PZN (Pharma-Zentralnummer)
The German pharmaceutical product number, carried as Code 39 with a Mod 11 check digit, per IFA standards.
PZN (Pharma-Zentralnummer) Specification
| Character set | Digits 0-9 (Code 39 carrier) |
| Data length | PZN 8: 7 data digits + 1 Mod 11 check digit |
| Check digit | Mod 11 check digit (weight 1-9 cycle), mandatory |
| Density | Same as Code 39 |
| Module width (X-dimension) | 0.25-0.50 mm typical |
| Print ratio | Wide:narrow ratio 2:1 to 3:1 |
| Magnification | Not fixed; scales with X-dimension |
| Quiet zone | 10X on each side |
| Standard | IFA PZN standard (Code 39 carrier) |
Not generated by barcodegen.net
PZN (Pharma-Zentralnummer) is documented here for completeness, but our free generator does not produce this symbology. The closest supported format is Code 128.
What Is PZN (Pharma-Zentralnummer)?
The PZN is the 6-8 digit product identifier assigned by the IFA (Informationsstelle für Arzneispezialitäten) to every medication marketed in Germany. On packaging it is printed as a Code 39 symbol prefixed with "-PZN-" in the human-readable line, followed by the number and its Mod 11 check digit. Pharmacies scan it at point of dispensing for pricing and inventory lookup.
PZN encoding itself is ordinary Code 39 — the constraints (digit-only payload, fixed length, Mod 11 check character, the "-PZN-" prefix convention) come from the IFA application standard rather than the symbology. German pharma has layered GS1 DataMatrix serialization on top under EU FMD, but the PZN Code 39 symbol remains on every German package. Generators must compute the check digit per IFA rules.
Common Applications
- German pharmacy point-of-sale scanning
- German medication inventory and pricing
Related Barcode Types
The classic self-checking alphanumeric barcode: 43 characters, simple structure, still everywhere in industry.
An Italian pharmaceutical license-number barcode: a Code 39 structure restricted to an encoded 32-character set, per AIFA rules.
A proprietary integer-only barcode from Laetus used to verify packaging and inserts in pharmaceutical production.
A compact 2D matrix code with fixed Reed-Solomon error correction — the standard for pharma serialization and tiny parts.