USPS PostNet 5
A 5-digit ZIP Code in 32 bars.
Create USPS PostNet 5 ›Used by 700,000+ people
Free POSTNET barcode generator.
POSTNET turns a US ZIP Code into full and half bars plus a correction digit. Type 5, 9 or 11 digits and download it.
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How to create a POSTNET barcode
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01
Choose 5, 9 or 11 digits
Pick USPS PostNet 5, 9 or 11 and type digits only: the hyphen in
12345-6789is refused. -
02
Render at 300 dpi
Set Resolution (dpi) to 300 and keep Module width at Fit: full and half bars stay within USPS's height tolerances, which 96 dpi exceeds.
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03
Drop the text, keep the margins
Switch off Show human-readable text; leave 1/8 inch clear at the sides and 1/25 inch above and below.
What is a POSTNET barcode?
A POSTNET barcode (Postal Numeric Encoding Technique) carries a ZIP Code, ZIP+4 or delivery point code for USPS sorting machines: a full bar means 1, a half bar 0. Since January 2013 it earns no automation prices; the Intelligent Mail barcode replaced it.
Where POSTNET was printed
Until 2013, a delivery point POSTNET qualified letters for automation prices, and Qualified Business Reply Mail used a ZIP+4 one. Confirm subscribers added a PLANET Code, read in the same pass.
The USPS mailing standards of July 2026 no longer mention POSTNET. Print it to reproduce or check existing artwork, not to qualify new mail.
Two full bars per digit
Each digit takes five bars, exactly two of them full, with a full frame bar at each end. Zero, for example, is two full bars followed by three half bars.
The drawing shows the example at 24 bars per inch, USPS's upper limit.
From one ZIP Code to a mailing list
GIF, PNG and JPG are free; SVG and higher print resolution come with a plan. One ZIP Code needs no account; a mailing list needs a data sheet and a free sign-in.
TBarCode SDK and TFORMer Server add POSTNET 6, 10 and 12 for a correction digit you supply, plus the Intelligent Mail barcode.
POSTNET at a glance
- Length
- 5, 9 or 11 digits + correction digit: 32, 52 or 62 bars
- Bar height
- Full 0.125 ±0.010 in, half 0.050 ±0.010 in
- Bar width
- 0.020 ±0.005 in, 22 ±2 bars per inch
- Clearance
- 1/8 in sides, 1/25 in above and below (address block)
- Status
- No automation prices since January 2013
The correction digit of 12345
The digits sum to 15, so 5 follows: the symbol encodes 123455 between two frame bars. ZIP+4 123456789 also gets 5; 12345678901 sums to 46 and gets 4.
POSTNET 5, 9 and 11
Each adds the correction digit.
USPS PostNet 9
ZIP+4 in 52 bars, once required on Qualified Business Reply Mail.
Create USPS PostNet 9 ›USPS PostNet 11
Delivery point code from CASS-certified address matching, in 62 bars.
Create USPS PostNet 11 ›Frequently asked questions
Learn more about POSTNET.
Is the POSTNET barcode still used?
Not for automation prices: since January 2013, USPS requires the Intelligent Mail barcode for them on letters and flats.
How is the POSTNET check digit calculated?
Add all digits and append the single digit that makes the sum a multiple of 10. Don't type it yourself: the generator encodes a sixth digit unchecked, so
123456 prints a wrong 6.
Why did USPS replace POSTNET?
It carries only the routing code, USPS said in 2012. The Intelligent Mail barcode adds a 20-digit tracking code in 65 four-state bars.
Should digits be printed under a POSTNET barcode?
Usually not. TEC-IT's reference lists POSTNET without a text line, and the generator's line would include the correction digit.
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