AIAG B-10 Trading Partner Labels Implementation Guidline

B-10
TRADING PARTNER LABELS

IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINE
Trading Partner Labels

Implementation Guideline
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MAINTENANCE PROCEDURE
Recognizing that this AIAG publication may not cover all circumstances, AIAG has established a
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submit a request.
APPROVAL STATUS
This document was approved for publication by the AIAG Board of Directors on February 8, 2000.
Published by:
Automotive Industry Action Group
26200 Lahser Road, Suite 200
Southfield, Michigan 48034
Phone: (248) 358-3570 Fax: (248) 358-3253
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2000 Automotive Industry Action Group
B-10
Issue: 02 Dated: 2/00

Replaces: 01 Dated: 05/95

FOREWORD
The Application Workgroup of the Automatic Identification Project Team has just revised the B-10
Trading Partner Labels Implementation Guideline. This revision of the B-10 Guideline describes the
rules for bar code labels on unit loads and transport packages to convey data between trading partners.
Both label and tag marking methods are covered in the B-10 under the general term label. The B-10
outlines the requirements for printing labels for unit loads and transport packages to ensure scannability
of bar code symbols and to provide consistency of label formats. The physical parameters for Code 39
bar codes and physical attributes of the labels are also provided.
Far too often the purpose of a shipping label seems to get lost in the process. The purpose of a shipping
label is to facilitate the movement of goods and the exchange of data among all members within a
channel of distribution (suppliers, carriers, customers, and others). The amount of data (bar code as well
as human readable text) needed on a label is a function of the needs of the trading partners involved.
However, when a bar code shipping label is used in conjunction with computerized databases and
electronic data interchange (EDI), the amount of data needed on a label may be reduced significantly.
The revised B-10 Trading Partner Labels Implementation Guideline should be much easier to use and
understand. With the inclusion of the single-page commonized specification form it will be easier for
customers to convey their requirements and for users to maintain the necessary documentation. The
revised B-10 describes requirements for developing the Small Container Label (SCL) to ensure scan
performance of the bar code symbols while providing consistency of label formats. Again, remember the
B-10 is not a "label" but rather the methodology to design, specify, and communicate shipping label
requirements.
B-10


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The following companies and individuals were actively involved in the development of this guideline:
Name
Company
Tina Barkan
Symbol Technologies, Inc.
Joe Burgess
Caterpillar, Inc.
Joe Ciolek
UPS Professional Services
Brigitte Dublin
PSC, Inc.
R. Eric Freeburg*
Intermec Technologies Corporation
Larry Graham*
General Motors Corporation
Marsha A. Harmon
QED Systems
Karen Herron
Computype
Mark Holsbeke
Boss Systems
Doug Horst
Electronic Data Systems
Angela Parker*
Future Three, Inc.
Leo Roach
LTV Steel
John Sakulich
General Motors Corporation
Marilyn S. Sherry
AIAG
Brian St. Pierre
CiMatrix LLC
Richard Tervo
DaimlerChrysler AG
Earle Timothy
United Parcel Service
Tatsuya Yamamoto
Denso International America, Inc.
* Co-Chair of the Work Group
B-10


TABLE OF CONTENTS
AIAG PUBLICATIONS .............................................................................................................................2
FOREWORD...............................................................................................................................................3
LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ..........................................................................................................7
1.0
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................8
2.0
NORMATIVE REFERENCES (SEE APPENDIX G) .......................................................................9
3.0
DEFINITIONS ................................................................................................................................10
4.0
LABEL CONCEPT.........................................................................................................................14
5.0
LABEL FORMAT...........................................................................................................................17
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
6.0
LABEL DATA CONTENT ............................................................................................................34

6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.5
6.6
7.0
QUALITY ASSURANCE ..............................................................................................................43

BAR CODE PRINT QUALITY......................................................................................................43
SAMPLING ................................................................................................................................44
OBSOLETE LABELS...................................................................................................................45
LABEL DURABILITY .................................................................................................................46
RECYCLABILITY .......................................................................................................................46
LABEL PLACEMENT AND ORIENTATION ...........................................................................47

8.1
8.2
8.3
B-10
UNIQUE CONTAINER IDENTIFIER (LICENSE PLATE).................................................................34

SINGLE PACK LABEL A SINGLE CONTAINER OF THE SAME PART NUMBER .........................37
MASTER LOAD LABEL MULTIPLE SINGLE PACKS OF THE SAME PART NUMBER .................38
MIXED LOAD LABEL ................................................................................................................40
QUICK RECEIVE LABEL............................................................................................................41
SHIP-FROM AND SHIP-TO.........................................................................................................41
QUALITY ........................................................................................................................................43
7.1
7.2
7.3
7.4
7.5
7.6
8.0
BUILDING BLOCKS ...................................................................................................................17

BUILDING BLOCK SIZE .............................................................................................................19
SUB-BLOCKS ............................................................................................................................19
TEXT BUILDING BLOCK FORMAT ............................................................................................20
TEXT DIMENSIONS ...................................................................................................................23
BAR CODE BUILDING BLOCK FORMAT ....................................................................................26
LABEL CHARACTERISTICS .......................................................................................................32
SEGMENT PLACEMENT .............................................................................................................47

LABEL PLACEMENT..................................................................................................................49
LABEL ORIENTATION ...............................................................................................................51


9.0
SPECIAL APPLICATION CONSIDERATIONS .......................................................................56

9.1
9.2
ADDITIONAL MACHINE-READABLE SYMBOLS ........................................................................56

OTHER MACHINE-READABLE TECHNOLOGIES ........................................................................57
10.0 LABEL EXAMPLES ......................................................................................................................58

APPENDIX A. BAR CODE BLOCKS: ANSI MH10.8.2 DATA IDENTIFIERS, DATA
LENGTHS, AND SHORT TITLES ...........................................................................63
APPENDIX B.
PRECISION AND ROUNDING IN MEASUREMENT ..........................................70
APPENDIX C. COUNTRY CODES.....................................................................................................72

APPENDIX D. RECOMMENDED ORDER OF DATA ....................................................................73
APPENDIX E.
RECOMMENDED FORMAT FOR COMPLIANCE SPECIFICATIONS ..........74
APPENDIX F.
RECOMMENDED FORMAT FOR SMALL LABELING AREA (SLA) .............81
APPENDIX G. OBTAINING NORMATIVE REFERENCES ..........................................................84

INDEX ........................................................................................................................................................85
ABOUT AIAG ...........................................................................................................................................88
MAINTENANCE REQUEST FORM .....................................................................................................89
B-10


LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
Figure 1. Label Segments and Typical Data ...........................................................................................16
Figure 2. Building Block Types and Size (not to scale) .........................................................................18
Figure 3. Text Block (not to scale) .........................................................................................................20
Figure 4. Illustration of Lines Per Block (LPB) .....................................................................................21
Figure 5. Bar Code Building Block (not to scale) ..................................................................................25
Figure 6. Quiet Zone Dimension (not to scale).......................................................................................29
Figure 7. Example of Side-by-Side Bar Codes (not to scale) .................................................................30
Figure 8. Double Building Block License Plate (not to scale) ...............................................................37
Figure 9. Ship-From and Ship-To Building Blocks (not to scale) ..........................................................41
Figure 10. Label Segments........................................................................................................................48
Figure 11. Label Orientation.....................................................................................................................51
Figure 12a. Suggested Label Placement .....................................................................................................52
Figure 12b. Suggested Label Placement .....................................................................................................54
Figure 13. A Carrier Segment for a Single Pack That Is a Ship-To/Ship-From and a Unique Container
Identifier ..................................................................................................................................58
Figure 14. A Customer Segment That Looks Like the Old B-3 ...............................................................58
Figure 15. A Customer Segment That Looks Like the Old B-5 ...............................................................59
Figure 16. A Supplier Segment with the Suppliers Part Number............................................................59
Figure 17. A Customer Segment for a Master Load .................................................................................60
Figure 18. A Customer Segment for a Mixed Load..................................................................................60
Figure 19. A Supplier Segment for a Master Load ...................................................................................61
Figure 20. A Supplier Segment for a Mixed Load....................................................................................61
Figure 21. A Shipment Label Example (remove PDF-417)......................................................................62
Figure 22. An Example of a Blank Customer Compliance Specification Sheet.......................................75
Figure 23. An Example of a Description Balloon for a Text Sub-block ..................................................77
Figure 24. An Example of a Description Balloon for a Bar Code Sub-block...........................................78
Figure 25. An Example of a Completed Customer Compliance Specification Sheet...............................80
Figure 26. An Example of a Label Printed According to the SLA Label Rules (not to scale).................83
Table 1.
Table 2.
Table 3.
Table 4.
Table 5.
B-10
Suggested LPB Character Parameters .....................................................................................24

Suggested Label Widths for Selected X Dimensions..............................................................33
ANSI Data Identifiers ..............................................................................................................63
Rounding and Acceptable Measurements ...............................................................................71
ISO Country Codes..................................................................................................................72


1.0 INTRODUCTION
This guideline describes the requirements for the format of bar code labels on unit loads and transport
packages for conveying data between trading partners. Both label and tag marking methods are covered
in this guideline under the general term label. This document outlines the requirements for printing
labels for unit loads and transport packages to ensure the scannability of bar code symbols and provide
consistency of label formats.
For the automotive industry, this guideline also recommends a common shipping/transportation label
template based on the ANSI MH10.8.1 -1993 cross-industry standard and as an alternate format for
existing AIAG standards. The physical parameters of the symbols and labels are provided and a bar code
symbol quality level is specified. The orientation and placement of AIAG B-10: Trading Partner Labels
(B-10-TPL) on unit loads and transport containers are specified.
This guideline does not supersede or replace any applicable safety or regulatory marking or labeling
requirements. The guideline is to be applied in addition to any other mandated labeling requirements.
IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SUPPLIER TO PROVIDE BAR-CODED LABELS THAT
MEET THESE SPECIFICATIONS. STRICT ADHERENCE TO THESE SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE
SHIPPING PARTS IDENTIFICATION LABELS WILL REDUCE IMPLEMENTATION COSTS AND
INCREASE BENEFITS THROUGHOUT THE INDUSTRY.
In this document, the word shall indicates a requirement and the word should indicates a
recommendation.
Precision and rounding shall be in accordance with Appendix B, except where noted.
Label dimensions should be in accordance with the dimensions shown between arrows.
All exhibits are for illustrative purposes only and may not be to scale or bar code print quality
standards.
Precision and rounding shall be in accordance with Appendix B, except where noted.
B-10


2.0 NORMATIVE REFERENCES (SEE APPENDIX G)
The following national, international, and industry standards and guidelines are referenced in this
document. Information on obtaining these references is in Appendix G.
AIAG B-1: Bar Code Symbology Standard
AIAG B-14: Guideline for Use of Two-Dimensional Symbols with AIAG Trading Partner Labels.
ANSI/AIM BC1: Uniform Symbology Specification - Code 39

ANSI X3.182-1990 (R1995): Guideline for Bar Code Print Quality
ANSI MH10.8.2-1995: Data Application Identifier Standard
ANSI MH10.8.1-1993: Materials Handling - Unit Loads and Transport Packages - Bar Code Symbols
ANSI X12 Series: A Collection of All ANSI-approved X12 Standards (Note: Unit of Measure codes are
found in the Data Element section.)
ISO 3166-1: Codes for the Representation of Names of Countries and Their Subdivisions
AIM Symbology Identifier Guidelines

DUNS Number Users Guide
MIL-L-61002: Labels, Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive, for Bar Codes and Other Markings
B-10


