# DMRE

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/dmre
> research date 2026-06-03 · extracted at 2026-10-03
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [ISO/IEC 21471:2020 — Extended rectangular data matrix (DMRE) bar code symbology specification](https://www.iso.org/standard/70947.html)
- [ISO/IEC 21471:2025 — Data Matrix Rectangular Extension (DMRE) bar code symbology specification](https://www.iso.org/standard/84783.html)

## Overview

DMRE (Data Matrix Rectangular Extension, originally titled "Extended rectangular data matrix") is a barcode symbology that adds a set of new rectangular symbol formats to the established Data Matrix (ECC 200) family. It uses the same encodation, ECC 200 / Reed–Solomon error correction, and decoding model as standard Data Matrix, but provides additional, larger rectangular sizes than the six rectangular formats already defined in ISO/IEC 16022 <sup>[1][1]</sup> <sup>[4][4]</sup> <sup>[6][6]</sup>. Rectangular formats let the code be placed along curved surfaces and more readily replace 1D barcodes on narrow components <sup>[4][4]</sup>. It is standardised as ISO/IEC 21471 <sup>[1][1]</sup> <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

## History

DMRE originated as the German national standard **DIN 16587**, which defined extended rectangular Data Matrix formats <sup>[4][4]</sup>. It was subsequently elevated to an international standard as **ISO/IEC 21471:2020** under the title "Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques — Extended rectangular data matrix (DMRE) bar code symbology specification" <sup>[1][1]</sup>. A revised second edition, **ISO/IEC 21471:2025**, retitled the standard to "Data Matrix Rectangular Extension (DMRE)" <sup>[2][2]</sup>. The standard specifies the DMRE symbology characteristics, data character encodation, symbol formats, dimensions and print-quality requirements, error-correction rules, the decoding algorithm, and user-selectable application parameters <sup>[1][1]</sup>.

## Technical specification

**Relationship to Data Matrix.** DMRE is an extension, not a replacement, of Data Matrix ECC 200. It reuses ECC 200's data encodation and Reed–Solomon error correction <sup>[4][4]</sup> <sup>[6][6]</sup>. The six rectangular formats already defined in ISO/IEC 16022 — 8×18, 8×32, 12×26, 12×36, 16×36, and 16×48 — are explicitly out of scope of ISO/IEC 21471 and remain governed by the original Data Matrix standard <sup>[6][6]</sup>.

**New rectangular sizes.** DMRE adds the following rectangular symbol sizes, in modules (excluding quiet zone) <sup>[5][5]</sup>:

8×48, 8×64, 8×80, 8×96, 8×120, 8×144, 12×64, 12×88, 16×64, 20×36, 20×44, 20×64, 22×48, 24×48, 24×64, 26×40, 26×48, 26×64 <sup>[9][9]</sup>.

These span heights of 8 to 26 modules and widths up to 144 modules, all even values, considerably extending the rectangular range beyond ISO/IEC 16022 <sup>[6][6]</sup> <sup>[9][9]</sup>.

**Error correction.** DMRE incorporates all ECC 200 features and uses Reed–Solomon error correction for error detection and correction, identical in approach to standard Data Matrix <sup>[4][4]</sup>.

**Character set / encodation.** Because DMRE reuses ECC 200 encodation, it supports the same data character encoding modes as Data Matrix (ASCII, C40, Text, X12, EDIFACT, Base 256), and ECI-based extension <sup>[4][4]</sup>.

## Use cases

DMRE's rectangular formats are aimed at marking small or narrow components and at curved surfaces, where a wide-but-short rectangular symbol fits better than a square Data Matrix and can serve as a higher-capacity replacement for 1D barcodes <sup>[4][4]</sup>. Typical applications follow Data Matrix's domains — electronics, small parts, and direct part marking — extended to elongated label areas <sup>[4][4]</sup>.

## Implementations

- **[Zint](https://github.com/zint/zint)** — C; ~771 stars; active in 2026. Encodes Data Matrix including DMRE rectangular formats, exposing the DMRE sizes (e.g. 8×48 through 26×64) as selectable versions <sup>[3][3]</sup> <sup>[9][9]</sup>.
- **[libdmtx](https://github.com/dmtx/libdmtx)** — C; ~360 stars; active 2025. A long-standing Data Matrix encoding/decoding library for the ECC 200 family <sup>[7][7]</sup>.
- **[BWIPP — Barcode Writer in Pure PostScript](https://github.com/bwipp/postscriptbarcode)** — PostScript; ~499 stars; active in 2026. Renders Data Matrix including rectangular extension formats <sup>[8][8]</sup>.

## Comparison

Against square Data Matrix, DMRE offers a flat, elongated footprint at comparable data capacity, making it easier to place on curved or narrow surfaces and a better fit when replacing a 1D linear barcode <sup>[4][4]</sup>. Against the rectangular formats already in ISO/IEC 16022 (which top out at 16×48), DMRE adds substantially larger rectangular sizes — up to 26×64 and widths to 144 modules — raising the data ceiling of rectangular Data Matrix <sup>[6][6]</sup> <sup>[9][9]</sup>. Because it shares ECC 200 encodation and error correction with standard Data Matrix, scanners that already support Data Matrix can be extended to DMRE without a new decoding model <sup>[4][4]</sup> <sup>[6][6]</sup>.

## Status

Active and current. DMRE is an international standard: ISO/IEC 21471, first edition 2020, second edition 2025 <sup>[1][1]</sup> <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.iso.org/standard/70947.html
[2]: https://www.iso.org/standard/84783.html
[3]: https://github.com/zint/zint
[4]: https://www.neodynamic.com/barcodes/DataMatrix-Barcode.aspx
[6]: https://cdn.standards.iteh.ai/samples/84783/2b8424b0fff84ea6a816d67c909a4901/ISO-IEC-21471.pdf
[7]: https://github.com/dmtx/libdmtx
[8]: https://github.com/bwipp/postscriptbarcode
[9]: https://reference.aspose.com/barcode/androidjava/com.aspose.barcode.generation/datamatrixversion/

[1] [ISO/IEC 21471:2020 — Extended rectangular data matrix (DMRE) bar code symbology specification](https://www.iso.org/standard/70947.html) — ISO, 2020
[2] [ISO/IEC 21471:2025 — Data Matrix Rectangular Extension (DMRE) bar code symbology specification](https://www.iso.org/standard/84783.html) — ISO, 2025
[3] [Zint barcode encoding library](https://github.com/zint/zint) — Zint Project / GitHub, 2026
[4] [DataMatrix Barcode (Data Matrix, ECC200, DMRE)](https://www.neodynamic.com/barcodes/DataMatrix-Barcode.aspx) — Neodynamic, 2026
[6] [ISO/IEC 21471 (sample)](https://cdn.standards.iteh.ai/samples/84783/2b8424b0fff84ea6a816d67c909a4901/ISO-IEC-21471.pdf) — ISO / iTeh, 2025
[7] [libdmtx](https://github.com/dmtx/libdmtx) — dmtx / GitHub, 2025
[8] [Barcode Writer in Pure PostScript (BWIPP)](https://github.com/bwipp/postscriptbarcode) — Terry Burton / GitHub, 2026
[9] [DataMatrixVersion (DMRE size enumeration)](https://reference.aspose.com/barcode/androidjava/com.aspose.barcode.generation/datamatrixversion/) — Aspose, 2026

## Deployments

_No country reports mention this standard by name._

## Regions / aggregations not mapped to a single country

- Universal