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COSS Spec 03

Royal Mail Customer Solutions

Barcodes
Barcodes and Tracking
Numbers

The COSS Spec 03 document details, for customers, the barcode and tracking
number specification for all of Royal Mails trackable services.
It specifically covers barcode fonts and the check digit algorithm.
This specification must be used with the relevant accompanying specifications
for customers wishing to interface their systems with Royal Mail services.

21st June 2013

Version 1.1

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Contents
1 Document Control ................................................................
................................................................................................
......................................................................................
...................................................... 3
1.1 Terms and abbreviations ........................................................................................................3
1.2 Document author and document location..........................................................................3
1.3 Version history...........................................................................................................................3
1.4 Document review and distribution .......................................................................................3
1.5 Document approval and sign-off ..........................................................................................3
2 Overview ................................................................
................................................................................................
................................................................................................
......................................................................
...................................... 4
3 Barcode Production ................................................................
................................................................................................
...................................................................................
................................................... 5
3.1 Number Ranges (Formatting)................................................................................................5
3.2 Number Ranges (Testing).......................................................................................................6
3.3 Number Ranges (General Maintenance) .............................................................................6
3.4 Barcode Standards ...................................................................................................................7
3.5 Modulus 11 Check Digit Algorithm.......................................................................................7

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1 Document Control
1.1 Terms and abbreviations
Term

Meaning

BIG

Business Integration Gateway

COSS

Customer Own System Solution

RMGTT

Royal Mail Group Track & Trace

TODS

Tracking Operational Data Store

1.2 Document author and document location


Name

Simon Dodd

Role and organisation

Customer Solutions Consultant Business IT (Commercial) Technology Organisation

1.3 Version history


Version

Date

Author

Notes

0.1

09/05/2013

Simon Dodd

Draft version for review.

1.0

14/06/2013

Simon Dodd

Finalised version following review.

1.1

21/06/2013

Simon Dodd

Corrected reference to incorrect document

1.4 Document review and distribution


Version

Date issued for


review

Recipient name

Role/Position &
Department

Reviewer comments Date review


completed

0.1

20/05/2013

Sharon Palmer

Special Delivery
Guaranteed

13/06/2013

0.1

20/05/2013

Tony Boyle

Local Collect

13/06/2013

0.1

20/05/2013

Mark Sherborne

Parcels

13/06/2013

0.1

20/05/2013

Robert X Woods

International

13/06/2013

0.1

20/05/2013

Tim Bowles

Tracked

13/06/2013

0.1

20/05/2013

Nancy Tolhurst

Head of Core Network


Parcels Major Change

13/06/2013

1.5 Document approval and signsign-off


Version
Version

Approval date

Name

Role/Position/Business unit

1.1

21/06/2013

Tony Utting

Head of Product Management

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2 Overview
Royal Mail contract customers using barcoded services can develop their own systems to
produce appropriate barcode labels directly from their own systems. These labels must
adhere to a high quality of readability and follow specific guidelines for content, colour and
layout. The customer system must also create the appropriate despatch documentation
needed for collection of the parcels. The customer system may also need to interface with
Royal Mail systems if electronic data needs to be shared for reporting purposes, or if
collection data is a pre-requisite of the service used.
This guide specifically focuses on barcode generation, providing a detailed
explanation on the check digit algorithm and our barcode standards. It also
provides test tracking number ranges for Royal Mail barcoded services.
Customers wishing to develop or implement a system to produce barcode labels should
gain agreement from Royal Mail before commencing work. Labels produced are subject to
approval by Royal Mail before being used, and live barcode number ranges will not be
issued before this approval is given. Further sample labels will also need to be submitted
to Royal Mail periodically for quality checks.
Note that following approval, any changes or additions to the outputs relating to Royal
Mail despatches will also need to be discussed and validated before implementation. This
includes the addition of new services.
Customers should address initial enquiries regarding development of systems for these
purposes to their account handler.

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3 Barcode Production
3.1 Number Ranges (Formatting)
(Formatting)
Royal Mail barcode numbers are in the form of a 13 alphanumeric sequence. Customers
who use their own systems to create the shipping barcodes, the following numbering
scheme is to be used
AANNNNNNNN
AANNNNNNNNN
NNNNNNNNNAA (e.g. FF07062188
FF070621885
070621885GB)
Key
Represents
AA
Product Prefix
Two alpha characters part of the allocated number range for each service.
For test purposes, the prefix TT is issued, but live number ranges may be assigned
any 2 letter prefix.
Note: These prefixes may be different for each service and each subsequent issue of
additional range.

NNNNNNNN

Item Identifier
An eight-digit number that is unique within each range prefix. Part of the allocated
number range, and should be assigned sequentially.
Note: Different ranges will be issued for each service and each subsequent issue of
additional range.

AA

Check Digit
You will need to calculate this
this modulus 11 check digit for which the algorithm
is specified in section 3.5.
3.5.
Country of Origin Code
There is only one code a UK customer can use: GB = Great Britain

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3.2 Number Ranges (Testing)


Before live posting may commence, a minimum of 10 consecutive sample labels for each
service must be submitted to Royal Mail for barcode quality, number and label format
validation. Customers should use the specific test number range described below. A live
barcode range will be issued when the development work has been validated by the Royal
Mail Customer Solutions Team.
Service
Tracked 24 No Sig
Tracked 24 Signature

