What Deutsche Post Leitcode is
Leitcode is Deutsche Post's own routing-code barcode, rounding out the same postal-automation family as the already-covered Identcode. bwip-js computes its own weighted check digit, formats the human-readable text into Deutsche Post's own grouped-digit convention, and delegates the actual bar pattern to its Interleaved 2 of 5 encoder -- confirmed directly, and confirmed by rendering: Leitcode's own bars are byte-identical to calling the Interleaved 2 of 5 encoder directly with the same 14-digit value (data plus Leitcode's own computed check digit).
Generate it now
Enter your 13-digit Leitcode value to see a live preview -- bwip-js computes and appends the check digit for you.
Valid input
The value must be 13 or 14 digits ("Deutsche Post Leitcode must be 13 or 14 digits"), digits only ("Deutsche Post Leitcode must contain only digits"). With 13 digits, bwip-js computes and appends its own check digit (alternating weights of 4 and 9, reduced modulo 10 -- the identical algorithm Identcode already uses). With 14 digits, bwip-js verifies the 14th digit against that same computed value and rejects a mismatch ("Incorrect Deutsche Post Leitcode check digit provided").
Key options
Supported options include includetext (show Leitcode's own grouped-digit human-readable text) and height. bwip-js's own real default for includetext is false.
Output and printing
Export SVG for parcel/routing-label artwork or PNG for a quick proof.
Common uses
Leitcode appears on Deutsche Post/DHL mail and parcel items to encode a routing/delivery-office code within Germany's postal-automation system.
Example
See the live preview above, seeded with a bwip-js-verified valid 13-digit value.
Size guidance
Since bwip-js draws Leitcode's bars using its Interleaved 2 of 5 encoder, it shares that symbology's own bar-width and quiet-zone conventions.
Troubleshooting
A rejected value is usually the wrong digit count (13 or 14 only), a non-digit character, or -- for a 14-digit value -- a check digit that does not match bwip-js's own computed value.
Related formats
Related formats: Deutsche Post Identcode (the same postal system's parcel-identification sibling, already in this catalog) and Interleaved 2 of 5 (the underlying bar-pattern encoder Leitcode delegates to).
FAQ
Do I need to compute the Leitcode check digit myself?
No -- enter just your 13-digit value and bwip-js computes and appends the correct check digit for you (alternating weights of 4 and 9, reduced modulo 10). If you supply a 14th digit yourself, bwip-js verifies it instead and rejects a mismatch.