# Deutsche Post Identcode
> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/deutsche-post-identcode
> research date 2026-06-03 · extracted at 2026-10-03
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards
Specifications:
- [Deutsche Post Identcode — BWIPP wiki](https://github.com/bwipp/postscriptbarcode/wiki/Deutsche-Post-Identcode)
- [Identcode (Deutsche Post, DHL) — ActiveBarcode](https://www.activebarcode.com/codes/identcode)
- [Identcode Deutsche Post — IDEAL Software](https://www.idealsoftware.com/manuals/progman/identcodedeutschepost.html)
## Overview
**Deutsche Post Identcode** (German *Identcode*, "identification code") is a numeric barcode used by **Deutsche Post AG** and its logistics division **DHL** to **uniquely identify a postal package and enable Track & Trace from acceptance to delivery** [2][2], [3][3]. Like its sibling the **Leitcode**, it is not a separate symbology but an **application of the Interleaved 2 of 5 (ITF) barcode**: the bar/space encoding is standard ITF, but the data layout is fixed and the check digit uses a Deutsche-Post-specific algorithm rather than the ordinary ITF checksum [1][1], [2][2], [3][3].
Where the Leitcode encodes *where a shipment is going* (routing), the Identcode encodes *which shipment it is* (tracking) — a sender identity plus a unique mail-piece number. The two codes are typically printed together and used jointly during automatic distribution in mail centers [2][2]. An Identcode carries a fixed **12 digits** (11 data digits plus one check digit) [1][1], [2][2], [3][3].
## History
The Identcode and Leitcode are the two postal applications of Interleaved 2 of 5 adopted by Deutsche Post AG for domestic German freight automation, later carried into the DHL logistics brand [2][2], [6][6]. The base ITF symbology was created by David Allais (also the designer of Code 39, Code 93, and Code 11) [7][7]. Precise dating of the Identcode's introduction is not established by the sources consulted here; what is documented is its present role as one of "two variations of the Interleaved 2 of 5 (ITF) barcode" Deutsche Post and DHL use — Identcode for fulfilment/identification, Leitcode for routing/destination [6][6].
## Technical specification
**Symbology basis.** The Identcode is "an implementation of the Interleaved 2 of 5 barcode symbology" [1][1] / "an application of Code 2 from 5 interleaved" with a modified checksum [3][3]. As in all ITF codes, digits are encoded in pairs — the first digit of a pair in five bars, the second in the five interleaved spaces, two of every five elements wide [7][7]. ITF requires an even digit count, which the 12-digit Identcode satisfies [7][7].
**Digit layout (12 digits).** [1][1], [2][2], [3][3]
| Positions | Field | German term | Example |
|-----------|-------|-------------|---------|
| 1–2 | Departure/originating mail center | Abgangsfrachtpostzentrum | `56` |
| 3–5 | Customer ID | Kundenkennung | `310` |
| 6–11 | Mailing / delivery number | Einlieferungsnummer | `243031` |
| 12 | Check digit | Prüfziffer | `3` |
The customer ID is assigned by Deutsche Post; the allocation scheme trades digits between the customer ID and the mailing number according to volume (a larger customer ID leaves fewer digits for the mailing number, and vice versa) [3][3]. The combination of sender identity and unique mailing number is what makes each Identcode unique to one mail piece, enabling tracking [2][2].
**Check digit (Modulo 10, weights 4 and 9).** The Identcode check digit "deviates from the standard 2 of 5 interleaved weighting": instead of the ordinary ITF weights 3 and 1, the 11 data digits are weighted **alternately 4 and 9 beginning from the left**, the products are summed, the sum is reduced modulo 10, and the check digit is the **complement to 10** of that remainder [3][3], [4][4], [5][5]. Equivalently, it is the amount needed to **round the weighted sum up to the next multiple of 10**, which naturally yields 0 when the sum is already a multiple of 10 [5][5].
Worked example for data `56310243031` [3][3]:
```
Digits: 5 6 3 1 0 2 4 3 0 3 1
Weights: 4 9 4 9 4 9 4 9 4 9 4
Products: 20 54 12 9 0 18 16 27 0 27 4 -> sum = 187
187 mod 10 = 7 -> check digit = 10 - 7 = 3
Full Identcode: 563102430313
```
This 4/9 weighting is identical to the algorithm used by the Deutsche Post **Leitcode**; the two differ only in data length (11 vs 13 data digits) and field meaning [3][3], [4][4].
**Tracking vs routing.** The Identcode is a *tracking* code: it uniquely identifies one mail piece (sender + mailing number) for Track & Trace from acceptance to delivery. The Leitcode is a *routing* code: it tells the sorting machinery the destination. The two are complementary and used together for automatic distribution [1][1], [2][2].
## Use cases
- **Track & Trace** of postal packages across the Deutsche Post / DHL network, from acceptance to delivery, via the unique sender-plus-mailing-number identifier [2][2].
- **Automatic freight distribution** in mail centers, paired with the Leitcode for routing [1][1], [2][2].
- Supported as a labelling option across commercial reporting/label tools (DevExpress, FastReport, BarTender, Neodynamic, IDEAL, Aspose) for German postal compliance [3][3].
