ARP041

ARP041

ICS 35.040; 77.140.01

ISBN 0-626-11097-1

Edition 11997

SOUTH AFRICAN BUREAU OF STANDARDS

Recommended practice

Barcoding for South AfricanARP 041

steel industry products

Published byTHE SOUTH AFRICAN BUREAU OF STANDARDS Gr 11

This standard may only be used by approved subscription and freemailing clients of the SABS.

ARP 041Ed. 1


ICS 35.040; 77.140.01 ARP 041Ed. 1

SOUTH AFRICAN BUREAU OF STANDARDS

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE

BARCODING FOR SOUTH AFRICAN STEEL INDUSTRY PRODUCTS

Obtainable from the

South African Bureau of StandardsPrivate Bag X191PretoriaRepublic of South Africa0001

Telephone : (012) 428-7911Fax : (012) 344-1568E-mail : [email protected] : http://www.sabs.co.za

COPYRIGHT RESERVED

Printed in the Republic of South Africa by theSouth African Bureau of Standards


ARP 041Ed. 1

ii

Acknowledgement

The South African Bureau of Standards wishes to acknowledge the valuable assistance rendered bythe producer mills, stockholders and distributors of the South African Iron and Steel Institute (SAISI)in investigating and establishing a standardized method of barcoding, which has been set out in thisrecommended practice and which is currently being used with accurate results.

Notice

This recommended practice was approved in accordance with SABS procedures on 17 February 1997.

It consists of a set of recommendations regarding barcoding for South African Steel Industry products.In view of the fact that it is not a specification, code of practice or standard method as defined in theStandards Act, 1993 (Act 29 of 1993), it does not qualify for incorporation by reference into anotherstandard or into legislation in terms of section 31 of the Act.

This recommended practice will be revised when necessary. Comment will be welcome and will beconsidered when the document is revised.

Enquiries and amendments to this document may be made through written application to theChairperson of the South African Iron and Steel Institute, for the attention of the Chairperson of theBarcoding Work Group.

Foreword

The Barcoding Work Group for the South African Iron and Steel Industry (BWSAISI) is a voluntary, non-profit subcommittee of the SAISI. The members of this work group are available to other role playersin the Steel Industry to assist with advice and recommendations on the barcoding of steel products.The BWSAISI is represented by the following companies and organizations:

Cape Gate (Pty) Ltd

Cape Town Iron and Steel Works

Columbus Stainless

Consolidated Wire Industries

Foodcan

Haggie Steel Wire Rope Division

Highveld Steel and Vanadium Corporation Limited

Iscor Limited

Nampak Limited

South African Reinforced Concrete Engineering Association

South African Tubemakers Association

The Association of Steel Merchant Stockholders of South Africa

Annexes A to E are for information only.

ISBN 0-626-11097-1


ARP 041Ed. 1

iii

Introduction

Steel products, such as coils, beams, columns, angles, squares and rounds, are difficult to manage inlarge stockyards where the stocks are piled and spread over wide areas.

The location of moved stock is normally known only to the individual who moved it.

Documentation that is passed from supplier to purchaser could be misplaced or worse, andtransposition of certain critical information could occur as a result of various writing styles or non-attentive staff, or both.At the end of a financial period, the administration section could experience tremendous problems whiletrying to reconcile the stocks received, produced and dispatched.

Low volumes normally do not present serious problems, since one-on-one communication can usuallysort out anomalies. Where larger volumes are concerned, the stockist may be forced to halt productionin order to track stock or perform a stock count. Barcoding, combined with a computerized informationsystem and good floor discipline, achieves almost perfect stock administration.

The principle of uniquely identifying stock when it arrives at the receiving area makes the tracing ofspecific stock simpler. Once stock has been dispatched, the details of all its movements are availableto the administration section.

Simple systems that are well managed are easier to maintain should one of the operators of the systembe unavailable.

The methods discussed in this recommended practice incorporate activities that are practised bymembers of the SAISI.


