Bulk Generate Code 39 Barcodes

The Alphanumeric Standard

When setting up an internal inventory management system, you need a barcode symbology that is universally supported by almost every scanner on the market and can encode alphanumeric characters. Code 39 is the original, battle-tested standard for exactly this purpose.

Whether you are tagging office assets like laptops (e.g., LAPTOP-001) or labeling warehouse stock keeping units (SKUs) on shelving units, Code 39 provides a robust, easy-to-read solution that natively supports letters, numbers, and hyphens.

Generating Thousands at Once

Manually typing in SKUs one by one to generate barcodes for an entire warehouse is an exercise in frustration. That is why modern operations rely on bulk generation tools.

Using a Bulk Barcode Generator, the workflow is dramatically simplified:

1. Copy the column of SKUs from your Excel or Google Sheets inventory master list.
2. Paste the list into the bulk generator.
3. Select "Code 39" as the output format.
4. Download a single, print-ready PDF containing hundreds of perfectly formatted labels.

Code 39 vs. Code 128 for Inventory

While Code 39 is universally compatible, it is a "wide" barcode. If your SKUs are very long (e.g., more than 12 characters) and your physical label size is small, you might run out of room. In those cases, you should switch your bulk export to Code 128, which is much denser and takes up less physical width.