Where Is Interleaved 2 of 5 (ITF) Used? Practical Locations and Applications

Interleaved 2 of 5 (ITF) is a linear barcode symbology favored for carton-level identification in supply chain operations. If you’re wondering where you’ll commonly encounter ITF in the real world, this article covers the physical locations, business processes, and specific applications where ITF excels.

Common physical locations

• Outer cartons and master cartons: ITF is most often printed directly on or applied as a label to corrugated shipping cartons. It identifies the contents of a case and supports receiving, put-away, and shipping processes.
• Pallet labels: Although pallet labels often use other symbologies, ITF can appear on pallet-level labels when the data to be encoded is numeric and simple. ITF is sometimes used alongside a human-readable pallet ID.
• Shipping and packing stations: Case printers mounted on packing lines frequently produce ITF labels and apply them automatically to boxes as they leave the line.
• Receiving docks and conveyor systems: ITF-coded cartons are scanned on conveyor belts, at dock doors, or during automated sortation to route shipments.

Typical business processes and workflows

• Receiving: When inbound cartons arrive at a distribution center, staff or automated scanners read the ITF to validate contents and update inventory systems.
• Inventory and putaway: ITF lets warehouse management systems track carton movement from dock to storage location.
• Order picking and replenishment: Pickers and automated systems scan carton-level ITF during pick-and-pack operations to confirm the right case is used in order fulfillment.
• Shipping and manifesting: Shippers scan ITF to prepare manifests, confirm carton counts, and verify shipment composition.

Industries that commonly use ITF

• Consumer packaged goods (CPG): Large volumes of boxed goods moving through distribution centers often use ITF on cases for fast scanning.
• Food and beverage: Outer-case labeling favors ITF because it tolerates lower print quality and the corrugated substrates common in food supply chains.
• Apparel and footwear: Merchandise is typically packed in master cartons; ITF helps warehouses quickly identify case contents without opening them.
• Electronics and industrial goods: Components and spare parts shipped in cases can be tracked with ITF identifiers.

Standards-driven uses

ITF is often used as the carrier for standardized identifiers. The most familiar example is ITF-14, which is used to encode a 14-digit GTIN on outer packaging. Many retailers and large distributors require suppliers to label outer cases with ITF-14 to support automated receiving and scanning.

Where ITF is not ideal

ITF is rarely used on individual retail product labels (for example, the barcode scanned at point of sale). UPC and EAN are the dominant symbologies for shelf-level scanning. ITF is also not suitable for small items where a 2D barcode would be more space-efficient, or for labels that must contain alphanumeric, structured data such as batch numbers combined with expiration dates unless combined with other barcode types or GS1 application identifiers using GS1-128.

Label placement and environment considerations

1. Place ITF on the broad, flat face of a carton rather than on corners or edges to avoid distortion during scanning.
2. Avoid printing ITF over seams or where tape or straps will obscure the code.
3. Ensure adequate quiet zones (blank margins) around the barcode; this helps scanners detect the start and stop patterns.
4. When printing directly to corrugated material, test with the actual substrate and ink to verify contrast and readability.

Examples of real-world applications

• A multinational beverage distributor applies ITF-14 to each case so distribution center scanners can record inbound shipments quickly and accurately.
• An e-commerce 3PL scans ITF barcodes to route cartons through automated sortation and to confirm carton contents during returns processing.
• A manufacturing plant prints ITF on boxes heading to multiple warehouses; each receiving site scans the ITF to reconcile deliveries against purchase orders.

Integration with systems

ITF is supported by most modern WMS and label-printing solutions. When you create an ITF label, the printing software typically takes the numeric identifier (for example, a GTIN-14 or internal carton number), formats it for ITF encoding, and prints the corresponding bars and spaces. Systems also log scans and feed the decoded numeric data into inventory and order-management workflows.

Summary

Interleaved 2 of 5 shows up where numeric carton-level identification is needed: outer cartons, packing lines, receiving docks, and distribution centers across industries such as CPG, food and beverage, apparel, and electronics. It’s a practical choice for rough substrates and high-volume logistics processes, but not intended for item-level retail barcoding or mixed alphanumeric data needs.