ARP 041Ed. 1

iv

Blank


ARP 041Ed. 1

v

Contents

Page

Acknowledgement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii

Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

1 Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2 Origins of barcoding in the steel industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

3 Equipment and its application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

4 Mandatory and optional fields and elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

4.1 Code 128 symbology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.2 Mandatory fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.3 Optional fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

5 Technical reasoning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

5.1 Types of labels and ribbons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45.2 Ladder versus picket-fence type barcode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55.3 Printer technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

6 The label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

6.1 Label dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86.2 Printable area, margins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86.3 Fonts and sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86.4 Placing of labels on products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96.5 Supplementary labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Annexes

A Mandatory fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

B Optional fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

C Recommended placement of labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

D Samples of local labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

E Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19


ARP 041Ed. 1

vi

Committee

SABS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W Skowronski(Chairman)M du Toit(Committee clerk)

South African Iron and Steel Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W BenadeF LabuschagneDD Smythe(Standards writers)


1

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE ARP 041Edition 1

Barcoding for South African steel industry products

1 Scope

This recommended practice covers the following topics:

a) origins of barcoding in the steel industry;

b) mandatory and optional fields and elements;

c) various symbologies and bar code label standards;

d) handling methodologies;

e) layout of a label; and

f) examples of labels.

2 Origins of barcoding in the steel industry

The optimum method of packaging and marking steel products is decided upon by steel producers,steel stockholders and their customers. The method of stockholding and stock control used plays anintegral part in the decision taken on how steel should be marked and packaged.

In the search for a solution to the problem of identifying steel by using bar codes, it soon becameapparent that not all aspects of identification could be accommodated on one label, since there weretoo many permutations of the relevant identifiers. The recipient of the label therefore has to have acomputerized information system in place, that details most of the product identification. For thisreason, it is only necessary to identify a link between the supplier and the recipient – in this case, thecustomer's or the supplier's order number and also those identifiers not yet known to the recipient'ssystem. These identifiers, named the mandatory fields, are explained in more detail in clause 4.

3 Equipment and its application

3.1 Hardware

3.1.1 The hardware that is needed for a barcoding system consists of hand-held scanners, labelprinters, input terminals, and satellite stations (where required), and the necessary communicationsequipment and cabling.


ARP 041Ed. 1

2

3.1.2 Hand-held scanners can be programmed to suit the user's environment, and are used to captureor scan information related to the receiving of an order. Scanners are typically used in areas whereaccess to a host network is limited, because they are lightweight and highly mobile and the user canreceive stock while it is still on the transport vehicle. A hand-held scanner can be used to confirm thatloaded products were scheduled for delivery.

3.1.3 A hand-held scanner has a rechargeable power pack that needs to be recharged periodicallyand the data that are collected have to be transferred/uploaded to a host computer. A docking stationthat is connected to the host computer needs to be installed at the receiving depot. Alternatively, radio-based data transfer systems require a networking services system integrated into the user's hostcomputer system.

3.1.4 Label printers have limited intelligence, since their output is dictated by the host networkresponse. These printers are typically used for the production of labels when an order is received,during production of the customer's order and when the customer's order is dispatched. The printersare generally bulky and are therefore normally not portable.

3.1.5 Transaction terminals are intelligent terminals that can be programmed to enforce the productionprocedure and to update the user's database. Terminals are used in conjunction with a label printer atthe point of production because the production process is guided through the terminal prompts.

NOTE – Whatever hardware is selected, it should conform to the technical requirements of EN 796 and EN 841.

3.2 Software

The software that is to be developed will depend on the exact requirements of the users and, sinceeach user of software has specific priorities, these priorities will dictate the phase in which software willbe developed and implemented. The main concepts to bear in mind are that hand-held scanners andinput terminals are programmed through a proprietary software language. Proprietary languages arenot necessarily transmittable for use on other makes of hand-held scanners and input terminals withoutconsiderable reprogramming.

3.3 Application of barcoding

3.3.1 The prime objective of using bar codes when receiving goods is to capture as little informationas possible while gaining the most benefit from this information. A user who wants to use barcodinghas to have some form of database in which all orders to the steel mills or stockholders, or both, canbe recorded and which, in turn, is available to their barcoding system. The natural route to implementbarcoding into any organization is to begin with the stock-receiving area.

3.3.2 When an order is placed by the user's purchasing department, the order number is the onlydirect tie that the user has with the supplier.

3.3.3 After the stock arrives at the purchaser's site, the following codes are recorded within the barcode as unknown entities that are not registered in the user's purchasing system:

– 01 Lift/bundle number

– 02 The product mass

– 03 Customer order number


ARP 041Ed. 1

3

– 04 Quantity (individual or in bundle)

– 05 Supplier's mill or stockholder's order number

and any other necessary identifiable characteristics and features of the stock.

