QR Code Capacity in Number of Characters

One of the most frequently asked questions that we get is:

How much information can I store in a QR Code?

The short answer to this question is 7,089 numeric characters (without spaces) or 2,953 alphanumeric characters with spaces and punctuation.

However, it must be noted that:

• This QR Code will have 177 rows and 177 columns (known as modules) making it a very large QR Code
• The scannability of this QR Code will have low tolerance to damage as the error correction is low

While technically, a QR Code can store this much information, it is not advisable to create such a large QR Code unless you have sophisticated scanners that can decode these.

The amount of information a QR Code can store depends on three factors – size, error correction, and character-type.

Read this ultimate guide on All About QR Codes

1. Version

Depending on the size, a QR Code has 40 categories (1-40). Version 1 contains 21 rows and columns of data (called modules) and Version 40 has of 177 modules.

(Image Source: Qrcode.com)

Higher the version, higher the capacity to store information.

2. Error Correction

Error correction is added to QR Codes to ensure that the code is scannable even if it gets somewhat damaged or dirty. There are four levels of Error Correction – L, M, Q, and H.

(Image Source: Qrcode.com)

L is selected for dirt-free environments, M is most common, and Q & H should be used in factory environments where the QR Code label is subject to wear and tear.

When error correction of a QR Code increases, the overall capacity of the QR Code goes down as error correction takes up character space.

3. Character Type

Typically, QR Codes can have two types of characters – Numeric (without spaces) and Alphanumeric (with spaces and punctuation).

If the characters are only numeric (such as in ID cards or inventory management), then the capacity of a QR Code is higher than if the characters are alphanumeric with spaces and punctuation.

Assuming Error Correction to be M, here is the capacity (in number of characters) of each version:

Version	Numeric only	Alphanumeric (with spaces and punctuation)
1	34	14
2	63	26
3	101	42
4	149	62
5	202	84
6	255	106
7	293	122
8	365	152
9	432	180
10	513	213
11	604	251
12	691	287
13	796	331
14	871	362
15	991	412
16	1,082	450
17	1,212	504
18	1,346	560
19	1,500	624
20	1,600	666
21	1,708	711
22	1,872	779
23	2,059	857
24	2,188	911
25	2,395	997
26	2,544	1,059
27	2,701	1,125
28	2,857	1,190
29	3,035	1,264
30	3,289	1,370
31	3,486	1,452
32	3,693	1,538
33	3,909	1,628
34	4,134	1,722
35	4,343	1,809
36	4,588	1,911
37	4,775	1,989
38	5,039	2,099
39	5,313	2,213
40	5,596	2,331

For capacity at error correction levels L, Q, and H, refer to the original source.