Every asset tag exists to do one job: let someone identify an asset in a second and find its record. The two codes you will be offered, the linear barcode and the QR code, both do that. They differ in what they hold, what reads them and how much space they need.
The short answer is that for most Kenyan organizations scanning with phones, a QR code on the tag, with the asset number printed beside it, is the better default, and a linear barcode is the better choice when you scan with handheld laser scanners or when the tag is very small. The rest of this article is how to decide for your case.
What each one is
The linear barcode
A row of bars and spaces of different widths, read in one direction. The types you are most likely to meet on asset tags are Code 128, which holds letters, numbers and punctuation and is compact, and Code 39, which is older and simpler. They hold a short string: in practice, the asset number.
The QR code
A square pattern of modules, read in two dimensions. It holds much more data in a small area, and it has error correction: the code can be read even if part of it is dirty or damaged, at a level you choose when it is generated. On asset tags it normally holds either the asset number or a web address that leads to the asset.
Side by side
| Linear barcode (Code 128) | QR code | |
|---|---|---|
| What it holds | A short string, such as the asset number | The asset number, or a link, with more room |
| Read by | Phone cameras, laser scanners, imagers | Phone cameras, 2D imagers (not older laser scanners) |
| Needs line of sight | One clean line across the whole code | The whole square, from any rotation |
| Damage | Sensitive to scratches across the bars | Tolerates partial damage through error correction |
| Space on a small tag | Needs width | Needs a square of at least about 10 mm |
| Best scanning speed in a pile | Very fast with a laser scanner | Fast with a phone or imager |
| Works with phone camera | Yes | Yes |
The tag size decides more than people expect
The standard anodized aluminium tag is 39 × 13 mm. That is small, and the code has to fit on it with room to be read.
- A linear barcode needs width. A 12-character Code 128 at a bar width that cheap scanners read reliably (about 0.19 mm) needs roughly 187 modules including the quiet space either side, which is about 35 mm. It fits a 39 mm tag, but only just, and only for short numbers.
- A QR code needs a square. On a 13 mm-high tag, the square cannot be much more than 10 mm, which is near the practical lower limit for a phone to read it quickly.
This is why the number should be short. SLL-000061 is easy to encode and easy to read. A long number with several separators forces smaller bars, and smaller bars read less reliably, especially on a curved or textured surface.
If you need both a barcode and a QR code, or a longer number, use a larger tag. Common sizes run from 39 × 13 mm up to 100 × 50 mm.
What reads them
This is the question that decides it.
If you scan with phones
Use whichever you prefer. A phone camera reads both well. Choose a QR code if the tag is large enough, because it is more forgiving of angle, light and damage. Choose a barcode if the tag is small or the number is short and you want the clearest reading.
If you scan with handheld laser scanners
Many rugged scanners and older models read only linear barcodes. Check before you print. If your scanners are 2D imagers, they read both. If they are laser-only, you need linear barcodes, and probably Code 128.
If you mix
Most organizations end up with a mix of phones and a few handhelds. In that case, a Code 128 barcode with the number in text is the safest tag, because every device reads it. Add a QR code on larger tags where you also want a link.
What to put in the code
Put the least in it that does the job.
- The asset number alone is the simplest and the most durable. The tag never needs reprinting because a detail changed.
- A link that leads to the asset record is useful when someone with a phone should land on the record straight away. VexCloud AMS can generate QR codes that hold such a link, so a scan by a signed-in user opens the asset.
Do not put the asset’s details on the tag. Locations, custodians and values change, and a tag cannot.
Print the number as well
Whichever code you choose, print the asset number in readable text beside it. People read numbers over the phone, type them when a scan fails and look them up in lists. A tag with only a code is a tag nobody can use when a scanner is flat.
Three examples
A county ICT office with 300 laptops and monitors, scanned by staff phones. Small indoor assets, a few hundred of them, and nobody owns a laser scanner. A QR code or a short Code 128 barcode on a polyester label both work. Pick the one that reads fastest on your phones and print the number beside it.
A logistics depot with trucks, forklifts and workshop tools, scanned by two rugged handhelds. Outdoor, dirty, handled. Anodized aluminium tags fixed with rivets or adhesive, with a Code 128 barcode that the handhelds read, and the number in text. Add a QR code on the larger tags if drivers should reach the record from a phone.
A hospital with equipment that moves between wards and is cleaned often. Tamper-evident tags for portable devices, aluminium for fixed equipment. A QR code that opens the asset record is useful for engineers on the ward, with the number in text for anyone without the app.
In each case the code is only part of the decision. The material, the fixing method and how the tag will be handled matter as much.
Practical checks before you order
- Which devices will scan? Test a sample tag with each one.
- How long is the number? Shorter is more reliable on a small tag.
- Where will the tag be fixed? Curved, rough or dirty surfaces favour a QR code on a bigger tag, or a barcode on a flat strip.
- What will happen to it? Heat, cleaning and handling point to anodized aluminium rather than paper.
- Test before the full batch. Approve a proof, and scan it, before you produce the lot.
In VexCloud AMS you can design the tag template, with a barcode, a QR code or both, and the editor refuses layouts that are too small to scan. If you would rather have the tags made for you, Vexar Solutions produces anodized aluminium barcode and QR tags in Nairobi and sends a free proof first.
Questions
Can one tag carry both a barcode and a QR code?
Yes, if the tag is large enough. On the standard 39 × 13 mm tag there is room for a barcode and the number in text, or a QR code and the number in text, but not both comfortably. On larger tags, both fit.
Do phones read barcodes as well as QR codes?
Yes. A phone camera reads both, which is why many organizations scan with phones. Older handheld laser scanners read only linear barcodes.
What should the code contain?
Only the asset number, or a link that leads to the asset record. Keep the details in the register, not on the tag, so that changing a record never means re-tagging.
What if a tag is scratched?
QR codes have built-in error correction and often still read when partly damaged. Linear barcodes are more sensitive to scratches across the bars. A tag that is anodized and sealed resists both.