Royal Mail Barcode Scanner

What is a UK Royal Mail code?

RM4SCC (Royal Mail 4-State Customer Code) is the name of the barcode character set based on the Royal Mail 4-State Bar Code symbology created by Royal Mail. This barcode system is designed for mail sorting and delivery in the United Kingdom, encoding postal information that allows for efficient automated processing of mail.

Royal Mail uses two main variations:

	RM4SCC	Mailmark
Barcode type	1D, 4-state barcode	2D Data Matrix (Type 7, 9 and 29)
Total data capacity	9 characters	Type 7: 51 characters Type 9: 90 characters Type 29: 70 characters
Information encoded	UK postcodes, Delivery Point Suffixes (DPS)	Unique item ID, postcode, delivery point, sender info
Use case	Machine reading at Royal Mail Cleanmail Service	Mail automation and tracking
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While primarily used in the UK, Royal Mail barcodes serve a similar purpose to international postal barcodes, helping with mail sorting and tracking. They are commonly found in post offices where they enable automation, reduce errors, and improve delivery efficiency.

Structure and components

A complete RM4SCC barcode consists of several elements in sequence:

• Start character: A unique bar pattern “(“ indicating the beginning of the barcode.
• UK post code: Five to seven characters identifying the delivery area.
• Delivery Point Suffix (DPS): A two-character code that identifies each delivery point within a post code. It can be found in Royal Mail’s Address File.
• Checksum character: An automatically calculated character that enables error detection.
• Stop character: A unique bar pattern “)” indicating the end of the barcode.

Encoding

The Royal Mail 4-State Customer Code (RM4SCC) employs a unique encoding system based on four distinct bar states. These are:

• Tracker (T): Occupies the middle third of the barcode’s height
• Tracker, Descender (D): Occupies the bottom two-thirds
• Tracker, Ascender (A): Occupies the top two-thirds
• Tracker, Ascender, Descender (H): Occupies the entire height

These four states are used to construct barcode characters, with each character composed of four bars. This system allows for 36 possible combinations, sufficient to represent all 10 digits (0-9) and 26 letters of the alphabet.

Applications of Royal Mail codes

Postal service

The Royal Mail barcode system is primarily used to automate mail sorting, tracking, and delivery within the UK. The barcode is located above the delivery address.

Advantages of Royal Mail barcodes

• Flexible size: Mailmark barcodes come in three different sizes (type 7, 9 and 29).
• Error detection: Royal Mail barcodes have a checksum character that provides error detection capabilities, ensuring reliable reading in postal environments.
• Scalability: Royal Mail barcodes can encode both numeric digits (0-9) and uppercase letters (A-Z). The Mailmark barcodes offer increased data capacity allowing up to 90 characters.
• Versatility: Royal Mail barcodes support various mail types such as letters and large letters. Additionally, Mailmark barcodes enable tracking and delivery status information.

Why choose the Scanbot SDK for Royal Mail barcode scanning?

The Scanbot Barcode Scanner SDK is specifically designed to handle the challenges of decoding Royal Mail barcodes in real-world scenarios.

What sets us apart:

• Exceptional performance: Reliably decodes even damaged, low-contrast or distorted barcodes.
• High-speed scanning: Read Royal Mail barcodes in as little as 0.04 seconds.
• Cross-platform compatibility: Easily integrate with Android, iOS, cross-platform, web, Windows, and Linux platforms.
• Customizable UI: Customize the ready-to-use components to match your app or website design.
• Privacy-first: Operates offline for complete data security.

Whether your use case involves Royal Mail barcodes, UPC codes or any other barcode, the Scanbot SDK delivers the accuracy, speed, and reliability you need to succeed.

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