# iQR code

> iQR is a proprietary matrix code from Denso Wave, the inventor of the QR code. It can be square or rectangular, packs the same data into roughly 30% less area, and scales far beyond version 40 — but phones cannot read it, so it lives in industrial scanners, not marketing.

Source: https://useqr.app/glossary/iqr · Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · UseQR is free forever, MIT licensed, no signup.

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## What it improves

Announced by Denso Wave in 2011, iQR reworks the QR format for industrial marking. Denso
Wave's published figures: the same data in about **30% less area** than a standard QR code,
or roughly **80% more data** at the same size, with a maximum symbol far beyond
[version](/glossary/version) 40 — around **40,000 digits** against QR's 7,089. It also
offers rectangular formats for narrow surfaces such as cylinder edges and PCB margins, and
an optional error-correction level above QR's H.

## Why you have almost certainly never scanned one

iQR is not part of ISO/IEC 18004 and is not implemented by phone camera apps, ZXing, or any
mainstream decoder. Reading one requires Denso Wave-licensed scanners and software, which
confines iQR to closed industrial loops — parts tracking inside factories that control both
the printer and the scanner.

For public-facing work the practical alternatives already exist inside the open standard
family: a higher-version [QR code](/glossary/qr-code) for more capacity,
[Micro QR](/glossary/micro-qr) for tiny square spaces, or [rMQR](/glossary/rmqr) — the
*standardised* rectangular option (ISO/IEC 23941) — for narrow ones. If your audience
carries phones, generate a standard code and [verify it decodes](/validate).

## FAQ

### Can a phone scan an iQR code?
No. iQR is proprietary to Denso Wave and requires licensed reader software. Phone cameras and mainstream decoding libraries only support the open ISO-standardised family: QR, Micro QR and rMQR.

### What is the difference between iQR and rMQR?
Both offer rectangular formats. rMQR is an open ISO standard (ISO/IEC 23941) with growing decoder support; iQR is proprietary, denser and larger-capacity, but readable only inside Denso Wave's ecosystem.

## Try it

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