NOTE – See table A.1 of annex A.

For user convenience, the date and time should be printed, in human readable format, on the label atthe time of label production. This will assist with internal product tracking and selecting in a manualenvironment. The complete bar code information is then downloaded to the host database so that thestock can be identified for action within the user's organization.

3.3.4 The user may use a label that was supplied along with the product, or the product can be taggedby means of a barcoded label attached to it to uniquely identify the product on the user's database.Other necessary information can be printed on the label in human readable format or in barcodedformat.

3.3.5 At some stage, the exact physical location of the stock items can be recorded and uploaded tothe host database.

3.3.6 Once the stock is scheduled for delivery or for further production, the stock can be identified bymeans of a scanner.

NOTE – The use of barcoded tracking can significantly improve the method of locating and selecting stock for productionor dispatch.

3.3.7 The production process can be governed through preprogrammed transaction terminals. Thebarcoded stock labels can be read prior to the start of production to prevent the wrong stock from beingselected or loaded for production or for dispatch. At the end of a logical step in the production process,new or additional barcoded labels can be produced to identify subsequent stock.

3.3.8 When a product is loaded for delivery, the loading team can ensure that the product is relevantto the customer's order through the use of the barcoded labels produced at either the time of productionor the time of receiving.

3.3.9 The labels used during this process can now be adopted by the next receiver in a similar cycleto the above.

4 Mandatory and optional fields and elements

4.1 Code 128 symbology

There is a wide variety of barcode symbologies. Through testing and experience, it was decided to usethe code 128 symbology, since it is an all-encompassing international standard symbology.

4.2 Mandatory fields

All the barcoded fields consist of a two-character prefix plus the field. The field should not exceed themaximum number of characters specified in table A.1 of annex A.

The purpose of the prefix is to act as an identifier for the scanner and for all concerned parties to knowwhich field is represented. The prefix should also be printed in human readable form as part of the fieldheading.


ARP 041Ed. 1

4

Five fields have been made mandatory in order to enable the supplier and the purchaser to identify anyproduct in a similar manner. Another important reason is that these five elements are necessary toupdate computer systems when material is received or dispatched.

The five fields are mandatory since these data are not necessarily available when an attempt is beingmade to tie goods that are being received to the original order in the user's purchase order database.The five fields are:

– 01 Lift/ bundle number

– 02 The product mass

– 03 Customer order number

– 04 Quality (individual or in bundle)

– 05 Supplier's mill or stockholder's order number

4.3 Optional fields

Optional fields also make use of a two-character prefix. The same rule, as far as the maximum lengthis concerned, applies. For field lengths and prefixes, see annex B.

5 Technical reasoning

5.1 Types of labels and ribbons

It is advisable to make use of one of the following materials to ensure the best results:

a) Labels:

1) polypropylene labels, and

2) polyester labels;

b) Ribbons:

resin ribbon;

c) Label materials that

1) resist salt residue,

2) withstand water,

3) withstand wind,

4) withstand ultraviolet radiation,

5) retain adhesiveness, and

6) are acid resistant.


ARP 041Ed. 1

5

5.2 Ladder versus picket-fence type barcoding

5.2.1 Picket fence bar code

A horizontal bar code or picket-fence type bar code is presented as an array of vertical bars that lookrather like a picket fence. An example of this recommended printing method is given in figure 1.

Figure 1 — Example of a picket-fence bar-code image

5.2.2 Ladder bar code (not recommended)

Good accurate printing quality is required if a barcoded label is to be of any use. Since the label mightbe exposed to natural elements, poor printing quality will degrade further. The ladder-type bar codeshould be avoided. An example of a ladder bar code is given in figure 2.

Figure 2 — Example of a ladder-type bar-code


ARP 041Ed. 1

6

5.2.3 Concatenation of fields

Concatenation of fields is not recommended for the following reasons:

a) if a bar code is damaged, all information is lost; and

b) if the data have to be captured manually because the label has been damaged,

1) long strings of data are difficult to read and therefore manual capture might be incorrect,

2) the small numbers are difficult to read under poor light conditions, resulting in charactertransposition, and

3) editing of long manually captured information strings reduces the benefit of automaticidentification methods.

