PZN8
Seven digits plus check digit, the format since 2013, for current packs.
Create PZN8 ›Used by 700,000+ people
Free PZN barcode generator.
The Pharmazentralnummer (PZN) identifies medicines and pharmacy products in Germany. Type it with or without the check digit and get its Code 39 barcode.
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How to create a PZN barcode
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01
Type the PZN that IFA allocated
Type all 8 digits, including a zero at the start, or only the first 7: the generator then adds the check digit.
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02
Set the narrow bar to 0.25 mm
That is IFA's normal module width (X). At 203 dpi, enter 2 pixels: they give 0.250 mm and wide bars of exactly 5 pixels.
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03
Add the quiet zone and download PNG
The quiet zone is 0 by default: set it to 2.5 mm, 10 modules at 0.25 mm, or keep that much blank on each side. Download the PNG and place it at 100%.
PZN: Germany's pharmacy article number as a Code 39 barcode
A PZN barcode encodes the Pharmazentralnummer in Code 39 after a minus sign, with “PZN - 12345678” printed underneath. IFA GmbH issues the PZN for medicines and other pharmacy products in Germany. It has had 8 digits since 2013, the last one a mod 11 check digit.
Where the PZN is scanned: pharmacies, wholesalers, prescriptions
Under § 131 of the German Social Code Book V (SGB V), pharmaceutical companies put the PZN in machine-readable form on the outer pack. IFA also allocates PZNs to medical devices and other pharmacy-typical goods.
Wholesalers and pharmacies attach price, prescription status and narcotic class to the PZN. When dispensing to an insured patient, the pharmacy transfers the 8-digit PZN to the prescription form (Muster 16) or e-prescription, as § 300 SGB V requires.
Identified by its minus sign, drawn at IFA's nominal size
Under ISO/IEC 15418 the minus sign identifies the digits as a PZN. In practice, the check digit and a database lookup also confirm the capture. A wrong check digit never reaches the bars: the generator refuses it.
The generator draws IFA's nominal 2.5:1 ratio of wide to narrow bars. At 0.25 mm, 12345678 is 158.5 modules or 39.6 mm wide, 44.6 mm with quiet zones. With 10 mm bars, that matches IFA's nominal size of about 10 × 40 mm.
One PZN online, whole article lists in a data sheet or your software
Online, PZN8 and PZN7 download as GIF, PNG or JPG at no cost; SVG and higher print resolution come with a plan. Guests create one PZN at a time; signed in for free, you turn an article list in a data sheet into barcodes.
TBarCode SDK includes both PZN types with their mod 11 method: your application passes 7 digits and prints the complete code. TEC-IT's Barcode Reference documents the same types for TFORMer Designer and TBarCode/SAPwin.
PZN at a glance
- Type
- Code 39 with a minus sign as PZN identifier
- Specification
- IFA, PZN in Code 39, V 2.3 (2025)
- Length
- PZN8: 8 digits; PZN7: 7 digits (until 2012)
- Check digit
- Modulo 11, the last digit
- Module width (X)
- 0.25 mm nominal, 0.187–0.45 mm allowed
- Wide-to-narrow ratio
- 2.5:1 nominal, 2:1 to 3:1 allowed
- Quiet zone
- At least 10X recommended
- Print quality
- Grade 1.5 or better recommended (ISO/IEC 15416)
How the PZN check digit is calculated
Multiply the first seven digits by 1 to 7 and add the products: for 1234567, 1 + 4 + 9 + 16 + 25 + 36 + 49 = 140. Divided by 11, 140 leaves 8, so the PZN is 12345678. IFA does not use digit sequences whose remainder is 10.
PZN7 numbers became 8 digits with a zero in front. Zero times 1 adds nothing, so 1234562 kept its check digit as 01234562.
The PZN inside the securPharm Data Matrix Code
The Code 39 carries the PZN only. Medicines subject to verification under the EU Falsified Medicines Directive also carry a Data Matrix Code with serial number, batch and expiry date. Its product code is a PPN or an NTIN; both contain the unchanged PZN: 11 12345678 42 and 0 4150 12345678 2.
Printing the PZN on folding cartons
- Height. Bars 8–20 mm high at X = 0.25 mm; taller bars raise the first-read rate.
- Whole dots. An exact 2.5:1 needs narrow bars of an even dot count, such as 4 at 300 dpi; 3 dots give wide bars of 7 and 8 dots, not 7.5.
- Colours. Black, blue or green bars on white, red, yellow or orange; not on metallic, rough or embossed surfaces. Films often reach only grade 2.
- Placement. IFA suggests a side panel, parallel to the long edge; centrally authorised medicines must show the PZN in the EU blue box.
PZN barcode mistakes and their fixes
- Dropping the initial zero. Typed as PZN8, 1234562 counts as seven base digits and becomes
12345626, a different PZN. Type01234562. - A PZN7 on a new pack. Since 1 January 2020, only packs with the 8-digit PZN may be marketed. Choose PZN8 and put a zero in front.
- The Austrian PZN. Also seven digits with check digit, but assigned in Austria; IFA warns against mixing them up.
The PZN and the other pharmacy codes
PPN ›
Agency code 11, the PZN and two check digits, in the Data Matrix beside serial number, batch and expiry.
NTIN ›
The PZN behind GS1 prefix 4150, as a GTIN for the GS1 Data Matrix.
Code 39 ›
The symbology underneath, without the PZN check digit or text line.
Code 32 ›
Italy's pharmacy code: a 9-digit number converted into six Code 39 characters.
PZN8 or PZN7
Both share the minus sign, ratio and text line; only the length differs.
PZN7
Six digits plus check digit, valid until 31 December 2012: only for reproducing old codes.
Create PZN7 ›Frequently asked questions
Learn more about PZN.
How do I get a PZN for my product?
IFA GmbH allocates it when it publishes your product data, under IFA's supplier contract. You cannot choose the number; IFA issues PZNs in sequence. A PZN stays with its article for life, even under a new supplier, and is never reused.
Is the PZN Code 39 still required on German medicine packs?
Not on packs placed on the market after 9 February 2019 with a Data Matrix Code to IFA's specification. Their PZN must still appear in clear text, as “PZN: 12345678”. IFA recommends keeping the Code 39 for now.
How does a scanner tell a PZN from an EAN-8?
By the minus sign in front of the digits. The Code 39 encodes
-12345678, and the minus sign makes the reader interpret the eight digits as a PZN, not as an EAN-8. The text line “PZN - 12345678” tells people the same.
Why does the generator reject my PZN?
A wrong last digit gives “Wrong check digit”. Seven digits whose remainder is 10, such as 1234561, have no valid check digit, so no barcode is drawn. A typed “PZN-” prefix is refused as well: enter the digits only.
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