We at DENSO WAVE wish QR Code to be used by as many people as possible. This is the reason why we made its specifications publicly available. At present, QR Coe is standardized based on respective national standards or international standards. Therefore, anyone can obtain its specifications without worrying about their applicability.
* DENSO WAVE has waived the rights to a patent in its possession (Patent No. 2938338) for standardized QR Codes only.
History of QR Code Standardization
QR Code is standardized as shown in the table. It was approved as an international standard in June 2000. This shows that QR Code has been accepted internationally, ensuring its widespread acceptance not only in Japan, but also internationally .
QR Code Standardization
October, 1997
March, 1998
January, 1999
June, 2000
November, 2004
December 2011
Approved as AIM International (Automatic Identification Manufacturers International) standard (ISS - QR Code)
Approved as JEIDA (Japanese Electronic Industry Development Association) standard (JEIDA-55)
Approved as JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) standard (JIS X 0510)
Approved as ISO international standard (ISO/IEC18004)
Micro QR Code is Approved as JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) standard (JIS X 0510)
Approved by GS1, an international standardization organization, as a standard for mobile phones
QR Code Outline Specification
It is a outline of the QR Code specification.
Symbol size
21 x 21 - 177 x 177 modules (size grows by 4 modules/side)
Type & Amount of Data (Mixed use is possible.)
Information capacity and versions of the QR Code
Numeric
Alphanumeric
8-bit bytes (binary)
Kanji
Max. 7,089 characters
Max. 4,296 characters
Max. 2,953 characters
Max. 1,817 characters
Error correction (data restoration)
Error correction feature
Level L
Level M
Level Q
Level H
Approx. 7% of codewords can be restored.
Approx. 15% of codewords can be restored.
Approx. 25% of codewords can be restored.
Approx. 30% of codewords can be restored.
Structured appending
Max. 16 symbols (printing in a narrow area etc.)
Obtaining QR Code Specification
QR Code is established as an ISO (ISO/IEC18004) standard. QR Code specification can, therefore, be purchased from this organization.
Purchasing ISO Standards
Please search by inputting ISO No.18004 or X0510 to Search window. https://www.iso.org/home.html