3.0 DEFINITIONS
There are many terms and definitions associated with bar code symbology that have special meaning to
this industry. The following are definitions of terms specific to this document. Definitions of other
related terms used in this document can be found in the documents referenced in Section 2.0 Normative
References.
TERM
DEFINITION
2D
See Two-Dimensional Symbol.
AIM
The Automatic Identification Manufacturers Association.
Alphanumeric
A character set that contains alphabetic characters (letters), numeric

digits (numbers), and usually other characters such as punctuation
marks.
ANSI
The American National Standards Institute.
autodiscrimination
The ability of a bar code reader to distinguish automatically between

two or more symbologies (e.g., Interleaved 2 of 5, Code 39).
bar code symbol
An array of rectangular bars and spaces that are arranged in a

predetermined pattern following specific rules to represent elements
of data that are referred to as characters. A bar code symbol
typically contains a leading quiet zone, start character, data
character(s), stop character, and a trailing quiet zone.
carrier
The party that provides freight services (freight movement and

information).
character
In a bar code symbol, the smallest group of elements that represents

one or more numbers, letters, punctuation marks, or other
information.
Code 39
For the purposes of this guideline, Code 39 (also known as Code 3 of

9) shall mean the symbology as specified by ANSI AIM BC1.
container
A receptacle or a flexible covering for shipping goods such as a box,

bag, package or pallet. (See also Transport Package and also Unit
Load.)
container ID
An alphanumeric field used by the shipping company to identify the

shipment.
B-10
10


TERM
DEFINITION
customer
In a transaction, the party that receives, buys, or consumes an item or

service.
customer part number
The part number as defined by the customer.
Data Identifier (DI)
A specified character string that defines the specific data that

immediately follows, as defined by ANSI MH10.8.2.
dots per inch (dpi)
The number of points represented on any access within a space of

one inch.
DUNS
Data Universal Number System, assigned by Dun & Bradstreet.
Electronic Data Interchange

(EDI)
For the purposes of this document, EDI shall mean the computer
communication of data between trading partners.
Error correction
Mathematical techniques used by decoders to reconstruct missing or

damaged symbol characters.
highlighting line
A horizontal divider line(s) placed above and/or below building

block or blocks. Highlighting lines are easily distinguishable from
the horizontal separator lines used to separate other building blocks.
This visual difference may be the result of using a thicker line chosen
by the labeler.
ID
Abbreviation for Identification.
item
A single part or material purchased, manufactured, and/or

distributed.
label
See Section 4.0 Label Concept.
labeler
A term to identify the organization responsible for the labeling of a

Unit Load/Transport Package (UL/TP).
like parts pack
A pack that contains all like items (i.e., same part/item number).
Lines Per Block (LPB)
Units of measure defining the height of text characters.
manufacturer
Actual producer or fabricator of an item; not necessarily the supplier

in a transaction.
Master Load Label
A label used to identify and summarize the contents of a master pack.
B-10
11


TERM
DEFINITION
master pack
A unit load containing common (like parts) items.
Mixed Load Label
A label used to identify and summarize the contents of a mixed item

pack.
mixed item pack
A pack containing items with different part/item numbers.
multiple pack
A unit load containing smaller packages (subpacks) of items.
nonstandard quantity pack
A pack that contains variable quantities of like items.
pack, package, or load
A unit (container) which provides protection and containment of

items plus ease of handling by manual or mechanical means, for
example, bags, cartons, pallets, bins, and racks.
package identifier
A string of numeric or alphanumeric characters, assigned by the

supplier, that is not repeated within 366 days to a given customer.
quantity
The number of parts, items or other units of measure in the container.
ship from
On a transport label, the address of the location where the carrier will
return the shipment if the container is undeliverable.
ship to
The address of the location where a carrier will deliver the freight.
shipping pack
A pack used for shipping items from one facility to another.
shipping/parts identification
label
A label or tag used to identify the contents of a shipping container.
single pack
A container intended for the transportation and handling of one or

more parts, articles, smaller containers, or bulk material.
standard quantity pack
A pack that contains the same quantity of like items.
subpack
One of the smaller packs that makes up a larger pack.
supplier/vendor
In a transaction, the party that produces, provides, or furnishes a

product or service.
supplier/vendor ID
The numeric or alphanumeric code used to identify the

supplier/vendor.
B-10
12


TERM
DEFINITION
symbology
A standard means of representing data in bar code form. Each

symbology specification sets out its particular rules of composition
or symbol architecture. (ISO definition)
tag
A label (card) that is attached to a shipping container.
trading partners
All members within the channels of distribution within an industry

(suppliers, carriers, customers, and intermediaries).
transport package
A container intended for the transportation and handling of one or

more parts, articles, smaller containers, or bulk material.
two-dimensional symbol
A machine-readable symbol that must be examined both vertically

and horizontally to read the entire message. A 2D symbol may be
one of two types of machine-readable symbols: a Matrix Symbol or a
Stacked Symbol. Two-dimensional symbols differ from linear bar
codes in that they have the capability for high data content, small
size, data efficiency, and error correction.
UL/TP
Unit Load or Transport Package (container).
unique container identifier
A supplier identificationand a container identification number that

together uniquely identify the container to trading partners.
(Sometimes referred to as a license plate)
unit load
One or more transport packages or other items held together by

means such as strapping, interlocking, glue, shrink wrap, or net wrap,
making them suitable for transport, stacking, and storage as a unit.
vendor
See supplier/vendor.
X dimension
The intended width of the narrow elements required by the

application, or symbology specification, or both.
B-10
13


4.0 LABEL CONCEPT
This section defines a standardized format for container labels. It is intended to serve as the preferred
format for those developing or revising unit load and transport container bar code label standards in order
to provide a universally accepted format across all industries.
LABEL CONCEPT
INTERPRETATION
1. Purpose of a Bar
Code Label
The purpose of a bar code label is to facilitate the movement of goods and
the exchange of data among all members within a channel of distribution
(suppliers, carriers, customers, and others). The amount of data (bar code as
well as human readable text) needed on a label is a function of the needs of
the trading partners involved. When a bar code label is used in
conjunction with computerized databases and electronic data
interchange (EDI), the amount of data needed on a label may be reduced
significantly.
2. Symbologies
Code 39, with ANSI MH10.8.2 Data Identifiers (DIs), has been selected to
implement the label format.
Use of two-dimensional (2D) symbols is discussed in AIAG B-14: Guideline
for Use of Two-Dimensional Symbols with AIAG Trading Partner Labels.
3. Labeler
For the purposes of this document, the term labeler shall refer to the
organization responsible for having the label, or a section of the label, printed
and applied.
4. Label
The general term label means the printed area on, or attached to, the
container that includes the text or bar code information or both (for example,
pressure-sensitive tags), as covered in this guideline. Separate segments of
the label may be applied at different stages to form the complete label.
5. Segments
Segments are logical groupings of information based on the data needs of the
trading partners within the distribution channel. These segments are defined
as:
CARRIER
CUSTOMER
SUPPLIER
B-10
14


LABEL CONCEPT
INTERPRETATION
6. Information Exchange Trading partners and members within a channel of distribution (suppliers,
Considerations
carriers, customers, and others) may have different information needs. Some
required information may be common among two or more trading partners,
while other information may be specific to a single trading partner.
Because information is generally known at different times, the label concept
provides for logical groupings of information based on this timing. These
logical groupings of information are called segments. Examples of
information that may be included on unit loads or transport container labels
are shown in Figure 1.
7. Label Data Content
In the B-10 TPL, control of the data that appear in each segment and the
layout of that data is the responsibility of the owner of that segment (i.e.,
Supplier Segment by the supplier, Customer Segment by the customer,
Carrier Segment by the carrier) unless otherwise identified in this guideline.
This label concept provides flexibility by not mandating specific data to be
included in any segment except as noted in Section 6.
A recommended order of data is provided in Appendix D.
B-10
15


Figure 1. Label Segments and Typical Data
Bar Code Customer carrier

Unique Container Identifier
Segment Serial number Supplier/vendor
B-10
16


5.0 LABEL FORMAT
This guideline defines rules for formatting the information, both text and bar code, that appears on a
shipping label. This section includes the formatting rules for:
building blocks and sub-blocks.

text in building blocks.
bar code in building blocks.
general label characteristics
5.1 Building Blocks

BUILDING BLOCK RULE
1. The building block is the basic unit of the label
format.
INTERPRETATION
A modular structure is used to simplify label
formatting.
An individual building block or sub-block may
contain:
2. Building blocks should be stacked vertically.
text or graphics (known as a text block),

a single bar code field with human readable
interpretation (known as a bar code block),
or may be blank.
Each building block may be produced separately or

in combination with other building blocks. This
provides the option of printing data as it becomes
known. See Figure 2.
3. Building blocks should be separated from each See Figure 2 - Horizontal Separator Line.
other by a horizontal line.
B-10
17


Figure 2. Building Block Types and Size (not to scale)
Bar Code
width
B-10
18


5.2 Building Block Size
BUILDING BLOCK SIZE RULE
INTERPRETATION
1. Building block height shall be 1.0 inch +/- 0.2

inch (25 mm +/- 5 ) as determined by the
printing capability of the labeler .
See Figure 2.
2. The width of a building block is the width of

the label.
See Figure 2.
3. A maximum of one double-height bar code

block may be used per segment.
The double-height block can be used to satisfy

special scanning requirements (for example,
automated conveyor scanning or long range
scanning).
4. Double-height bar code block s shall be 2

inches +/- 0.4 inch (51 mm +/- 10 mm).
See Figure 2.
5. Two half-height text building blocks may be

used per segment.
The half-height building block may only contain

text or graphics, not bar code symbols.
5.3
Sub-blocks
SUB-BLOCKS RULE
INTERPRETATION
1. A sub-block shall be the full height of the

building block.
A sub-block is a division of a building block that is

full height but less than the full width. See Figure
2.
2. Vertical lines should be used between subblocks and shall be used to separate two
adjacent text sub-blocks.
See Figure 2.
3. Building blocks shall not be divided into more

than four sub-blocks.
4. The minimum width of a sub-block shall be
determined by the amount of data that will be
printed in that sub-block.
B-10
19


5.4
Text Building Block Format

Figure 3. Text Block (not to scale)
TEXT BUILDING BLOCK RULE
INTERPRETATION
Text Block Contents

1. A text building block or sub-block shall not
contain a bar code symbol.
A text building block or sub-block may contain text

or graphics or both. See Figure 3.
Text Height Lines Per Block

2. The height of text characters shall be specified
using a unit of measure called Lines Per Block
(LPB), rather than inches, millimeters, or
points.
This enables the printer of the label to determine

the actual height and font of text for a given LPB,
within the guidelines provided.
3. The exact character heights corresponding to

the eight text sizes shall be chosen by the
labeler based on the capabilities of the printing
process.
Eight sizes may be specified for text, ranging from

one to eight Lines Per Block (LPB). See Figure 4.
B-10
20


Figure 4. Illustration of Lines Per Block (LPB)
1
LPB
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
2
LPB
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
3
LPB
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
4
LPB
B-10
21


Figure 4. Illustration of Lines Per Block (LPB) (continued)
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
5
LPB
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
6
LPB
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
7
LPB
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
AIAG1234567890PQVS
B-10
8
LPB
22


5.5
Text Dimensions
INTERPRETATION
1. Labelers shall choose a single text height for

each of the eight sizes so that clear distinctions
shall be evident between text sizes.
For example, 8 LPB text shall be smaller than 7

LPB text, etc. Figure 4 illustrates 1 through 8 LPB
printing.
2. The characters shall be clearly legible,

regardless of height.
3. For maximum legibility, the ratio of the height
to width of a character should not exceed 2:1.
The ratio of the height to width is measured on an

