# VDA 4902

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/vda-4902
> research date 2026-06-04 · extracted at 2026-10-06
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [Barcode Label Software for AIAG & VDA 4902 Transport Labels — TEC-IT](https://www.tec-it.com/en/software/label-printing/label-software/vda-4902/Default.aspx)
- [Print VDA label 4902 — my-VDA-Label.de](https://www.my-vda-label.de/print-vda-label-4902)
- [VDA-Warenanhänger mit Code 39 Barcodes nach VDA 4902 — my-VDA-Label.de](https://www.my-vda-label.de/?l=vda-warenanhaenger)

## Overview

**VDA 4902** is the German automotive industry's standard for the **transport label / goods tag (Warenanhänger)** used to identify shipments between automotive suppliers and manufacturers (OEMs) <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>. The label is a standardized paper form that carries shipment data both as plain text and as machine-readable **[Code 39](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/code-39)** barcodes, so that incoming goods can be booked automatically by scanning <sup>[2][2], [3][3]</sup>. It is published by the **VDA — Verband der Automobilindustrie** (German Association of the Automotive Industry), the trade body that issues standardization and process-simplification recommendations for the German auto supply chain <sup>[3][3]</sup>.

## History

VDA 4902 was issued by the **Verband der Automobilindustrie (VDA)** as a recommendation to standardize transaction processing between the supplier industry and automotive manufacturers; the goods tag it defines is sometimes also referred to as an **Odette label**, reflecting the parallel European Odette automotive logistics standards <sup>[3][3]</sup>. The standard has gone through successive versions (the current widely-used revision is **Version 4**), and a **2012 extension** added support for printing a **Data Matrix** code alongside the linear barcodes <sup>[2][2]</sup>. Precise original publication dates are not given in the sourced material.

## Technical specification

**Label format.** The VDA 4902 goods tag is laid out in **DIN A5 landscape** format, with a reduced **½ DIN A5 landscape** variant and a DIN A5 portrait option also defined <sup>[3][3]</sup>. It can be applied as a self-adhesive label or inserted as a tag into a pocket on the load carrier <sup>[3][3]</sup>. Vendors also offer regional sizes such as 74 × 210 mm (small load carriers) and a half-US-Letter format for North America <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

**Barcode symbology.** The data fields are encoded as individual **[Code 39](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/code-39)** barcodes <sup>[2][2], [3][3]</sup>. Each barcode is preceded by a **leading identifier letter** so that, when scanned, the receiving system immediately knows which field was read (delivery note, package number, etc.) <sup>[2][2], [3][3]</sup>. Related newer VDA labels and the 2012 extension also support **[Code 128](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/code-128)** and Data Matrix for higher data density <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

**Data fields.** The label carries (as text and, for the key items, as barcodes) <sup>[2][2], [3][3]</sup>:

- **Goods recipient** (Warenempfänger) and **unloading point / storage location** (Abladestelle).
- **Delivery note number** (Lieferschein-Nr) — barcoded.
- **Customer part number** (Sach-Nr / part number) — barcoded, identifier **P**.
- **Quantity** (Menge) — barcoded, identifier **Q**.
- **Supplier number** (Lieferanten-Nr) — identifier **V**.
- **Supplier / production part numbers** — identifiers such as **20S** (production) and **30S** (supplier part).
- **Date** (identifier **D**), **batch/charge number** (identifier **H**), and **package number** (identifier **S**).
- Net and gross weight, number of boxes, and engineering-change information <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

Identifier letters such as **P** (part number), **Q** (quantity), **V** (supplier), **D** (date), **H** (batch) and **S** (package) make each scanned barcode self-describing <sup>[2][2], [3][3]</sup>.

## Use cases

- **Automated goods receipt** at OEM and supplier inbound docks via Code 39 scanning <sup>[3][3]</sup>.
- **Identification of shipping units / load carriers** in automotive logistics <sup>[2][2], [3][3]</sup>.
- **Standardized supplier-to-manufacturer transaction processing** across the German automotive supply chain <sup>[3][3]</sup>.

## Implementations

- **TEC-IT TFORMer / Barcode Studio** — commercial label software shipping predefined VDA 4902 (and AIAG, Galia, Odette, VDA 4994 GTL) forms <sup>[1][1]</sup>.
- **my-VDA-Label.de** — web service for printing VDA 4902 / 4994 labels with the correct Code 39 fields and identifiers <sup>[2][2]</sup>.
- **SAP** integrations (e.g. via SAPscript/Smart Forms) generate VDA 4902 Warenanhänger directly from ERP shipment data <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

No dedicated open-source VDA 4902 library was found; the symbology itself ([Code 39](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/code-39)) is supported by virtually every barcode toolkit.

## Comparison

VDA 4902 is the **linear-barcode predecessor** within a family of automotive transport labels. The newer **VDA 4994 Global Transport Label (GTL)** harmonizes the German VDA approach with the North American **AIAG** label, using denser 2D codes (Data Matrix) and a common layout for global shipments <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>. Where VDA 4902 relies on multiple separate **[Code 39](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/code-39)** barcodes (one per field), the GTL consolidates data and adds 2D encoding. Compared with [Code 128](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/code-128), the VDA 4902's [Code 39](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/code-39) symbols are less dense and lack a mandatory check digit, but Code 39 was chosen for its ubiquity and ease of printing on early industrial equipment <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

## Status

VDA 4902 remains **in active use** across the German and European automotive supply chain for goods tags, even as the **VDA 4994 GTL** standard is adopted for global, 2D-capable shipping labels <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.tec-it.com/en/software/label-printing/label-software/vda-4902/Default.aspx
[2]: https://www.my-vda-label.de/print-vda-label-4902
[3]: https://www.my-vda-label.de/?l=vda-warenanhaenger

[1] [Barcode Label Software for AIAG & VDA 4902 Transport Labels](https://www.tec-it.com/en/software/label-printing/label-software/vda-4902/Default.aspx) — TEC-IT
[2] [Print VDA label 4902](https://www.my-vda-label.de/print-vda-label-4902) — my-VDA-Label.de
[3] [VDA-Warenanhänger mit Code 39 Barcodes nach VDA 4902](https://www.my-vda-label.de/?l=vda-warenanhaenger) — my-VDA-Label.de

## Deployments

_No country reports mention this standard by name._