# rMQR — the rectangular Micro QR code

> rMQR is a rectangular QR variant standardised as ISO/IEC 23941 in 2022. Its 32 sizes run from 7 to 17 modules tall and 27 to 139 wide, holding up to 361 alphanumeric characters or 219 bytes. It suits shelf edges and cable labels, but phone cameras largely cannot read it yet.

Source: https://useqr.app/docs/basics/rmqr-rectangular-micro-qr · Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · UseQR is free forever, MIT licensed, no signup.

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## Why a rectangular QR code exists

A square code wastes a narrow surface. A cable label, a shelf-edge ticket, the side of a
vial, the edge of a PCB — these offer generous width and almost no height, geometry that
1D barcodes have owned for fifty years precisely because they are strips. rMQR
(Rectangular Micro QR) brings QR's capacity and error correction to that strip-shaped
world. It became an international standard, **ISO/IEC 23941, in 2022** — making it the
newest member of the QR family and a separate document from the main
[ISO/IEC 18004](/docs/basics/qr-code-standards-iso-18004) standard.

## The shapes and what they hold

rMQR defines **32 sizes**: heights of 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 or 17 modules, widths from 27 to
139. At the extremes:

| Symbol | Modules | Shape |
|---|---|---|
| Smallest | 7 × 43 | a strip thinner than most barcodes |
| Largest | 17 × 139 | holds **505 numeric / 361 alphanumeric / 219 bytes** |

For comparison, [Micro QR](/docs/basics/micro-qr-code) tops out at 35 digits and a
standard version 40 QR at 7,089 — rMQR sits usefully between them, carrying a serial
number, a GS1 identifier or a short URL in a shape neither sibling manages.

Structurally, an rMQR symbol has one full [finder pattern](/glossary/finder-pattern) in
the top-left and a smaller finder sub-pattern in the bottom-right corner, with corner and
[alignment patterns](/glossary/alignment-pattern) keeping long symbols geometrically
honest. Error correction comes in two levels only — **M (15%) and H (30%)** — dropping L
and Q from the standard set.

## The catch: who can read it

Support is the whole question with rMQR, and in 2026 the answer is still "check first":

- **Phone cameras:** largely no. Stock iPhone and Android camera apps do not detect rMQR.
- **Industrial imagers:** increasingly yes — Denso Wave and other major reader
  manufacturers support it, and it is aimed squarely at their market.
- **Software:** patchy. Some open-source generators produce it; mainstream decode
  libraries mostly do not yet.

That makes the deployment rule identical to Micro QR's: **rMQR is for closed loops where
you specify the reading hardware.** Put it on a consumer-facing label today and you have
printed a decoration. If the surface is narrow but the public must scan it, the honest
options are a small standard QR beside the text, or
[a 1D barcode](/docs/basics/qr-code-vs-barcode) if the payload is a simple identifier for
your own systems.

## Where it genuinely fits

Cable and wire marking, pharmaceutical vials and blisters, shelf-edge labels, PCB edges,
cylindrical parts where a square code would wrap into
[unreadable curvature](/docs/print/qr-codes-on-curved-surfaces) — anywhere with one long
dimension, a controlled scanner fleet, and more data than a barcode carries comfortably.
Whatever the surface, run the symbol through your actual production reader before
committing a print run, the same [verify-before-print habit](/docs/how-to/how-to-test-a-qr-code-before-printing)
that applies to every code format.

## FAQ

### What is an rMQR code?
rMQR, Rectangular Micro QR, is a QR variant standardised as ISO/IEC 23941 in 2022. It comes in 32 rectangular sizes from 7 x 43 to 17 x 139 modules, storing up to 361 alphanumeric characters or 219 bytes.

### Can a phone scan an rMQR code?
Generally not yet. Stock camera apps on iPhone and Android do not detect rMQR. It is designed for industrial imagers, which increasingly support it, so it belongs in closed systems where you choose the reader.

### How much data does an rMQR code hold?
The largest symbol, 17 x 139 modules, holds 505 numeric characters, 361 alphanumeric characters or 219 bytes. Error correction is available at 15% or 30%, and capacity falls as correction rises.

### What is rMQR used for?
Narrow surfaces in industrial settings: cable labels, vials, blister packs, shelf-edge tickets and PCB marking. It carries more than a 1D barcode or Micro QR in the same strip-shaped footprint.

## Try it

- https://useqr.app/text
- https://useqr.app/url
- https://useqr.app/validate