M character. A sans serif font such as Arial,
Helv, or Helvetica is recommended.
Text Data Limits

1. The maximum number of text characters per
line in a full width block that can be required of
a labeler, regardless of the width of the label
supplied, shall be limited to those shown in the
column Maximum Characters Per Line in
Table 1.
B-10
23


Table 1. Suggested LPB Character Parameters
LINES
PER
BLOCK
MAXIMUM
CHARACTERS
PER LINE
APPROXIMATE
POINT
HEIGHT
APPROXIMATE
HEIGHT IN
INCHES
APPROXIMATE
HEIGHT IN
MILLIMETERS
1 LPB
64
0.90
22.0
2 LPB
18
32
0.40
11.0
3 LPB
28
20
0.25
7.0
4 LPB
34
16
0.20
5.0
5 LPB
42
12
0.15
4.0
6 LPB
48
10
0.12
3.0
7 LPB
59
0.10
2.0
8 LPB
68
0.08
1.5
NOTE: Calculation of Maximum Characters Per Line is based on a block/label width of 6 inches.
Calculation of approximate heights is based on a block height of 1 inch.
Actual text dimensions will depend on the data, the font used, and the capability of the label providers
printer and software.
B-10
24


INTERPRETATION
Titles For Text Building Blocks and Subblocks

1. A title may be used in a text building block.
Unlike bar code building blocks, a title is not

required in a text building block.
2. When a title is used in a text building block it

shall be printed in the upper left corner of the
building block or sub-block.
Use of a title in a text building block is illustrated

in Figure 5.
Sans serif fonts (such as Arial or Helvetica) are
preferred, but not required. If possible, a font
which clearly differentiates the letter O from the
number 0 (as with a dot or line in the number 0)
should be used.
See Figure 5.
3. The title in a text building block shall be
printed in upper case characters at a height of 6,
7, or 8 LPB, two lines maximum, left justified.
Figure 5. Bar Code Building Block (not to scale)
Code 39
B-10
25


5.6 Bar Code Building Block Format
BAR CODE BUILDING BLOCKS RULE
INTERPRETATION
Bar Code Building Block Contents

1. Code 39, with Data Identifiers (DIs), shall be
the linear symbology used in a bar code
building block.
Code 39 is described in ANSI/AIM BC1 Uniform

Symbology Specification-Code 39. DIs are listed
in ANSI MH10.8.2 Data Application Identifier
Standard.
Use of two-dimensional (2D) symbols on a
shipping label is discussed in AIAG B-14,
Guideline for Use of Two-Dimensional Symbols
with AIAG Trading Partner Labels.
2. A building block should not contain more than A bar code symbol may be specified for either a
building block or a sub-block.
one bar code symbol.
3. A sub-block of a building block shall not
contain more than one bar code symbol.
Guidelines for implementing two sub-blocks with

linear bar code symbols are found later in this
section under Side-by-SideBar Code Block.
4. The single bar code sub-block shall be the

leftmost sub-block within a building block.
5. Data Identifiers: All Code 39 bar code
symbols shall contain a Data Identifier (DI).
DIs are not considered part of the data they precede.
6. The Data Identifiershall conform to the ANSI

MH10.8.2. Data Application Identifier
Standard.
See Section 2.0, Normative References.
Bar Code Data Limit

1. The total number of characters (excluding
start/stop) per linear bar code in a building
block or sub-block shall not exceed 19.
B-10
The count of the total number of characters

includes both data and DIcharacters.
26


INTERPRETATION
Bar Code Block Title Line(s)

1. A title shall be printed in the upper left corner
of the bar code building block or sub-block.
See Figure 5. (Note exception discussed later in this

section under Side-by-Side Bar Code Block).
2. The title shall be printed in upper case

characters at a height of 6,7, or 8 LPB, two
lines maximum, left justified.
See Figure 5.
3. The bar code block's title should comply with

the suggested Short Titles shown in Appendix
A.
The Data Identifier (DI) is to be shown in

parentheses near the title.
Bar Code Symbol Placement

1. The bar code symbol shall be placed in the
lower portion of the bar code building block.

2. The bar code symbol shall be left justified,

allowing for the quiet zone as specified later in
this section under Quiet Zones.

3. Sub-block Placement: When used, a bar code

sub-block shall be the leftmost sub-block
within a building block.
Bar Code Symbol Height
1. The minimum height of the Code 39 bar code
symbol shall be 0.5 inch (13 mm).
B-10
See Figure 5.
27


INTERPRETATION
Symbology
1. Code 39 bar code symbology, shall be as
defined by ANSI AIM BC1.
2. Code 39 full ASCII option shall not be used.
3. Code 39 shall be printed black bars on a white
background.
4. Non-significant zeros and non-significant space
characters shall not be encoded in a bar code.
5. The Code 39 symbology check character option
shall not be used.
6. The four (4) characters %, /, $, + of the Code
39 symbology shall not be used.
Because of unique symbology characteristics,

omitting these four (4) characters increases the
reliability of the symbol.
Narrow Element X Dimension

1. The wide and narrow bars and spaces are
termed elements. The range of the width of the
narrow element (X dimension) shall be from
0.010 inch (0.25 mm) to 0.017 inch (0.43 mm)
as determined by the printing capability of the
supplier/printer of the label.
NOTE: The recommended range of the X

dimension is from 0.013 inch (33 mm) to 0.017
inch (0.43 mm). Symbols with narrow elements
below 0.013 inch (0.33 mm) may require special
care to meet bar code print quality and scanning
requirements.
2. The narrow element X dimension should be

consistent for all linear bar code symbols
contained on the label.
Certain scanning applications require consistent X

dimensions from one symbol to the next. Printing
individual bar codes with different X dimensions on
the same label may cause scanning problems.
3. The ratio of the width of the wide bars and

spaces to the width of the narrow bars and
spaces should be 3:1. The measured ratio of
the wide elements to the narrow elements shall
be between 2.8:1 and 3.2:1.
The printing hardware and software should be set

for a wide-to-narrow ratio of 3:1. Depending on the
printing conditions (ink, substrate, hardware, etc.)
the bars and spaces in the resulting printed
symbol(s) should be measured at between 2.8:1 and
3.2:1.
B-10
28


INTERPRETATION
Quiet Zones
1. The bar code symbol shall have leading and
trailing quiet zones with minimum widths of
0.25 inch (6 mm) each.
In order to function properly, bar code-reading

equipment must have totally clear areas at both
ends of the symbol with no printing or graphics.
These clear areas are called quiet zones. See Figure
6.
Figure 6. Quiet Zone Dimension (not to scale)
BAR CODE BUILDING BLOCK RULE
INTERPRETATION
Human Readable Interpretation for Code 39

1. The data encoded in the bar code symbol shall
be represented in human readable characters
above the bar code symbol.
See Figures 5 and 6 for examples of Human

Readable Interpretation (HRI).
2. Data Identifiers (DIs) and symbology start and

stop charactersshall not be printed in the
human readable interpretation.
ANSI MH10.8.2 Data Identifiers and ANSI AIM

BC1 symbology start and stop characters are not
considered part of the data.
3. The Data Identifier (DI) is to be shown in

parentheses near the title.
See Figures 5, 6, and 7.
B-10
29


BAR CODE BUILDING BLOCK RULE
INTERPRETATION
4. The human readable interpretation shall be

upper case characters.
Sans serif fonts (such as Arial, Helv, or Helvetica)

are preferred. A font that clearly differentiates the
letter O from the number 0 (as with a dot or line in
the number 0) should be used.
5. The human readable interpretation shall be

printed left justified, approximately 1.0 to 1.5
inch (25 to 38 mm) from the left edge of the
building block or sub-block.
The HRI is indented to leave room for the title.

See Figure 5.
6. The human readable interpretation of the data

The chosen LPB of the HRI should not interfere
encoded in the bar code symbol shall be printed with the height of the bar code.
at either 2 or 3 LPB.
Side-by-Side Bar Code Block
Figure 7. Example of Side-by-Side Bar Codes (not to scale)
B-10
30


SIDE-BY-SIDE BAR CODE RULE
INTERPRETATION
Previous AIAG label standards have permitted two

bar code symbols side by side. The ANSI MH10.8
standard cautions that care should be taken, but it
provides no explicit guidance for printing side-by1. There shall not be more than two bar code sub- side bar codes. This guideline for using side-byblocks in any single building block.
side bar codes provides that guidance.
If a second bar code sub-block is required within a
single building block, the following rules shall
apply (see Figure 7):
2. The first bar code sub-block shall be the

left-most sub-block within the building block.
The second bar code sub-block shall be the
right-most sub-block within the building block.
3. The vertical line separating the sub-blocks may
be omitted between two bar code sub-blocks,
but caution shall be exercised to prevent text
from intruding on the 0.25 inch quiet zones of
each symbol.
4. Bar Code Data Limit: The total number of
characters, including Data Identifiers, in the
two bar codes combined shall not exceed 16
characters.
For example, if the first bar code data field contains

7 characters (including the Data Identifierthen the
second bar code data field may contain a maximum
of 9 characters (including the Data Identifier).
5. The first (left-most) bar code sub-block shall

conform to all specifications for Bar Code
Building Blocks as stated earlier in this section
under the subtitle Bar Code Building Block
Contents
B-10
31


SIDE-BY-SIDE BAR CODE RULE
INTERPRETATION
6. The second (right-most) bar code sub-block

shall conform to specifications for Bar Code
Building Blocks as stated in Section 4.0 of this
document, plus the following:
a. Block Title Line(s): A title shall be printed
in conformance with the Bar Code Building
Block rules of Section 5.1, except that the
title shall be printed in the lower left
corner of the sub-block.
Quiet Zonesbar code height, and other bar code
specifications from Section 4.0 must still be
maintained.
b. Bar Code Symbol Placement: The bar

code symbol shall be printed in the upper
portion of the sub-block.
c. Human Readable Interpretation for Code
39: The human readable interpretation of
the data encoded in the bar code symbol
shall be printed below the bar code symbol.
5.7 Label Characteristics

LABEL CHARACTERISTICS RULE
INTERPRETATION
Label Color
1. Labels shall be white, with black print.
Label Height
1. The full label height will be determined by the
number of building blocks included on the
label.
B-10
The intended height of a building block is 1 inch, so

the height of the label will be 1 x number of
building blocks.
32


LABEL CHARACTERISTICS RULE
INTERPRETATION
Label Width
1. The width of the label shall be determined by
the labeler.
If the label requestor stays within the text and bar

code data limits of this guideline, the labeler can
choose label stock based on the labelers choice of
X dimension and font sizes.
Table 2 provides guidance. For example, if the
labeler intends to print all labels at an X dimension
of 0.015 inch, label stock of 6 inches width should
work for any B-10-compliant labeling specification.
Table 2. Suggested Label Widths for Selected X Dimensions

X DIMENSION
SUGGESTED LABEL WIDTH
0.010 inch (0.25 mm)
4 inches (102 mm)
0.013 inch (0.33 mm)
5 inches (127 mm)
0.015 inch (0.38 mm)
6 inches (152 mm)
0.017 inch (0.43 mm)
6.5 inches (165 mm)
Note: Table 2 shows, for given X dimensions, the Suggested label widths to accommodate the maximum
number of 19 data characters. The calculations were based on the following: 19 characters of data
identifier plus data (maximum allowable) plus the two characters of a start character and a stop
character, plus two 0.25-inch quiet zones, using a ratio of wide to narrow elements of 3:1.
B-10
33


