# HIBC

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/hibc
> research date 2026-06-04 · extracted at 2026-10-03
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [The Health Industry Bar Code Standards — HIBCC](https://www.hibcc.org/udi-labeling-standards/barcode-standards/)
- [HIBC / HIBCC Unique Device Identification (UDI) — BarcodeFAQ](https://www.barcodefaq.com/udi/hibc/)
- [ANSI/HIBC 2.6-2016 Supplier Labeling Standard — HIBCC](https://www.hibcc.org/wp-content/uploads/SLS-2.6-Final.pdf)
- [HIBC — Barcode Guide (Seagull Scientific)](https://barcodeguide.seagullscientific.com/content/Symbologies/HIBC.htm)

## Overview

**HIBC (Health Industry Bar Code)** is the supplier-labelling data standard administered by the **Health Industry Business Communications Council (HIBCC)**, an ANSI-accredited standards body whose mission is to facilitate electronic communications among health-care trading partners <sup>[1][1]</sup>. HIBC defines how a labeler encodes product identity and production data onto medical-device and health-care-product labels <sup>[1][1]</sup> <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

As with most AIDC standards, HIBC separates the *data structure* from the *carrier symbology*. The HIBC data structures (Primary and Secondary) can be carried in several symbologies — historically [Code 39](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/code-39), and now [Code 128](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/code-128), [Data Matrix](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/data-matrix), QR Code, Aztec and PDF417 <sup>[2][2]</sup>. HIBC is one of the three barcode systems recognized by the U.S. FDA for **Unique Device Identification (UDI)** <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

## History

HIBCC was formed to administer the HIBC standard and to issue **Labeler Identification Codes (LICs)**, the per-manufacturer prefix embedded in every barcode that manufacturer produces <sup>[1][1]</sup>. The standard was originally defined for [Code 39](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/code-39); the current supplier-labelling specification is **ANSI/HIBC 2.6 The Health Industry Supplier Labeling Standard (SLS) for Patient Safety and Unique Device Identification (UDI)**, with the syntax defined in ANSI/HIBC 5.0 and a separate provider-applications standard (ANSI/HIBC 1.x) <sup>[1][1]</sup> <sup>[3][3]</sup>. When the U.S. FDA released its UDI rule in 2013, **HIBCC was accredited as one of the FDA's issuing agencies** (alongside GS1 and ICCBBA — see [ISBT 128](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/isbt-128)); HIBC formats are also recognized under the EU MDR <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

## Technical specification

**Industry flag.** Every HIBC barcode begins with a **`+`** character as the industry identifier, marking entry into the HIBC system <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

**Primary Data Structure.** Identifies the product. It comprises <sup>[2][2]</sup>:

| Field | Format | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Industry flag | `+` | 1 |
| Labeler Identification Code (LIC) | alphanumeric, assigned by HIBCC | 4 (letter + 3 alphanumeric) |
| Product/Catalog Number (PCN) | alphanumeric | 1–18 |
| Unit of Measure (U/M) | numeric | 1 |
| MOD 43 check character | alphanumeric | 1 |

**Secondary Data Structure.** Optional production data useful to distributors and providers — added at the labeler's discretion — encoding lot number, serial number, expiration date, manufacturing date and quantity, with its own MOD 43 check character. Expiration dates support multiple formats (MMYY, MMDDYY, YYMMDD, YYMMDDHH, YYJJJ, YYJJJHH); lot and serial numbers are up to 18 alphanumeric characters each <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

**Concatenation.** Primary and secondary data may be encoded in separate symbols or combined into a single symbol using the **HIBC LIC Concatenation Format**, in which a slash (`/`) delimits the primary and secondary portions. In the concatenated case the secondary flag and its separate check character are omitted, and a **single MOD 43 check character** covers the entire concatenated string <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

**Check character.** Each HIBC data structure uses a **Modulo 43 check character** — the mod-43 sum of all character values in the message, printed as the last character before the stop character — computed over all encoded data including the `+` flag, LIC, PCN, U/M and all secondary fields <sup>[2][2]</sup> <sup>[4][4]</sup>. When carried in [Code 39](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/code-39), regular (not Full ASCII) Code 39 is used and the mod-43 check is applied directly <sup>[4][4]</sup>.

**Carriers.** Supported symbologies include [Code 39](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/code-39), [Code 128](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/code-128), [Data Matrix](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/data-matrix), QR Code, Aztec and PDF417 <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

## Use cases

HIBC is used for **medical-device and health-care product supplier labelling**, including device-level **UDI** marking (DI from the LIC + PCN; production identifiers from the secondary structure), hospital materials management, and distributor/provider supply-chain identification <sup>[1][1]</sup> <sup>[2][2]</sup>. It is particularly common among device manufacturers that label small, irregular or implantable items where the compact HIBC data structure and [Data Matrix](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/data-matrix) carrier are advantageous.

## Implementations

Open-source parsers and generators exist: [wienand/hibc](https://github.com/wienand/hibc) (Python parse + generate), [chriswjones/HibcBarcodeParsing](https://github.com/chriswjones/HibcBarcodeParsing) (Objective-C), and [brixion/bardecoder](https://github.com/brixion/bardecoder) (GS1/HIBC decoder). HIBCC also offers a hosted **UDI-Builder** tool and the HIN (Health Industry Number) System with API access <sup>[1][1]</sup>.

## Comparison

HIBC and **GS1** are the two dominant medical-device UDI systems. GS1 builds its DI on the GTIN and carries production data via Application Identifiers in GS1-128 / [GS1 DataMatrix](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/gs1-datamatrix) using FNC1 separators; HIBC builds its DI on the HIBCC-issued LIC + Product/Catalog Number, uses a `+` flag and `/` concatenation delimiter rather than AIs, and protects integrity with a MOD 43 check character <sup>[2][2]</sup>. Both are FDA-accredited UDI issuing systems; the third, ICCBBA's [ISBT 128](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/isbt-128), covers human-origin products <sup>[2][2]</sup>. HIBC's freeform alphanumeric PCN (up to 18 chars) lets manufacturers reuse their existing catalog numbers directly, whereas GS1 requires assignment of structured GTINs <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

## Status

**Active.** ANSI/HIBC 2.6 is the current supplier-labelling standard; HIBC is an FDA-recognized UDI format under 21 CFR Part 801 and is accepted under the EU MDR, making it a live, mandated option for device manufacturers worldwide <sup>[1][1]</sup> <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.hibcc.org/udi-labeling-standards/barcode-standards/
[2]: https://www.barcodefaq.com/udi/hibc/
[3]: https://www.hibcc.org/wp-content/uploads/SLS-2.6-Final.pdf
[4]: https://barcodeguide.seagullscientific.com/content/Symbologies/HIBC.htm

[1] [The Health Industry Bar Code Standards](https://www.hibcc.org/udi-labeling-standards/barcode-standards/) — HIBCC
[2] [HIBC / HIBCC Unique Device Identification (UDI)](https://www.barcodefaq.com/udi/hibc/) — BarcodeFAQ.com
[3] [ANSI/HIBC 2.6-2016 Supplier Labeling Standard](https://www.hibcc.org/wp-content/uploads/SLS-2.6-Final.pdf) — HIBCC, 2016
[4] [HIBC — Barcode Guide](https://barcodeguide.seagullscientific.com/content/Symbologies/HIBC.htm) — Seagull Scientific

## Deployments

_No country reports mention this standard by name._

## Regions / aggregations not mapped to a single country

- Universal