5.2.4 2D or stacked symbologies and 3D matrix symbologies

5.2.4.1 General

The barcoding industry has developed multidimensional bar-code symbologies. These symbologiesare capable of storing substantially more information than the simplistic symbologies that are currentlyin use. An example is given in figure 3.

5.2.4.2 2D or stacked symbologies

This symbology has the appearance of a number of bar codes that have been stacked upon oneanother. The start and end bars are identical but the bars on the inside are different. The height of eachof the bar codes has the same relevance to the data as the line pattern does. An example is given infigure 3.

Figure 3 — Example of a PDF 417 stacked bar-code image

5.2.4.3 3D matrix symbologies

The 3D matrix symbology is capable of storing high volumes of data and, in some cases, managingerror correction. An example of this symbology, the "Data code", resembles a square block withapparently random dots/squares scattered within the square, not unlike a crossword block. An exampleis given in figure 4.


ARP 041Ed. 1

7

Figure 4 — Example of a "data code" bar-code image

This multidimensional technology is not suitable in the steel industry, since the application of thistechnology requires delicate specialized equipment. The equipment is complex and can, at best, beoperated from a static position (i.e. a bench), which makes it logistically unsuitable for use in the steelindustry.

5.3 Printer technologies

The suggested printer to be used is a thermal transfer printer. Such a printer is capable of high qualityprinting of bar-code symbologies. The printing process is a heat process in which a ribbon medium istransferred onto the label.

The printer label moves out of the printer in a set direction.

The print heads of the dedicated label printers are instructed to start printing the label bar-code elementlines.

The printer is instructed to print for a specific time as the physical label passes across the print head.

The printer is instructed to apply full heat levels at the beginning and reduce the heat level after the firstpoint of heat emission (pixel) has printed.

The printer is instructed to switch off the heating at a specific instance.

A wide printing area of the printer head will retain more latent heat than a single pixel on the printinghead. Therefore the print head will cool down at a slower rate in the middle of the print area and aneffect best described as a "bow" would become more obvious.

Large thick horizontal (in relation to the print direction) lines demonstrate this phenomenon best.

Each line in the element is calculated so that the spaces and lines are a specific ratio apart.

The "bow" effect will create an erratic space-to-line ratio when printing ladder format bar-codeelements.

This can cause these bar-code elements not to be read. Ladder format bar-codes are therefore notrecommended.


ARP 041Ed. 1

1) The Bar Code book, Rodger C. Palmer 1989, Helmas Publishing. ISBN 0-1911261-06-0 (hard cover) ISBN 0-1911261-05-2 (soft cover).

8

Fig. 5 — Illustration of "bleeding" on the ladder oriented label image

Further technical reading: THE BAR CODE BOOK.1)

6 The label

6.1 Label dimensions

The following measurements are not prescriptive but they have been recommended because highdensities of information on small labels tend to make the labels confusing and difficult to read.

The following dimensions are recommended:

a) minimum size: 106 mm x 64 mm; and

b) maximum size: 106 mm x 270 mm.

6.2 Printable area, margins

Printing may appear anywhere on the label. The only requirement is that all bar codes have an unusedzone of at least 10 mm at the beginning and at the end of the bar code.

Individual bar codes might not be on the same plane, since users of automatic scanners have nocontrol over the reading scan initiated by these units. The scanner might begin reading a bar code fromeither the left or the right, and this will determine which bar code is read first. Bar codes should bestaggered in such a way that there will be no confusion about which bar code should have been readand which one was actually read. Bar codes may not overlap.

A minimum margin of 2 mm is required on all labels. The 2 mm margin ensures that all printing is stillreadable if a label is not lined up properly.

6.3 Fonts and sizes

Human readable text must be printed with all bar codes. A minimum bar code height of 10 mm isrequired for effective scanning. The fonts used should suit the available label area. An example is givenin figure 6.


ARP 041Ed. 1

9

Figure 6 — Example of a label with human readable text

6.4 Placing of labels on product

See annex C for recommendations on the placement of labels, in order to achieve the best scanningresults and the minimum damage to the labels.

6.5 Supplementary labels

Supplementary labels are allowed. These labels should be used in accordance with the specificcustomer requirements, for example harbour label (destination harbour). It is not necessary to haveseparate label layouts for local and export material. The same layout may be used for both.