6.0
LABEL DATA CONTENT
This guideline defines label format, not label conent. However, certain information is widely needed for
specific application uses of labels. This section describes the recommended data for:
unique identification for container content labels

identifying individual containers for shipment
identifying master pack containers for shipment
identifying mixed load containers for shipment
identifying entire shipments in conjunction with EDI
ship-to and ship-from text format
LABEL DATA CONTENT RULE
INTERPRETATION
This label concept does not mandate specific data

to be included in any segment.
Although no specific data is mandated, a Unique

Container Identifier is highly recommended for
traceability throughout the supply chain.
6.1 Unique Container Identifier (License Plate)

UNIQUE CONTAINER IDENTIFIER RULE
INTERPRETATION
1. Containers should be uniquely identified each

time they are shipped, using a Unique
Container Identifier, commonly referred to as a
license plate.
2. The Unique Container Identifier shall not be
repeated to a given customer within a minimum
period of 366 days.
B-10
Unique identification is needed for traceability

throughout the channel of distribution. It is
strongly suggested that the label use a unique
container identifier so that the container can be
tracked by all trading partners in all phases of
shipping, transport, and receiving.
34


UNIQUE CONTAINER IDENTIFIER RULE
3. The Unique Container Identifier, if used, shall
be contained in either one or two linear bar
code symbols as described in the following
sections.
INTERPRETATION
A Unique Container Identifier is a numeric or
alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies a
container for traceability for a single shipment
within the channel of distribution.
Such identification consists of three elements:
A package identifier for the container, assigned

by the supplier.
A controlled number for vendor identification,
A means to identify the controlling authority
that assigned the vendor identification number
(this is identified by the DI
Unique Container Identifier Using One

Building Block
1. When a single building block is used for the
Unique Container Identifier, it shall comply
with the rules for a Unique Transport Unit
Identifier as defined in ISO/IEC 15459 using
the Data Identifier 1J for individual packages
and 2J for master and mixed loads.
A container may be uniquely identified by using a

single building block containing only text or a
single linear bar code. The Unique Transport Unit
Identifier, as defined in ISO/IEC 15459.
2. Highlighting lines should be used above and

below the single building block.
The purpose of highlighting lines is to assist users

in visually locating the Unique Container Identifier
1. When using a single linear barcode, uses the

appropriate Data Identifier (1J or 2J);
2. is unique and shall not be repeated to a given
customer within a minimum period of 366 days;
3. the data starts with an Issuing Agency Code
(IAC) assigned to the issuing agency by the
Registration Authority identified by ISO;
4. conforms to a format specified by the issuing
agency;
5. contains only upper case alphabetic and
numeric characters.
3. Highlighting lines shall not be used elsewhere

on the label.
4. Highlighting lines shall be easily
distinguishable from the other horizontal
separator lines.
B-10
35


LABEL DATA CONTENT RULE
INTERPRETATION
Unique Container Identifier Using Two

Building Blocks
1. When two building blocks are used for the
Unique Container Identifier, the building blocks
shall be contiguous, with the supplier
identificationbuilding block above the
container/package identification block.
A container may be uniquely identified by using

two building blocks containing an identification of
the supplier and an identification of the container
number of the container, as assigned by the
supplier. See Figure 8.
2. The combination of the two building blocks

shall be unique and shall not be repeated to a
given customer within a minimum period of
366 days.
3. When a bar code symbol is used, the

appropriate Data Identifier (DI) from the ANSI
MH10.8.2 Data Identifier Standard shall be
used.
A brief list of some data identifiers from the ANSI

MH10.8.2 Data Identifier Standard can be found in
Appendix A of this document. Possible DIs for this
situation might include V or 13V for the supplier
identification, and 3S, 4S, or 5S, for the
container/package identification.
4. Highlighting lines should be used above the

supplier identification block and below the
container/package identification number
building block.
The purpose of highlighting lines is to assist users

in visually locating the Unique Container Identifier.
See Figures 2 and 8.
5. Highlighting lines shall not be used elsewhere

on the label.
6. Highlighting lines should be easily
distinguishable from the horizontal separator
lines.
B-10
36


Figure 8. Double Building Block License Plate (not to scale)
Highlighting Line
6.2 Single Pack Label A Single Container of the Same Part Number
SINGLE PACK LABEL RULE
INTERPRETATION
1. A Single Pack Label should be used to identify See Figure 14.

the contents of an individual container of a
single part number for a shipment.
2. A Unique Container Identifier should be
assigned to each single pack.
A unique container unit identifier or license plate

is the key that provides access to information stored
in computer files and that may be transmitted by
EDI. The identifier may be used by all of the
trading partners to retrieve information about the
transport unit itself or about the status of the
physical movement of the transport unit along the
supply chain. It enables systems to track and trace
individual transport units.
Refer to Section 6.1.
B-10
37


SINGLE PACK LABEL RULE
3. When used, the Unique Container Identifier
shall not be repeated to a given same customer
within a minimum period of 366 days.
INTERPRETATION
Refer to Section6.1: Unique Container
Identification Rule and Label Data Content Rule.
4. When multiple labels are used on a container,

all labels shall be identical, including the
package identifier.
5. The Data Identifier for package identification
for a single container shall be either:
1J when a single building block is used,

or
3S when two building blocks are used.
6.3 Master Load Label Multiple Single Packs of the Same Part
Number
MASTER LOAD LABEL RULE
INTERPRETATION
1. A Master Load Label should be used to

identify the total contents of a multiple single
pack load of the same part number.
Master Load Labels are used to identify multicontainer packaging (such as a pallet) with all
containers holding the same part number. For an
example, see Figure 17.
2. Master Labels are similar to single pack labels

with the following exceptions:
The Master Load Label should be easily identified

with human readable text.
B-10
A text sub-block containing the words

MASTER LABEL in upper case shall be
printed in either the Customer Segment or
the Supplier Segment of the label at a
minimum height of 3 LPB.
38


MASTER LOAD LABEL RULE
INTERPRETATION
3. The Data Identifierfor a package identification Note that the 4S would also appear in parentheses
in a bar code on the Master Load Label shall be in the title, as:
either;
PKG ID MASTER
(4S)
or
The quantity on the Master Load Label
shall be the accumulated total of all single
pack quantities on the load.
All other data in the customer segment of
the Master Load Label shall be specified
by the customer.
4. When used, the Master Load Label should be
placed in such a manner that when the pack is
broken apart, the Master Load Label can be
discarded.
If material is partially disbursed from a master load,

the quantity shown on the Master Load Label may
no longer be accurate and therefore should be
discarded.

shall not be repeated to a given customer in a
period of less than 366 days.
package identifier.
7. Each single pack of the multiple pack should
be identified with a Single Pack Label.
B-10
39


6.4 Mixed Load Label
MIXED LOAD LABEL RULE
INTERPRETATION
1. A Mixed Load Label shall be used to identify a Mixed load labels are used to identify multicontainer packaging (such as a pallet) with
load of multiple single packs of different part
containers holding different part numbers.
numbers.
Refer to Figure 18.
2. Mixed Load Labels shall conform to the

following specifications:
Ship-From and Ship-To addresses should

be used when applicable.
A text sub-block containing the words
MIXED LOAD in upper case shall be
printed in either the Customer Segment or
the Supplier Segment of the label at a
minimum height of 3 LPB.
The mixed load label should be easily identified

with human readable text.
3. The Data Identifier for a package identification

in bar code on the Mixed Load Label shall be
either:

or
All other data in the customer segment of
the Mixed Load Label shall be specified by
the customer.

package identifier.
shall not be repeated to a given customer
within a minimum period of 366 days.
6. Each single pack of the mixed load pack should
be identified with a Single Pack Label.
B-10
40


6.5 Quick Receive Label
QUICK RECEIVE LABEL RULE
INTERPRETATION
1. When trading partners use an EDI Advanced

Shipment Notification, a Quick Receive Label
may be used to tie the shipment to the EDI
transaction in the database.
AIAG B-12 describes a method for creating and

using this label.
6.6 Ship-From and Ship-To

Figure 9. Ship-From and Ship-To Building Blocks (not to scale)
SHIP-FROM AND SHIP-TO RULE
INTERPRETATION
Ship-From and Ship-To Text

1. Ship-From and Ship-To address should be used
when applicable.
2. The Ship-From sub-block shall have a title of
FROM: and the Ship-To sub block shall
have a title of TO.
B-10
41


SHIP-FROM AND SHIP-TO RULE
INTERPRETATION
3. Ship-From characters shall be noticeably

smaller than the Ship-To characters.
The difference in size makes it easier for carrier

personnel to distinguish the destination from the
return address. For example, if the Ship-To address
is printed at 5 LPB, then the Ship-From address
should be printed at 6 or 7 LPB.
4. When the Ship-From and Ship-To addresses are

placed side by side, the Ship-From address
shall be placed to the left of the Ship-To
address.
It is recommended that the Ship-From and Ship-To

addresses be placed side-by-side in a single
building block, rather than using two building
blocks for addressing information.
5. When placed side by side, the Ship-From

address should be separated from the Ship-To
address by a vertical line.
6. If the Ship-From and Ship-To addresses are
placed in separate building blocks, the ShipFrom address shall be located above the ShipFrom address.
B-10
To ensure that the package arrives at the correct

destination, the Ship-To address should never be
located above the Ship-From address.
42


7.0
QUALITY
7.1 Quality Assurance

QUALITY ASSURANCE RULE
Quality testing should not be limited to label
production inspection but should be followed
through to the end use.
INTERPRETATION
It is important that the bar code be decodable
throughout the system. For this reason, quality
needs to be considered from initial printing through
to the end user.
The AIAG B-8 document provides quality
assurance guidance for shipping labels and other
bar code applications (linear and 2D).
7.2 Bar Code Print Quality

BAR CODE PRINT QUALITY RULE
1. The ANSI X3.182 Guideline shall be used to
determine bar code symbol print quality.
INTERPRETATION
The ANSI X3.182 Guideline for Bar Code Print
Quality, describes the parameters used for the
evaluation of a printed bar code symbol. The ANSI
test result is a print quality grade, either numeric
(4,3,2,1,0) or alphabetic (A, B, C, D, F). The ANSI
Guideline specifies the size of the measurement
aperture and the illumination wavelength.
2. When bar code print quality tests are

performed, an appropriate verifier with a
measurement aperture of 0.010 inch and
illumination wavelength of 630 680
nanometers shall be used.
B-10
43


BAR CODE PRINT QUALITY RULE
3. The minimum symbol grade shall be C (1.5).
INTERPRETATION
These symbol quality and measurement parameters
ensure scannability over a broad range of scanning
environments.
In addition, it is recommended that quality
measurements be taken under consistent conditions;
that is, use the same background lighting and the
same surface on which the label will be attached.
Note: Previous AIAG Standards (B-3 and B-5)
specified an inspection wavelength of 900
nanometers +/- 10% to accommodate existing
infrared scanners. . Scanners using visible light
sources (630 to 680 nanometers) are preferred for
future applications and equipment replacement.
Meeting the minimum bar code print quality
requirements at the infrared wavelength generally
ensures acceptable print quality levels at the visible
light wavelength as well.
7.3 Sampling
SAMPLING RULE
Appropriate statistical process control (SPC)
techniques should be used.
B-10
INTERPRETATION
The sample size must be sufficiently large to be
statistically valid within the size of the lot or batch
being inspected. Acceptable quality levels must be
established prior to quality control inspection.
44


SAMPLING RULE
INTERPRETATION
In addition to statistical sampling, additional points
in the process where verification is appropriate
include:
when printer is first turned on,

after changing ribbons,
after changing toner,
after changing ink,
any time the label stock is changed,
beginning of a shift, and
after maintenance is performed on the printing
equipment.
7.4 Obsolete Labels

