capabilities.
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MaxiCode was developed by UPS to track and sort packages. On a UPS label it carries the destination postal code, country code and class of service in its primary message, and further shipment details in its secondary message. Its fixed size and central bullseye let fixed scanners read it on parcels moving along a conveyor.
Yes, with a decoder that supports MaxiCode. Not every library has one: Google's ML Kit, for example, does not list MaxiCode among its formats. barKoder reads MaxiCode with the camera on iOS and Android phones and tablets and in web browsers. Try it on your own UPS labels with the free demo app or the web demo.
Both are the structured carrier message that UPS uses. Mode 2 holds a numeric postal code of up to 9 digits and is used mainly for US domestic shipments. Mode 3 holds an alphanumeric postal code of up to 6 characters and is used mainly for international shipments. In both modes the primary message also carries a 3-digit country code and a 3-digit class of service.
One symbol holds up to 93 alphanumeric characters or 138 digits. Structured append links up to eight symbols for longer messages, and the reader can put them back together in any order. Because MaxiCode has one fixed size, its capacity is lower than that of QR Code or Data Matrix.
MaxiCode uses hexagonal modules around a central bullseye and always has the same size, about one inch square. QR Code and Data Matrix use square modules, grow with the data and hold much more. MaxiCode is specialized for carrier labels and conveyor scanning, while QR Code and Data Matrix are general-purpose codes. barKoder reads all three.
Test the SDK on your own UPS labels and parcels with a free 30-day trial, or talk to an SDK expert about your project.