Range start number


TT222209017GB
TT222209017GB
TT227
TT22720901
209019
019GB

Range end number


TT222210001GB
TT222210001GB
TT22721000
TT227210003
10003GB

Range total
100
100

Tracked 48 No Sig
Tracked 48 Signature

TT32220901
TT322209010
22209010GB
TT32
TT327209011
209011GB

TT32221000
TT322210004
22210004GB
TT32721000
TT327210006
10006GB

100
100

Tracked High Volume 24 No Sig


Tracked High Volume 24 Signature

TT42220901
TT422209012
22209012GB
TT42
TT427209014
209014GB

TT42221000
TT422210007
22210007GB
TT42721000
10009
TT4272
10009GB

100
100

Tracked High Volume 48 No Sig


Tracked High Volume 48 Signature

TT52220901
TT522209015
22209015GB
TT52
TT527209017
209017GB

TT52221000
TT522210000
22210000GB
TT52721000
10001
TT5272
10001GB

100
100

Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9am


Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm

TT62220901
TT622209018
22209018GB
TT62
TT627209010
209010GB

TT62221000
TT622210002
22210002GB
TT6272
210004
TT627
10004GB

100
100

Royal Mail 24 Signed For


Royal Mail 48 Signed For

TT72220901
TT722209015
22209015GB
TT72
TT727209012
209012GB

TT72221000
TT722210005
22210005GB
TT72721000
10007
TT7272
10007GB

100
100

Royal Mail Airsure


Royal Mail International Signed For

TT82220901
TT822209013
22209013GB
TT82
TT827209015
209015GB

TT82221000
TT822210008
22210008GB
TT82721000
10000
TT8272
10000GB

100
100

The test ranges and live ranges will carry different prefixes as well as different numerical
elements, so the prefixes should not be hard coded.

3.3 Number Ranges (General Maintenance)


Separate number ranges will be issued, and must be held by the customers system, for
each service being used.
Note that each number in each range may be used once only. Where more than one item
is sent to the same address on the same day, each must carry a different barcode
number. However spoiled numbers (e.g. where a despatch is cancelled) do not need to be
used in a subsequent despatch, and may be skipped.
The customers system will need to manage each number range as follows
Record the prefix, and the start and end of each range, and the service, compensation
level etc relevant to each.
Record the last number used in each range.
Allocate the next available number when a label is required.
Calculate the checkdigit each time a number is used.
Report when any range is nearly exhausted, so that a request can be made to Royal
Mail for additional numbers. We advise allowing at least four weeks for this process.

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exhausted.
Ranges issued must not be reused, but must be replaced when exhausted
Royal Mail will provide new number ranges when required, and additional sample labels
will need to be validated before each new number range is issued. For this reason, new
ranges should be requested well in advance of previous ranges becoming exhausted.

3.4 Barcode Standards


Royal Mail tracking label barcodes are produced using the Code128 encoding standard
with subsets B & C as per the following example. Most Code128 printers and fonts will
meet this standard automatically.
FF 0706 2188 5 GB
Start
Character
Subset
B

FF
Coded
in B

Change
Character
To subset
C

07062188
Numerics
coded in C

Change
Character
To subset
B

GB

128 Check

Royal Mail
numeric check
digit coded in B

Origin text
coded in
B

Code 128
modulus 103
check digit.

Stop
Character
Coded in B.

The following dimensions apply


Item Barcode module widths must be greater than 0.30mm but less than 0.38mm.
The minimum barcode size is 38mm wide by 16mm high.
Each barcode also requires a 6mm quiet (blank) zone before and after, and a 2mm
quiet zone above and below.
It is imperative that barcodes are printed to a high quality, both for readability by RM
scanning equipment, and for resistance to damage during the life of the item. Royal Mail
imposes rigid standards on barcodes created by customers own systems, and a detailed
technical specification of requirements is available on request.
The main technical quality standard required is measured with a Symbol Laserchecker II
scanner and should record a minimum 75% STI. This level has been recommended as an
industry standard by Symbol Technologies Ltd, and is the standard met by all existing
suppliers of product labels to the Royal Mail.
The use of thermal printers, or of high definition laser printing (e.g. 400dpi or greater),
should produce the necessary quality, if equipment is properly maintained and kept clean.
Further advice is available from Royal Mail Customer Solutions Team via your account
handler.

3.5 Modulus 11 Check Digit Algorithm


The tracking number check digit is included to assist possible manual keying.
It should not be confused with the modulus 103 check character which is a mandatory
element of code 128 barcodes, albeit not printed as human-readable. The barcode
creation software normally calculates this modulus 103 check digit automatically. Some
printers will also construct the barcode, with this check character.
The algorithm used for the tracking number check digit is a modulus 11 sum of products
algorithm, with weightings 86423597.
86423597

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Each digit is multiplied by its related weighting, and the 8 results added together.
This total is then divided by 11 and the remainder recorded.
The check digit is the result of subtracting this remainder from 11.
If the remainder is 0 or 1, then the result from the subtraction will be 11 or 10.
10 As
there is only room for a single digit, these cannot be used. In these cases, a check digit
of 11 will be substituted with a 5, and a check digit of 10 will be substituted with a 0.

The check digit algorithm will always be performed against all 8 digits in the tracking
number. The prefix and suffix elements are not include in the calculation.
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE:
LE:
Original Item Identifier: FF07062188
FF07062188*
07062188*GB (* is the check digit)
Original Digit:
0
7
0
6
2
1
8
Weight:
8
6
4
2
3
5
9
Result:
0
42
0
12
6
5
72
Total:

7
56

193

Take the modulus 11 of this:


(i.e. find the maximum multiple of 11 that will divide into 193 thus calculating the
remainder)
(17 11) = 187
193 - 187 = result of 6
The check digit is 11 minus the result:
11 - 6 = 5
Giving the result of

FF0706
FF07062188
070621885
21885GB

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