OBSOLETE LABELS RULE
INTERPRETATION
1. Obsolete labels shall be rendered unusable by

either being removed, defaced, or covered.
2. If covering obsolete labels with new labels, care

should be taken so that the bar code print
quality of the new labels is not adversely
affected.
B-10
If the label stock is not sufficiently opaque, the

print from the label underneath can show through
and decrease the print contrast. The new labels
must meet the ANSI bar code print quality
requirements.
45


7.5 Label Durability
LABEL DURABILITY RULE
Labels should be sufficiently durable to remain in
place and be decodable throughout the system of
use.
INTERPRETATION
Numerous environmental effects can lead to the
degradation of the bar code symbol, whether they
are optical or physical, affecting its substrate,
adhesive, or laminate. These changes may affect
one or more of the quality parameters of the label.
The net effect of such changes can render the label
unusable. It is therefore important to consider these
effects when producing and applying bar code
labels.
Some of the factors that should be considered
include temperature, humidity, light exposure,
abrasion, chemical contamination and aging. In this
regard the ANSI X3.182 Guideline for Bar Code
Print Quality provides tables, entitled
Environmental Factors, as a reference. Also,
Military Specification MIL-L-61002, Labels,
Pressure Sensitive Adhesive, for Bar Codes and
Other Markings is a good source for information
on environmental factors, consideration, and
testing. Specifically, Sections 3.2.2, Performance
Test Parameters, 4.6, Performance Tests, and
6.11, Application Examples are relevant sections
to review.
7.6 Recyclability
RECYCLABILITY RULE
If the label is to be attached to a material which is
to be recycled, the label material should be
compatible with or removable from the substrate
material to which it is attached.
B-10
INTERPRETATION
An example of a recyclable material is shrink wrap.
46


8.0
LABEL PLACEMENT AND ORIENTATION
As described in Section 4, this guideline uses a concept of segments for logical grouping of information.
In this section, rules for placement and orientation of label segments are defined and illustrated.
8.1 Segment Placement

LABEL PLACEMENT AND
ORIENTATION RULE
1. Label segments should be stacked vertically.
INTERPRETATION
Stacking vertically (see Figures 1 and 10) ensures
that the bar codes do not interfere with each other
when scanning.
2. Information required by carriers shall be placed The Carrier Segment of the label should be the
topmost (see Figures 1 and 10). Parcel carriers may
topmost on the label.
require the placementof carrier information (such as
addresses) on the top of the transport container.
Due to physical package constraints, it may not be
possible to stack all segments vertically. Under
these circumstances it is important to position the
segments of the label so that bar code blocks do not
appear directly adjacent. Placing bar code symbols
side by side can interfere with accurate bar code
scanning.
B-10
47


Figure 10. Label Segments
Bar Code Unique Container Identifier customer carrier

Segment Serial Number
B-10
48


8.2 Label Placement
LABEL PLACEMENT AND
ORIENTATION RULE
INTERPRETATION
Labels should be placed no closer than 1.25 inches

(32 mm) from any container edge.
See Figure 11.
Label placement toward the center of the sides of

rectangular corrugated containers should be
avoided.
When label locations are identified on customer

containers (especially on returnable containers),
they shall not be applied outside the defined area.
For placement on various types of containers, labels Labels must be accessible for scanning at shipping,
transportation, and receiving operations. See
or tags should be applied in an easily accessible
Figures 12a and 12b for guidance on label
location.
placementfor various types of containers.
When multiple labels are used on a container, all
labels shall be identical, including the package
identifier.
The label should not be placed over a seam.
Sealing tape, shrink-wrap, or bands shall not be
placed over the label.
These will interfere with the scanning of the label.
The following considerations should be addressed

when determining the most appropriate location for
the label or segments of the label:
survivability of the label;

label application (manual/automatic, label/tag
/direct marking);
container type;
packaging level (if multiple labels or bar code
symbols are visible);
accessibility of location.
B-10
49


LABEL PLACEMENT AND
ORIENTATION RULE
INTERPRETATION
Each supplying location shall be responsible to

ensure that bar code-marked labels and tags are
sufficiently secured and protected and applied
wrinkle-free so they are readable at point of final
customer usage.
Label Placement on Master and Mixed
Loads
For master and mixed loads, the label shall be
placed on the upper half of the unit load.
The bottom edge of the label on a master and mixed
load should not be higher than 60 inches (152 cm)
from the bottom.
B-10
50


8.3 Label Orientation

LABEL PLACEMENT AND
ORIENTATION RULE
Labels should be placed on the side of the
container with the bars perpendicular to the base of
the container.
INTERPRETATION
See Figure 11.
Figure 11. Label Orientation
B-10
51


Figure 12a. Suggested Label Placement
Caution: All labels on the container must be identical.
Obsolete labels shall be rendered unusable by either being removed, defaced, or covered.
BOX OR CARTON
BASKET, WIRE MESH CONTAINER
CARTONS ON PALLET
OPEN METAL BIN OR TUB
B-10
52


Figure 12a. Suggested Label Placement (continued)
PALLET BOX
RACK
TELESCOPE OR SET-UP CONTAINERS
DRUM, BARREL, OR CYLINDRICAL

CONTAINER
label
B-10
53


Figure 12b. Suggested Label Placement
Caution: All labels on the container must be identical.
Obsolete labels shall be rendered unusable by either being removed, defaced, or covered.
ROLL
SHEETS/CUT LENGTHS/BLANKS
BALE
SINGLE COIL
B-10
54


Figure 12b. Suggested Label Placement (continued)
BAG
SLIT COILS
TUBING AND BARS
label
B-10
55


9.0
SPECIAL APPLICATION CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIAL APPLICATION RULE
INTERPRETATION
Any deviation from the label concepts in this

guideline should be agreed to by trading partners
and should not diminish the labelers ability to
print the label, the legibility of text, or the bar code
print quality.
The B-10 labels will be readable by a majority of

trading partners in a wide range of application
environments. To satisfy certain special
requirements (such as internal company
applications or carrier or special industry needs),
some modification to the defined format may be
necessary.
In this situation, it is recommended that as many as
possible of the formatting and quality rules in the
label concept be used.
It is strongly recommended that the bar code print

quality criteria contained in Section 7.0 Quality
should apply to all such application standards.
9.1 Additional Machine-Readable Symbols

ADDITIONAL MACHINE-READABLE
RULE
INTERPRETATION
Other applications and industry standards may
require symbologies other than Code 39 or may be
designed to take advantage of special capabilities of
other optically based, machine-readable symbols.
Characters or marks intended for vision systems
may be used on unit loads and transport containers.
The use of other machine-readable symbols shall

not interfere with the readability of any Code 39
bar codes on any segment of the B-10 Trading
Partner Label.
Two-dimensional (2D) symbols used on Trading

Partner Labels shall conform to the requirements of
AIAG B-14.
B-10
56


9.2 Other Machine-Readable Technologies

OTHER MACHINE-READABLE RULE
INTERPRETATION
If machine-readable technologies other than

optically based are used in conjunction with the B10 label, they should not diminish the labelers
ability to produce the label, the legibility of text, or
the bar code print quality.
Additional machine-readable technologies such as

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) may be used
in conjunction with B-10 Trading Partner Labels.
B-10
57


10.0 LABEL EXAMPLES
Figure 13. A Carrier Segment for a Single Pack That Is a Ship-To/Ship-From
and a Unique Container Identifier
Figure 14. A Customer Segment That Looks Like the Old B-3
Supplier/Vendor ID
B-10
58


Figure 15. A Customer Segment That Looks Like the Old B-5
Figure 16. A Supplier Segment with the Suppliers Part Number
label Serial Number

Supplier/Vendor ID
B-10
59


Figure 17. A Customer Segment for a Master Load
PART #
CUST (P)
12345678
QUANTITY
(Q)
XXXXXXXX
XXXX (XXX)
SERIAL #
MASTER (4S)
654321
XXXXXXX ZZZZZZZZ
DLOC
12345678 ZZZZZZZ
PLT/DOCK
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
MASTER LABEL
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
SUPPLIER ID: 123456789
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Figure 18. A Customer Segment for a Mixed Load
XXXXXXXX
XXXX (XXX)
SERIAL #
MASTER (5S)
XXXXXXX ZZZZZZZZ
DLOC
12345678 ZZZZZZZ
PLT/DOCK
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
MIXED LABEL
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
SUPPLIER ID: 123456789
label Serial Number
B-10
60


Figure 19. A Supplier Segment for a Master Load
PART #
CUST
SHIP FROM
ACME IDEAL AUTO PARTS
26 AJO WAY
TUCSON, AZ 98279
602-555-1212
12X45A789
SHIP TO
XYZ CO, INC PLANT 21
6 GRAND RIVER
NOVI, MI 48000
QUANTITY
LINE
7,654,325 EA
MASTER
LOAD
SPLR ID
CUST ASGN (V)
982795
PKG ID-MASTER
(4S)
987654321
DESCRIPTION
LEFT-HANDED
SNARK-CONTROLLING
WIDGET
Figure 20. A Supplier Segment for a Mixed Load
label Supplier/Vendor ID
B-10
61


Figure 21. A Shipment Label Example (remove PDF-417)
TO:
FROM:
ACME IDEAL AUTO PARTS

1 ROADRUNNER WAY
TUCSON, AZ 90150
GREAT CUSTOMER CO.

123 DREAM LANE
SOUTHFIELD, MI 48084
ECN
CUSTOMER PART #
A3
12X45A789
SPLR ID
CUST ASGN (V)
PKG ID-UNIT (3S)
QUANTITY / WEIGHT
250 EA
210 LB
DELIVERY LOC.
982795
DOCK 14,
LINE 5
PART DESCRIPTION
9612345
LEFT-HANDED
WIDGET CONTROL
B-10
62


APPENDIX A.
BAR CODE BLOCKS: ANSI MH10.8.2 DATA

IDENTIFIERS, DATA LENGTHS, AND SHORT
TITLES
A U.S. national standard for Data Identifiers, ANSI FACT-1, was published by the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI) in December 1991. It has since been revised as ANSI MH10.8.2. AIAG
endorses the use of these Data Identifiers. ANSI MH10.8.2 has more than 100 data identifiers defined for
many purposes in many industries. The ANSI standard can be purchased by calling the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI) at (212) 642-4900 and requesting ANSI MH10.8.2.
The following table includes some of the DIs in ANSI MH10.8.2 of interest to AIAG members. The Short
Title text should be used in the bar code building block, as specified in Section 5.1.
In many cases the Short Title text has been split into two lines to ensure the best fit in the title area of the
building block.
Table 3. ANSI Data Identifiers
DI
SUGGESTED
SHORT
TITLE
RECOMMENDED
MAXIMUM DATA
LENGTH
DESCRIPTION
CONTAINER
TYPE (B)
Container Type
1B
RETURNABLE
CONTAINER # (1B)
Returnable Container ID number
2B
GAS CYLINDER
# (2B)
Gas Cylinder ID number
3B
Motor Freight Transport Equipment

Identification assigned by the manufacturer in
conformance with International Standards
Organization (ISO) standards
4B
SCACTIL (4B)
PART #
CONT. (C)
Continuation of a customer's Part Number
DATE
YYMMDD (D)
Date, in the format YYMMDD, significance of

the date mutually agreed among all trading
partners
B-10
10
Standard Carrier Alpha Code Trailer

Identification Label
63


DI
SUGGESTED
SHORT
TITLE
RECOMMENDED
MAXIMUM DATA
LENGTH
DESCRIPTION
1D
DATE
DDMMYY (1D)
Date, in the format DDMMYY, significance of

partners
2D
DATE
MMDDYY (2D)
Date, in the format MMDDYY, significance of

partners
3D
DATE
YDDD (3D)
Date, in the format YDDD (Julian),

significance of the date mutually agreed among
all trading partners
4D
DATE
YYDDD (4D)
Date, in the format YYDDD (Julian),