## Implementations
Identcode, like Leitcode, is almost always a **preset** in general barcode libraries that apply the fixed 11+1 digit layout and the 4/9 check digit on top of an Interleaved 2 of 5 engine.
- **[zint/zint](https://github.com/zint/zint)** — C, ~771★, active 2026. Broad encoding library (50+ symbologies) supporting Deutsche Post Identcode and Leitcode [[2][2] context; repo metadata].
- **[woo-j/OkapiBarcode](https://github.com/woo-j/OkapiBarcode)** — Java, ~394★, active 2026. Open-source generator covering 50+ standards including Deutsche Post Identcode/Leitcode.
- **[bwipp/postscriptbarcode](https://github.com/bwipp/postscriptbarcode)** (BWIPP, *Barcode Writer in Pure PostScript*) — PostScript, ~360★, active 2026. Implements Identcode as an ITF application; auto-computes the check digit when 11 digits are supplied, otherwise verifies the supplied check digit [1][1].
- **[rafsalvioni/zeus-barcode-dhl](https://github.com/rafsalvioni/zeus-barcode-dhl)** — PHP, ~1★, active 2025. Object-oriented API for creating/drawing/manipulating barcodes using DHL (Deutsche Post) standards.
- **ActiveBarcode** (commercial) auto-calculates the modulo-10 check digit for Identcode input [2][2]; the Perl module **Algorithm::CheckDigits::M10_005** implements the shared Identcode/Leitcode 4/9 check digit [4][4].
## Comparison
**Identcode vs Leitcode.** Both are Deutsche Post ITF applications sharing the identical 4/9 modulo-10 check digit, but they answer different questions [1][1], [2][2], [3][3]:
| Property | Identcode | Leitcode |
|----------|-----------|----------|
| Role | Identification / tracking | Routing / destination |
| Total length | 12 digits | 14 digits |
| Data digits | 11 | 13 |
| Field layout | mail center + customer ID + mailing number | PLZ + street + house + product |
| Question answered | *Which item is it?* | *Where is it going?* |
**Both vs plain ITF-14.** All three are Interleaved 2 of 5 codes but diverge on length and checksum [3][3], [7][7]:
- **ITF-14** is the GS1 application of ITF carrying a 14-digit GTIN (SCC-14) on shipping cartons, using the **standard mod-10 check digit (weights 3 and 1)** and typically framed by a **bearer bar** [7][7].
- **Identcode** is 12 digits and uses the **Deutsche Post 4/9 check digit**, not the GS1 3/1 check digit, and encodes sender/identification data rather than a GTIN [3][3].
- **Leitcode** is 14 digits with the same 4/9 check digit but carries address-routing data.
Although Leitcode and ITF-14 share the 14-digit length, neither is interchangeable with the Identcode or with each other: the field semantics and check-digit weighting all differ, so a generic ITF reader would mis-validate these postal codes [3][3], [7][7].
## Status
The Identcode is **in active production use** by Deutsche Post / DHL for package identification and Track & Trace, and remains a standard preset across mainstream barcode libraries and commercial label tooling as of 2026 [1][1], [2][2], [6][6]. It coexists with 2D codes — Deutsche Post and DHL also make heavy use of Data Matrix for newer applications — but the 1D Identcode/Leitcode pair remains the documented tracking/routing format for the freight network [6][6].
## Sources
[1]: https://github.com/bwipp/postscriptbarcode/wiki/Deutsche-Post-Identcode
[2]: https://www.activebarcode.com/codes/identcode
[3]: https://www.idealsoftware.com/manuals/progman/identcodedeutschepost.html
[4]: https://metacpan.org/pod/Algorithm::CheckDigits::M10_005
[5]: https://www.activebarcode.com/codes/checkdigit/modulo10
[6]: https://scanbot.io/blog/postal-barcodes-and-how-to-read-them/
[7]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interleaved_2_of_5
[8]: https://barcodeguide.seagullscientific.com/Content/Symbologies/Identcode.htm
1. [Deutsche Post Identcode — BWIPP wiki](https://github.com/bwipp/postscriptbarcode/wiki/Deutsche-Post-Identcode) — Barcode Writer in Pure PostScript, 2026
2. [Identcode (Deutsche Post, DHL) barcode symbology](https://www.activebarcode.com/codes/identcode) — ActiveBarcode
3. [Identcode Deutsche Post](https://www.idealsoftware.com/manuals/progman/identcodedeutschepost.html) — IDEAL Software Programming Manual
4. [Algorithm::CheckDigits::M10_005 — Deutsche Post Identcode/Leitcode (DE)](https://metacpan.org/pod/Algorithm::CheckDigits::M10_005) — MetaCPAN
5. [Modulo 10 check-digit calculation for barcodes](https://www.activebarcode.com/codes/checkdigit/modulo10) — ActiveBarcode
6. [Postal barcodes and how to read them](https://scanbot.io/blog/postal-barcodes-and-how-to-read-them/) — Scanbot SDK
7. [Interleaved 2 of 5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interleaved_2_of_5) — Wikipedia
8. [Deutsche Post Identcode — Barcode Guide](https://barcodeguide.seagullscientific.com/Content/Symbologies/Identcode.htm) — Seagull Scientific (BarTender)
## Deployments
_No country reports mention this standard by name._