What HIBC Code 39 is
HIBC Code 39 is the Code 39 member of the Health Industry Business Communications family, alongside the already-covered HIBC Code 128, HIBC QR Code, and HIBC Data Matrix. bwip-js computes/validates its own HIBC Modulo-43 check character, then delegates the actual bar-pattern drawing to its Code 39 encoder -- confirmed directly, the same shape as HIBC Code 128's own delegation to Code 128.
Generate it now
Enter your HIBC data to see a live preview -- bwip-js computes and appends the HIBC check character for you.
Valid input
The value must not be empty ("The data must not be empty") and must contain only digits, capital letters, spaces, and the symbols -.$/+% (HIBC's own 43-character set, "HIBC Code 39 must contain only digits, capital letters, spaces and the symbols -.$/+%"), up to 500 characters. With validatecheck left at its real default (false), bwip-js computes and appends its own Modulo-43 check character; turning validatecheck on requires the input to already include one and rejects a mismatch.
Key options
Supported options include includetext, height, and validatecheck (validate an existing check character instead of computing one). hibccode39 declares no includetext or height option of its own -- it forwards its own live options unchanged to its Code 39 delegate, which owns both options and re-derives them from that same data (the identical pass-through shape already used elsewhere in this catalog for pharmacode/databarstacked). bwip-js's own real default for validatecheck is false.
Output and printing
Export SVG for hospital/pharmacy label artwork or PNG for a quick proof.
Common uses
HIBC Code 39 appears on healthcare and medical product labels using the Health Industry Business Communications labeling standard, where a linear (non-2D) symbology is the established convention.
Example
See the live preview above, seeded with a bwip-js-verified valid value.
Size guidance
Since bwip-js draws HIBC Code 39's bars using its Code 39 encoder, it shares that symbology's own bar-width and quiet-zone conventions.
Troubleshooting
A rejected value is usually an empty payload, a character outside HIBC's own 43-character set, or -- with validatecheck on -- a trailing character that does not match bwip-js's own computed check character ("Incorrect HIBC Code 39 check digit provided").
Related formats
Related formats: HIBC Code 128, HIBC QR Code, and HIBC Data Matrix (the other HIBC-family carriers already in this catalog) and Code 39 (the underlying bar-pattern encoder this capability delegates to).
FAQ
Do I need to compute the HIBC check character myself?
No -- leave validatecheck at its default (off) and bwip-js computes and appends the Modulo-43 check character for you. Turn validatecheck on only if your input already includes a check character you want verified.