5D
DATE
YYMMDDQQ (5D))
Date, in the ISO format YYMMDD

immediately followed by an ANSI X12.3 Data
Element Number 374 Qualifier (QQ) providing
a code for type of date (e.g., ship date,
manufacture date)
6D
DATE
YYYYMMDDQQ
(6D))
Date, in the ISO format YYYYMMDD

immediately followed by an ANSI X12.3 Data
Element Number 374 Qualifier (QQ) providing
a code for type of date (e.g., ship date,
manufacture date)
7D
DATE
MMYY (7D))
Date, in the format MMYY, significance of the

date mutually agreed among all trading
partners
10D
DATE
YYWW (10D))
Date, in the format YYWW where WW

represents week of the year, as agreed between
customer and supplier
11D
DATE
YYYYWW (11D))
Date, in the format YYYYWW where WW

represents week of the year, as agreed between
customer and supplier
12D
DATE
YYYYMMDD (12D))
Date, in the format YYYYMMDD,

1H
EMPLOYEE
ID (1H)
Employee ID as assigned by the employer
2H
SSN (2H)
U.S. Social Security Number
B-10
64


DI
3H
I
1J
SUGGESTED
SHORT
TITLE
RECOMMENDED
MAXIMUM DATA
LENGTH
DESCRIPTION
NON-EMPLOYEE
ID (3H)
ID number for non-employee (e.g., a contract

worker or vendor)
VIN
ISO PKG
ID (1J)
VIN - Vehicle Identification Number
2J
ISO MASTER
ID (2J)
P.O. # (K)
18
Unique license plate number assigned to a

transport unit that is the lowest level of
packaging, or the unbreakable unit, as defined
in ISO/IEC 15459
18
Unique license plate number assigned to a

transport unit that contains multiple packages,
as defined in ISO/IEC 15459.1
Purchase Order Number, customer assigned
2K
Bill of Lading/Waybill/Shipment Identification

Code assigned by supplier/shipper
3K
Bill of Lading/Waybill/Shipment Identification

Code assigned by the carrier
4K
Line number of the order assigned by the

customer to identify a Purchasing Transaction
5K
Reference number assigned by the customer to

identify a Shipment Authorization (Release)
against an established Purchase Order
6K
PRO# assigned by the carrier
7K
Carrier Mode in Free Text format mutually

defined between the customer and supplier
(e.g., Air, Truck, Boat, Rail)
8K
Contract Number
9K
Generic Transaction Reference Code

(internally assigned or mutually defined)
11K
Packing List Number
12K
SCAC (Standard Carrier Alpha Code) (Alpha

Numeric, always four characters, dash "-"
filled left) and carrier-assigned progressive
number
B-10
65


DI
SUGGESTED
SHORT
TITLE
RECOMMENDED
MAXIMUM DATA
LENGTH
14K
DESCRIPTION
Combined Order Number and Line Number in
the format nn...nn+nn...n where a plus symbol
(+) is used as a delimiter between the Order
Number and Line Number
15K
PULL SIGNAL #
(15K)
Pull Signal - Kac
16K
DELINS #
(16K)
DELINS Number: code assigned to identify a

document that contains delivery information
STORAGE
LOCATION (L)
Storage Location
1L
LOCATION (1L)
Location (generic)
4L
COUNTRY OF
ORIGIN (4L)
Country of Origin: two-character code from the

ISO 3166 standard country code list
20L - 24L
Additional location numbers. The exact

meaning of each DI is assigned internally.
{This set of DIs could be used for a hierarchy
of locations, for example:
BUILDING (20L); BAY (21L); AISLE (22L);
SHELF (23L); BIN (24L)}
PART #
CUST (P)
Part Number, assigned by the customer
1P
PART #
SPLR (1P)
Part Number, assigned by the

supplier/manufacturer
2P
EC # (2P)
Code assigned to specify the revision level of

the part (e.g., Engineering Change Level,
revision, or edition)
9P
Combined manufacturer identification code (9digit DUNS number assigned by Dun &
Bradstreet) and the item code/part number
(assigned by the manufacturer)
10P
Hazardous Material Code as defined by ANSI

X12.3 in the format Data Element 208 (1character code qualifier) followed by Data
Element 209 (Hazardous Material Code)
B-10
66


DI
SUGGESTED
SHORT
TITLE
RECOMMENDED
MAXIMUM DATA
LENGTH
DESCRIPTION
QUANTITY (Q)
Quantity (integer numeric) (Unit of measure

assumed to be each unless otherwise agreed
between the supplier and the customer)
1Q
LENGTH (1Q)
or
THEORETICAL
WEIGHT (1Q)
Actual Length or Theoretical Weight

(historically used in the shipment of primary
metals)
2Q
ACTUAL
WEIGHT (2Q)
Actual Weight
3Q
UNIT OF
MEASURE (3Q)
Unit of Measure, as defined by the two

character ANSI X12.3 Data Element Number
355 Unit of Measurement Code
7Q
QTY + U/M
(7Q)
Quantity and unit of measure in the format:

Quantity followed by the two-character Unit of
Measure code as defined in Data Element
number 355 of the ANS X12.3 Data Element
Dictionary standard
11Q
TARE WT.
(11Q)
Tare Weight: weight of an empty container,

unit of measure mutually agreed among trading
partners
SERIAL # (S)
Serial Number assigned by the supplier to an

entity for its lifetime
2S
SHIPMENT ID
(2S)
Shipment ID number. If you are using EDI,

this corresponds to the SID (Data Element 396
of ANS X12.3, as used in the 856 Shipment
Notification transaction).
3S
PKG ID-UNIT
(3S)
Package Identification assigned by the supplier

to the lowest level of packaging (container)
that has a package ID code.
4S
PKG ID-MASTER
(4S)

to packaging containing multiple containers of
like items on a single customer order (Master
Load)
5S
PKG ID-MIXED
(5S)

to packaging containing multiple containers of
unlike items on a single customer order
(Mixed Load)
B-10
67


DI
SUGGESTED
SHORT
TITLE
RECOMMENDED
MAXIMUM DATA
LENGTH
DESCRIPTION
9S
PKG ID MUTUAL
(9S)
Generic Package Identification, significance

mutually agreed by customer and supplier
10S
MACHINE ID
(10S)
Machine, work cell, or tool ID code
11S
FIXED ASSET
ID (11S)
Fixed asset ID code
21S
TIRE ID
(21S)
Combined U.S. DOT Tire Manufacturer Plant

Code and unique tire identification assigned by
the supplier
LOT #
CUST (T)
18
Traceability number assigned to a unique batch

or group of items (lot, heat, batch) by the
customer
1T
LOT #
SPLR (1T)
or
HEAT #
SPLR (1T)
18
Traceability number assigned to a unique batch

or group of items (lot, heat, batch) by the
supplier/manufacturer
VENDOR ID
CUST ASGN (V)
Supplier Code assigned by the customer
12V
MFR ID
DUNS (12V)
DUNS number of the manufacturer
13V
SPLR ID
DUNS (13V)
DUNS number of the supplier, if other than

the Manufacturer
14V
CUST ID
DUNS (14V)
DUNS number of the customer
WORK
ORDER # (W)
Work Order number assigned by the supplier
Mutually defined between customer and

supplier (title to reflect mutually agreed
meaning)
1Z
Mutually defined between the carrier and the

supplier (title to reflect mutually agreed
meaning)
B-10
68


DI
SUGGESTED
SHORT
TITLE
RECOMMENDED
MAXIMUM DATA
LENGTH
DESCRIPTION
2Z
Mutually defined between the customer and

the carrier (title to reflect mutually agreed
meaning)
4Z
Mutually defined between the carrier and the

trading partner (title to reflect mutually agreed
meaning)
B-10
69


APPENDIX B. PRECISION AND ROUNDING IN
MEASUREMENT
PRECISION & ROUNDING RULE
INTERPRETATION
When determining if a measurement falls within the PRECISION is the degree of exactness with which
specifications of this AIAG document, the
a quantity is stated. That is, it is the number of
measurement shall be used only at the level of
significant digits (usually decimal places).
precision stated in the document.
ROUNDING is the process used to reduce the
precision with which a number is stated (that is,
decrease the number of decimal places). Rounding
is done in order to compare two numbers at the
same level of precision.
Any measurement made with greater precision (that For example, if the specification for the size of an
is, more decimal places) than that used in the
item is stated with one decimal place, any
measurement of that item should be rounded to a
document shall be rounded.
single decimal place.
B-10
70


PRECISION & ROUNDING RULE
INTERPRETATION
As an example:
The rule used for rounding shall be: add 5 to the

digit to the immediate RIGHT of the level of
precision required, then drop (truncate) the extra
digits -- those beyond the required level of
precision.
Assume that document states that a dimension is 0.6

inches. Then the required precision is one decimal
place.
If the measurement device used shows it to be
0.6465 inches, is that measurement "in spec"?
Since one (1) digit of decimal precision is stated in
the AIAG document, the measurement shall be
rounded to a single decimal place before comparing
it to the standard, as follows:
1. Add 0.05 (2 digits) to the measurement:
(0.6465 + 0.05 = 0.6965)
2. Drop the digits past (to the right of) the decimal
required:
0.6965 yields 0.6, which IS within
specifications.
Note that the measurement (0.6465) would be "out
of spec" if the standard specification had stated
0.64, since rounding to two decimal places would
have given 0.65 (0.6465 + 0.005 = 0.6515 >> 0.65).
As another example, assume the instrument used can measure to a certain number of decimal places of
precision:
Table 4. Rounding and Acceptable Measurements
AIAG B-10
DOCUMENT
STATES
ROUNDING
FACTOR
ACCEPTABLE MEASUREMENTS ON A....