ARP 041Ed. 1

10

Annex A(informative)

Mandatory fields

Table A.1 — Mandatory fields

1 2 3

Prefix Description Max.characters

01 Lift number/bundle number 10 char.1)

02 Mass 9 num.2)

The last three characters represent the decimal value.When a decimal value is included, the decimalcomma (,) must be used. Thus without the comma, thefield is eight characters and with the comma, ninecharacters

e.g.99999,999

03 Customer order number 20 char.

The order line number may be appended as the lastthree digits.Order number XX876453 line 3 would be represented asXX876453003. Thus the field length will be 23characters.

04 Quantity 4 num.

05 Supplier mill order number 20 char.

1) char.: characters are letters A, B, C through to Z; a through to z and numbers 0 up to 9.A decimal comma may also be used.

2) num.: numbers 0, 1, 2 up to 9. A decimal comma may also be used.


ARP 041Ed. 1

11

Annex B(informative)

Optional fields

Table B.1 — Optional fields

1 2 3

Prefix Description Max.characters

06 Profile description(e.g. ISBeam, hot-rolled plate)

30 char.2)

07 Bar diameter1) 6 num.3)

(Used for round profiles)Unit of measure is millimetres3 digits allocated to decimal

e.g.99,999

08 Length1) 5 num.

(Long products, expressed in metres)3 digits allocated to decimal

e.g.9,999

09 kg/m of the profile1) 9 num.

(kg/m factor pertaining to the profile)3 digits allocated to decimal

e.g.99999,999

10 Profile size1) 30 char.

(e.g. 305 mm x 305 mm x 240 kg/m)

11 Steel grade of quality of product(e.g. BS4360 43A (C,22))

30 char

1) In the case of exports to non-metric countries, this factor might have to bechanged.

2) char.: characters are letters A, B, C through to Z; a, b, c through to z andnumbers 0, 1, 2 up to 9. A decimal comma may also be used.



ARP 041Ed. 1

12

Table B.1 (concluded)

1 2 3

Prefix Description Max.character

12 Wall thickness1) 6 num.

(Used in the pipe industry)3 digits allocated to decimal

e.g.99,999

13 SITA 6 num.

(SITA = System International Tin-plate Area)3 digits allocated to decimal

e.g. 99,999

14 Colour 30 char.

(Used for colour coating or marking)

15 Cast number 10 char.

(Number of the cast as produced by producer)

16 Roll number 10 char.

(Mainly for wire rod users. The sequence number of theroll within a specific cast)

17 Carbon content

(Expressed as a percentage carbon of the cast.Used mainly when describing high-carbon wire rod)4 digits allocated to decimals

7 num.

e.g.99,9999

1) In the case of exports to non-metric countries, this factor might have to be changed.

2) char. : characters are letters A, B, C through to Z; a, b, c through to z and numbers 0,1, 2 up to 9. A decimal comma may also be used.



ARP 041Ed. 1

13

Annex C(informative)

Recommended placement of labels

If wall height (1a) is too small for label,put label on outside of coil (1b).Label inside coil (1c).

Figure C.1 — Covered packed – Coils Figure C.2 — Open packed – Coils

Figure C.3 — Coil – Eye-to-the-sky


ARP 041Ed. 1

14

If height of stack (1a) is too small for label,put label on top of stack (1b).

Figure C.4 — Covered packed – Sheets Figure C.5 — Open packed – Sheets

Figure C.6 — Angle iron Figure C.7 — Round bar/pipes/rods/flats


ARP 041Ed. 1

15

Figure C.8 — Wire rod – Coil Figure C.9 — Wire rod – Coil – Eye-to-the-sky

Figure C.10 — Plates (Export option)


ARP 041Ed. 1

16

Figure C.11 — Bar mill coil/slit strip


ARP 041Ed. 1

17

Annex D(informative)

Samples of local labels

Figure D.1


ARP 041Ed. 1

18

Figure D.2


ARP 041Ed. 1

19

Annex E(informative)

Bibliography

EN 796, Bar coding symbology identifiers.

EN 841, Bar coding – Symbology specifications – Format description.

Palmer, R.C. The Bar Code Book. Helmer Publishing, 1989. (hard cover: ISBN 0-1911261-06-0; soft cover: ISBN 0-191261-05-2)

sabs pta(pdf)


Documents

ARP041