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Logistics & Supply Chain vocabulary · Tracking and Performance

Barcode

Meaning in logistics & supply chain, with examples

/ˈbɑːrkoʊd/nounCore term

In logistics & supply chain, barcode means: A pattern of printed lines or squares that a scanner reads to identify a product, package or pallet quickly and without typing.

In Turkish: barkod

How it is used

Used at every step, from receiving and put-away to picking, shipping and retail checkout. You scan or print barcodes; labels can carry 1D barcodes or 2D codes such as QR and Data Matrix. Pallet labels often follow the GS1 standard with an SSCC number.

Example sentences

  1. Every carton has to be scanned by its barcode before it is loaded.

  2. The barcode on the label was damaged, so the item had to be entered by hand.

Common collocations

  • scan a barcode
  • barcode label
  • barcode scanner
  • print barcodes
  • RFIDShort for radio-frequency identification: technology that uses small tags and radio waves to identify and track items without needing a direct line of sight.
  • SKUShort for stock keeping unit: a unique code for one specific version of a product, so that each size, colour or pack type can be counted and tracked separately.
  • WMSShort for warehouse management system: software that controls warehouse operations such as receiving, put-away, stock locations, picking and shipping.
  • pickingThe warehouse task of taking the right items in the right quantities from their storage locations to fill customer orders.
  • goods receiptThe process of accepting delivered goods into a warehouse, checking them against the order and recording them in the stock system.

More terms: Tracking and Performance

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