2-DIGIT
READING
3-DIGIT
READING
4-DIGIT READING
0.5
0.50 to 1.49
0.500 to 1.499
0.5000 to 1.4999
1.0
0.05
0.95 to 1.04
0.950 to 1.049
0.9500 to 1.0499
1.00
0.005
1.00 only
0.995 to 1.004
0.9950 to 1.0049
1.000
0.0005
cannot be used
1.000 only
0.9950 to 1.0040
B-10
71


APPENDIX C. COUNTRY CODES
Table 5 contains some of the country codes from the ISO 3166 standard:
Table 5. ISO Country Codes
ARGENTINA
AR
LUXEMBOURG
LU
AUSTRALIA
AU
MEXICO
MX
AUSTRIA
AT
NETHERLANDS
NL
BELGIUM
BE
PHILIPPINES
PH
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
BA
POLAND
PL
BRAZIL
BR
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
RU
CANADA
CA
SINGAPORE
SG
CHINA
CN
SLOVAKIA
SK
CZECH REPUBLIC
CZ
SLOVENIA
SI
FRANCE
FR
SOUTH AFRICA
ZA
GERMANY
DE
SPAIN
ES
HONG KONG
HK
SWEDEN
SE
INDIA
IN
TAIWAN, PROVINCE OF
CHINA
TW
IRELAND
IE
UNITED KINGDOM
GB
ITALY
IT
UNITED STATES
US
JAPAN
JP
VENEZUELA
VE
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF
KR
YUGOSLAVIA
YU
B-10
72


APPENDIX D. RECOMMENDED ORDER OF DATA
The following list is a recommended order of typical data contained within a B-10 label. It is
recommended that trading partners recognize that some data may be common between segments and,
where practical, try not to duplicate data for example: quantity (Q) could appear in both the customer
segment and the supplier segment where both use the same definition of unit of measure.
Address Ship-From/ Ship-To / For (delivery location / line feed location)

Sequence Number / Broadcast Code (customer-assigned)
Purchase Order Number (customer-assigned)
Part Number (P) / Safety Indicator / Part Description / Engineering Change Level (customerassigned)
Quantity (Q) (if the customers unit of measure is different from the suppliers)
Suppliers Identification (customer-assigned)
Package ID / Label Serial Number / Unique Container Identification (supplier-assigned)
Part Number (1P) / Description (supplier-assigned)
Quantity with ANSI Unit of Measure (7Q) (supplier-assigned)
Actual Quantity (2Q) (supplier-assigned)
Theoretical Quantity (1Q) (supplier-assigned)
Quantity (Q) (if the customers unit of measure is the same as the suppliers)
Returnable Container ID Code
Date of Manufacture
Quality Checker ID
Country of Origin
Part Traceability Data: Lot Number / Heat Number / Individual Part Serial Number
Work Order Number
B-10
73


APPENDIX E.
RECOMMENDED FORMAT FOR COMPLIANCE

SPECIFICATIONS
COMPLIANCE SPECIFICATION RULE
INTERPRETATION
Customer trading partners who require their

suppliers to provide labels in compliance with this
guideline should use the following format to
document their label compliance specification.
The single-page documentation format described in

this appendix was designed by the AIAG Bar Code
Applications Work Group to provide a commonized
approach to creating documentation for customer
labeling standards. This format has been shown to
support the documentation requirements of QS9000 and ISO 9000.
Each type of label required by a customer should

be documented on a single page.
The commonized approach requires that every

customer provide a single page specification for
each specific layout of B-10 label that will be
required by that customer. For example, if the
customer requires a single-container label, a master
label, and a mixed load label, the customers
compliance specification would have three pages in
it, showing the requirements for those three layouts.
Supplier trading partners should keep a file of the

B-10-based customer compliance specifications for
their customers.
The commonized approach to B-10 specifications

requires that every supplier who must comply with
B-10-based customer compliance specification
create a "Label Compliance" three-ring binder. The
first thing in the binder should be a copy of the
AIAG B-10 standard. Following that should be a
divider for each customer to whom that supplier
ships. In the section for any one customer should
be the information about that customer's label
specification(s).
B-10
74


Figure 22. An Example of a Blank Customer Compliance Specification Sheet
NOTE: NOT TO SCALE

For correct measurements, see the AIAG B-10 Guideline
Customer
Name:
XYZ Company, Inc.,

Plant #21, Novi, MI
Authorization:
Signature:
Label Purpose/Use:
Customer Segment a B-10 Label to be
used for . . .
Issue Date:
Version . Release
NOTE: Illustration is NOT actual size. Any dimensions that

are not otherwise specified on this page SHALL be in
compliance with AIAG B-10, Version 01.00, 5/95
Specification ID Number:
Name and Title of responsible party

at the above location
INTERPRETATION
The compliance specification sheet should show a

sample of the B-10 label layout required by the
customer.
In the center of the suggested specification page

should be an example of the label, printed
according to the layout designed by the customer.
A note should appear somewhere on the sheet that

says Not to Scale.
The example will probably need to be scaled down

to about 60% to 80% of the planned size.
A title block should appear on the bottom of the

compliance specification sheet.
The title block provides the information needed to

properly track customer compliance specifications
as required by ISO 9000 and QS-9000.
B-10
75


INTERPRETATION
See Figures 22 and 25.
The title block should include:

1. The name of the customer (and, if necessary,
the facility) for which this format is required;
2. Contact information of the person (or
department) at the customer's location
responsible for this label;
3. The date on which the specification was issued,
and its revision level;
4. The situation in which this format is to be used
(for example, container vs. pallet label);
5. A note that says that all the rules not specified
on this page are to be found in the AIAG B-10
document.
Balloons around the edges of the label example
should contain descriptions of the exact data
needed inside each sub-block.
The description balloon provided for a bar code
sub-block should include:
See the example of a bar code block balloon in

Figure 24.
1. A name that can be used when referring to this

sub-block;
2. The title to be printed in this block;
3. The data that should go in the bar code;
4. The Data Identifier to be used as the prefix of
the data in the bar code;
5. The maximum number of characters allowed in
this field (data length and Data Identifier
length).
B-10
76


The description balloon provided for a text subblock should include:
INTERPRETATION
See the example of a text block balloon in Figure
23.
1. A name that can be used when referring to this

sub-block;
2. The title to be printed in this block;
3. The data that should be printed in the text;
If no title is to be printed for this text block,
4. The maximum number of characters allowed in indicate none.
this field;
5. The text height required (stated in Lines Per
Block).
If the text is to be printed on multiple lines (such as

an address), indicate the number of lines and the
maximum number of characters per line.
Figure 23. An Example of a Description Balloon for a Text Sub-block
Supplier Contact Information

Block Title = SPLR CONTACT
SPLR CONTACT
XYZ SUPPLIER CO.

DETROIT PLANT
313-555-5555
Data = Name of Suppliers Company and

shipping facility, and a telephone number
that cam be called in case of problems or
questions
Text Height = 6 LPB
Max. Characters = up to 5 lines of text
up to 25 chars on a single line
supplier/vendor
B-10
77


Figure 24. An Example of a Description Balloon for a Bar Code Sub-block
PKG ID-UNIT
(3S)
1948M0925
Container Label Serial Number

Block Title = PKG ID-UNIT
(3S)
Data = Control number, assigned by supplier,
unique for this container, not to be repeated
within 365 days
Data Identifier (DI) = 3S
Maximum Length = 11: Max. Data Chars = 9
DI Chars = 2
DI Container ID Serial Number

INTERPRETATION
Copies of this copyrighted document (AIAG B-10)
can be purchased by calling AIAGs Customer
Service Representatives at (248) 358-3003.
The compliance specification sheet(s) should be

sent to suppliers with a cover letter explaining its
purpose and its relationship to the AIAG B-10
document.
At a minimum the cover letter should state:
1. The name and phone number of a contact at the
customer company who could answer
questions;
2. The due date for the supplier to reply indicating
their intended date of compliance;
3. The due date for submission of a sample label
for evaluation;
B-10
78


INTERPRETATION
4. The due date for the start of labeling;

5. A requirement that this specification be kept in
a file or binder along with a copy of the AIAG
B-10 guideline, accessible to the people
applying the labels, the people quality-checking
the labels, and the people supporting the system
that produces the labels;
6. Information about how the supplier can
purchase a copy of the AIAG B-10 TPL
Guideline.
B-10
79


Figure 25. An Example of a Completed Customer Compliance Specification Sheet
DI Container ID Supplier/Vendor ID
B-10
80


APPENDIX F.
RECOMMENDED FORMAT FOR SMALL

LABELING AREA (SLA)
Designers of label segments are urged to plan no more than four building blocks per label segment,
normally resulting in a label segment size of four inch by six inch or smaller, which generally fit in a
label area of 36 square inches. This section describes a variation from the rules of ANSI MH10.8, which
could be used when the area on a container available for a label is less than 36 square inches.
SLA LABEL RULE

What is a Small Labeling Area (SLA)?
INTERPRETATION
The heights and widths of bar-coded shipping
labels being used today are often larger than the
packaging. Packaging often requires a container
larger than necessary to make the bar coded
shipping label fit the container. Often, users wrap
labels around the edges of containers to make
labels fit. These conditions can drive up costs and
can affect the scan performance of bar code
symbols.
This appendix does not attempt to define how
small is small but to offer a method for labeling
containers having labeling surfaces of thirty-six
(36) square inches or less. The following describes
requirements for developing the label for Small
Labeling Area (SLA) to ensure scan performance
of the bar code symbols while providing
consistency of label formats. The SLA label was
developed to more closely match label size to the
container and to provide a more cost-effective
labeling method.
A Small Labeling Area (SLA) label shall not be

used for labeling surfaces greater than thirty-six
(36) square inches. Also, the SLA label shall not be
Label applications for small containers such as
used when an area greater than thirty-six square
those transported by commercial package carriers
inches is available for labeling. Trading partners
will benefit from using the SLA label. The
should agree on the use of the SLA Label.
information contained in this appendix is not
intended to replace any existing commercial
B-10
81


SLA LABEL RULE
INTERPRETATION
package carrier labeling used for sortation and
tracking. Both label and tag marking methods are
covered under the general term label. If you are
including the carrier information in the SLA label
you should check with your carrier for their bar
code specifications.
This appendix recommends that the SLA label be
structured based on the current AIAG B-10 and
AIAG B-14 Trading Partner Label concepts. Due
to the SCA labels smaller physical size, the major
differences between the SLA label and the B-10 /
B-14 labels are noted below.
1.
Building Block Size
Building block height shall be 0.5 inch +/- 0.1 inch See Figure 26.
(13 mm +/- 3 mm) as determined by the printing
capability of the labeler.
One double-height bar code block per segment may
be used to satisfy special printing and scanning
requirements of symbols used on SCLs. Doubleheight bar code blocks shall be 1.0 inch +/- 0.2
inch (25 mm +/- 5 mm).
2.
Bar Code Symbol Height
The minimum height of the Code 39 bar code

symbol shall be 0.25 inch (6 mm).
3.
See Figure 26.
Bar Code Symbol Quiet Zone
The bar code symbol shall have leading and trailing See Figure 26.
quiet zoneswith minimum widths of 0.250 inch (6
mm).
B-10
82


SLA LABEL RULE

4.
INTERPRETATION
SymbologyNarrow Element X
Dimension
The narrow element X dimension when using Code See Figure 26.
39 shall not be less than 0.010 inch (0.25 mm).
5.
Human Readable Interpretation (HRI)

for Code 39 Symbols
The height of the HRI should be chosen so that it

does not interfere with the minimum height of the
bar code.
7.
Print Quality for Code 39
The ANSI X3.182 Guideline for Bar Code Print

Quality shall be used to determine the print quality
of Code 39 symbols.
Figure 26. An Example of a Label Printed According to the SLA Label Rules (not to scale)
TO: Best Customer Inc.

FROM: Any Good Supplier
9924 Sunshine Blvd.
350 West St.
Mapleville, OH 61547
Bloomingdale, IL 61630
PART #
CUST (P)
89247663
QTY (Q)
155
SPLR ID
CUST ASG (V)
PKG ID-UNIT (3S)
LOT #
B-342
T2904S0
127238057
B-10
83


APPENDIX G.
OBTAINING NORMATIVE REFERENCES
Contact these organizations for information on the references in this document:

AIAG Documents:
Southfield, MI 48034
Customer Service: (248) 358-3003
Fax: (248) 358-9760
Internet website: http://www.aiag.org
ANSI and ISO Documents:
American National Standards Institute
Attn: Customer Service
11 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
Phone: (212) 642-4980
Internet website: http://www.ansi.org
AIM Documents:
AIM Inc.
634 Alpha Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
Phone: (412) 963-8009
Internet website: http://www.aimglobal.org
DUNS Documents:
Dun & Bradstreet
One Diamond Hill Road
Murray Hill, NJ 07974-1218
Phone: (908) 665-5000
Fax: (908) 665-5803
Internet website: http://www.dnb.com
MIL Documents:
USA Information Systems
Phone: (800) 872-8830
Internet website: http://www.usainfo.com
B-10
84


INDEX
Container...........8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 34, 35, 36,
37, 38, 39, 40, 47, 49, 51, 52, 54, 58, 63, 67,
74, 76, 81
Container ID...................................10, 13, 78, 80
Country Codes .............................................9, 72
Customer ...........3, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 39, 40, 48,
49, 50, 58, 59, 60, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 73,
74, 75, 76, 78, 80
A
Address
Ship-From ..................... 12, 40, 41, 42, 58, 73
Ship-To ......................... 12, 40, 41, 42, 58, 73
Alphanumeric...................................... 10, 12, 35
ANSI....... 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 26, 28, 29, 31, 36, 43,
45, 46, 63, 64, 66, 67, 73, 83, 84
Autodiscrimination.......................................... 10
D
B
Data Content ........................................15, 26, 38
Leading Spaces............................................28
Data Identifier ................................ See Identifier
Data Limits
Bar Code................................................26, 31
Text..............................................................23
DI ................................................... See Identifier
Dimensions
Bar Code........................13, 23, 27, 28, 31, 33
Label ................................................24, 32, 33
Text........11, 20, 23, 24, 25, 27, 30, 39, 40, 42
X Dimension..............................13, 28, 33, 83
DUNS .......................................9, 11, 66, 68, 84
Bar Code......... 3, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19,

20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 35, 36, 39,
43, 46, 47, 48, 49, 56, 74, 76, 78, 81, 82, 83
Dimensions ............. 13, 23, 27, 28, 29, 31, 33
Quiet Zone .............. 10, 27, 29, 31, 32, 33, 82
Side-by-Side.................. 26, 27, 30, 31, 42, 47
Start and Stop Characters.......... 10, 26, 29, 33
Symbology ......... 9, 10, 13, 14, 26, 27, 28, 29,
31, 32, 44, 56, 83
Building Block ..... 11, 17, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 30,
31, 32, 35, 36, 41, 42, 63, 81, 82
Bar Code ..... 17, 19, 25, 26, 27, 29, 31, 32, 47
Height............................ 18, 19, 24, 27, 32, 82
Size............................................ 18, 19, 23, 82
Sub-Block ........ 17, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31,
32, 38, 40, 41, 76, 77, 78
Text ....... 11, 20, 23, 25, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 77
Titles .......... 25, 27, 30, 32, 39, 41, 63, 68, 69,
75, 76, 77
Width .............................................. 18, 19, 23
E
EDI.......................................3, 11, 14, 37, 41, 67
Electronic Data Interchange....................See EDI
H
Highlighting Line...........................11, 35, 36, 37
HRI.................................................29, 30, 32, 83
Human Readable Interpretation ............. See HRI
C
Carrier ........ 3, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 42, 47, 48, 56,
58, 63, 65, 69, 82
Character ........ 10, 11, 20, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29,
31, 33, 35, 42, 56, 66, 67, 76, 77
Code 39 ......... 3, 9, 10, 14, 25, 26, 27, 28, 32, 56
Color.......................................................... 28, 32
B-10
85


I
Identifier..... 9, 10, 11, 13, 39, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68,
73
Country Codes ............................................ 72
Data (DI) .......... 11, 14, 26, 27, 29, 31, 35, 36,
38, 39, 40, 63, 66, 76, 78, 80
Package ................... 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 67, 68
Supplier/Vendor.................. 12, 13, 35, 36, 73
Unique Container......... 13, 16, 35, 36, 37, 38,
39, 40, 48, 58
Item.......................................... 11, 12, 66, 68, 70
Nonstandard Quantity Pack .............................12
O
Orientation, Label .............See Label Orientation
P
Pack....................................11, 12, 37, 38, 39, 40
Package .....10, 12, 13, 35, 36, 39, 40, 42, 47, 65,
67
Placement, Label................ See Label Placement
L
Label......... 3, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20,
23, 24, 26, 28, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,
39, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 51, 52,
53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 73, 74,
75, 76, 78, 79, 81, 82, 83
Color ..................................................... 28, 32
Data Content ................................... 15, 26, 38
Height........................................ 32, 38, 40, 50
Orientation .................................. 8, 47, 49, 51
Placement...... 8, 47, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55
Quick Receive............................................. 41
Size................................ 24, 32, 33, 38, 81, 82
Text ....................................................... 23, 38
Width .................................................... 23, 33
Labeler................... 11, 14, 19, 20, 23, 33, 56, 57
Like Parts Pack................................................ 11
Lines Per Block ..................................... See LPB
LPB .... 11, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 27, 30, 39, 40, 42,
77
Q
Quality ...........8, 9, 28, 43, 44, 45, 46, 56, 57, 79
Quiet Zone .....................................See Bar Code
S
Segment(s) ......14, 15, 16, 19, 34, 39, 40, 47, 48,
49, 56, 58, 59, 60, 61, 73
Serial Number .......16, 35, 39, 40, 48, 59, 60, 67,
73, 78
Ship-From Address .......................... See Address
Shipping Pack ..................................................12
Ship-To Address .............................. See Address
Side-by-Side Bar Codes .................See Bar Code
Spaces, Leading ...............................................28
Standard Quantity Pack ...................................12
Start and Stop Characters...............See Bar Code
Subpack............................................................12
Supplier............................................................36
Supplier/Vendor........3, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16,
34, 38, 40, 65, 66, 68, 73, 74, 77, 78, 80, 83
Supplier/Vendor ID...........12, 13, 35, 36, 58, 59,
61, 62, 68, 73, 80, 83
Symbology .....................................See Bar Code
M
Manufacturer ........................... 10, 11, 63, 66, 68
Master Label ................................................... 74
Master Load Label .......................................... 38
Master Pack......................................... 11, 12, 67
Mixed Load Label ............................... 12, 40, 74
Multiple Pack ...................................... 12, 39, 65
B-10
86


T
U
Tag(s) .......................................... 3, 8, 12, 13, 49

Text .... 14, 17, 19, 20, 23, 29, 32, 33, 35, 41, 56,
77
Data Limits ................................................. 23
Height.... 11, 20, 23, 24, 25, 27, 30, 39, 40, 42
Title(s)...... 25, 27, 30, 32, 39, 41, 63, 68, 69, 75,
76, 77
Trading Partner(s) ...... 3, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 34,
37, 41, 56, 63, 64, 67, 73, 74
Transport Container ............ 8, 13, 14, 15, 47, 56
UL/TP ........................................................11, 13
Unique Container Identifier ..........13, 16, 35, 36,
37, 38, 39, 40, 48, 58
Unit Load ......3, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 38, 40, 50,
56
V
Vendor ...........................................12, 13, 35, 65
Vendor/Supplier................. See Supplier/Vendor
Vendor/Supplier ID....... See Supplier/Vendor ID
Verification ................................................43, 45
X
X Dimension ..................................13, 28, 33, 83
B-10
87


ABOUT AIAG
Purpose Statement
To provide an open forum where members cooperate in developing and promoting solutions that enhance
the prosperity of the automotive industry. Our focus is to continuously improve business process and
practices involving trading partners throughout the supply chain.
Core Values
People Our strength comes from passionate and personally committed volunteers and staff. We provide
an environment of integrity, trust, teamwork and mutual respect to foster open, frank communication as
we achieve consensus on industry needs and solutions.
Innovation With a sense of urgency, we drive and support the development and implementation of
common, leading-edge solutions that provide value to the automotive industry and its customers.
Excellence We provide quality and excellence in all we do and how we do it.
We do whats right for the industry!
AIAG Organization
AIAG is made up of a board of directors, an executive director, associate directors, a full-time staff and
volunteers serving on project teams. Under the direction of the executive director, associate directors,
along with the managing director, department managers and program managers, plan, direct, and
coordinate the associations activities. The executive and associate directors are executives on loan from
member companies for varied lengths of time.
AIAG Projects
Member Committees focus on business processes or supporting technologies and methodologies. They
conduct research, develop, publish and provide training on standards, conventions, standard business
practices, white papers and guidelines in the areas of automatic identification, CAD/CAM,
EDI/electronic commerce, continuous quality improvement, materials and project management,
returnable containers and packaging systems, and transportation/customs.
AIAG - An Association Fostering Total Supply Chain Partnering
Southfield, MI 48034
Phone: (248) 358-3570 Orders: (248) 358-3003 Fax: (248) 358-3253
B-10
88


MAINTENANCE REQUEST FORM
Name of Submitter:
Date:
Company:
Company Address:
Phone:
Fax:
E-mail:
MAINTENANCE REQUEST
Page Number of Change:
Document Currently Reads:
Recommended Changes/Should Read:
Reason for Change (Use additional sheets if necessary):
Signature of Submitter:
DISPOSITION (AIAG USE ONLY)
Managers Recommendation:
Final Disposition:
Comments:
Note: Complete form and return to the AIAG Volunteer Programs Department for consideration.
Automotive Industry Action Group 26200 Lahser Road Suite 200 Southfield, MI 48034
Telephone: (248) 358-3570 Fax: (248) 358-3253
Web: www.aiag.org
B-10
89


AIAG B-10 Trading Partner Labels Implementation Guidline

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B-10

TRADING PARTNER LABELS

Trading Partner Labels

Issue: 02 Dated: 2/00

Trading Partner Labels

Issue: 02 Dated: 02/00

Trading Partner Labels

Symbol Technologies, Inc.

UPS Professional Services

Intermec Technologies Corporation

General Motors Corporation

Electronic Data Systems

Future Three, Inc.

General Motors Corporation

Brian St. Pierre

United Parcel Service

Denso International America, Inc.

* Co-Chair of the Work Group

Issue: 02 Dated: 2/00

Trading Partner Labels

NORMATIVE REFERENCES (SEE APPENDIX G) .......................................................................9

LABEL DATA CONTENT ............................................................................................................34

QUALITY ASSURANCE ..............................................................................................................43

LABEL PLACEMENT AND ORIENTATION ...........................................................................47

UNIQUE CONTAINER IDENTIFIER (LICENSE PLATE).................................................................34

BUILDING BLOCKS ...................................................................................................................17

SEGMENT PLACEMENT .............................................................................................................47

Issue: 02 Dated: 02/00

Trading Partner Labels

SPECIAL APPLICATION CONSIDERATIONS .......................................................................56

ADDITIONAL MACHINE-READABLE SYMBOLS ........................................................................56

10.0 LABEL EXAMPLES ......................................................................................................................58

PRECISION AND ROUNDING IN MEASUREMENT ..........................................70

APPENDIX C. COUNTRY CODES.....................................................................................................72

RECOMMENDED FORMAT FOR COMPLIANCE SPECIFICATIONS ..........74

RECOMMENDED FORMAT FOR SMALL LABELING AREA (SLA) .............81

APPENDIX G. OBTAINING NORMATIVE REFERENCES ..........................................................84

Issue: 02 Dated: 2/00

Trading Partner Labels

Suggested LPB Character Parameters .....................................................................................24

Issue: 02 Dated: 02/00

Trading Partner Labels

Issue: 02 Dated: 2/00

Trading Partner Labels

ANSI/AIM BC1: Uniform Symbology Specification - Code 39

AIM Symbology Identifier Guidelines

Issue: 02 Dated: 02/00

Trading Partner Labels

See Two-Dimensional Symbol.

The Automatic Identification Manufacturers Association.

A character set that contains alphabetic characters (letters), numeric

The American National Standards Institute.

The ability of a bar code reader to distinguish automatically between

bar code symbol

An array of rectangular bars and spaces that are arranged in a

The party that provides freight services (freight movement and

In a bar code symbol, the smallest group of elements that represents

For the purposes of this guideline, Code 39 (also known as Code 3 of

A receptacle or a flexible covering for shipping goods such as a box,

An alphanumeric field used by the shipping company to identify the

Issue: 02 Dated: 2/00

Trading Partner Labels

In a transaction, the party that receives, buys, or consumes an item or

customer part number