Free tool · updated October 29, 2026

QR code size checker.

Content and card in, minimum print size out, worked from the code’s real grid and a published module size.

What the code holds
Counted in bytes, as the encoder counts it. With JavaScript on, only the count leaves your browser.
The code alone, without its margin. 1 inch is 25.4mm.
Data
27 byteslevel M, 15 bytes to spare
Grid
29×29version 3
Smallest print
0.58 in14.7mm with margin; code alone 11.5mm
Comfortable
0.72 in18.3mm with margin, at GS1’s target

It fits. At GS1’s target module the code and its margin take 36% of the card’s 2 in (50.8mm) short side.

The shortest code is a short link.

A free Cardr card’s QR holds only cardr.co/yourname, so it prints small and stays right when your details change: the page behind it is what you edit.

See QR code business cards →

This QR code size checker gives the smallest a code can print from what it holds and the card it goes on. It finds the grid the way the encoder does, multiplies by GS1’s published module size, adds the ISO/IEC 18004 quiet zone, and says whether it fits a 3.5 by 2 inch card.

At a glance

Four codes, four sizes.

What a link, a LinkedIn profile and two vCards need on a US card.

Minimum printed size by what the code holds (error correction M, four-module margin included)
What it holdsBytesGridAt 0.396mm a moduleAt 0.495mmOn a 3.5 x 2 in card
A Cardr card link 27 29×29 (v3) 0.58 in (14.7mm) 0.72 in (18.3mm) Fits, 36% of the height
A LinkedIn profile 47 33×33 (v4) 0.64 in (16.2mm) 0.8 in (20.3mm) Fits, 40% of the height
A lean vCard 191 57×57 (v10) 1.01 in (25.7mm) 1.27 in (32.2mm) Fits, 63% of the height
A full vCard with address 401 77×77 (v15) 1.33 in (33.7mm) 1.66 in (42.1mm) Fits, 83% of the height

Example contents; the people and companies are made up. Grids are the encoder’s, in byte mode.

The method

Five steps, all published.

No rule of thumb. The full reasoning is in our business card QR code size guide.

3.5 × 2 in cardExample
  1. 01

    Count the bytes

    Every character in a link is one byte; an accented letter is two or more. A vCard counts every line, label and line break.

  2. 02

    Find the version

    The smallest of the 40 versions whose capacity at your error correction level holds the data. Version 1 is 21 modules across and each version adds four (Denso Wave).

  3. 03

    Multiply by the module size

    GS1 publishes a QR module of at least 0.396mm, with 0.495mm as the target (GS1 UK). Modules across × module size is the code itself.

  4. 04

    Add the quiet zone

    ISO/IEC 18004 asks for 4 blank modules on every side, so add 8 modules to the width. That total is the space the code needs on the card.

  5. 05

    Check it fits, then proof it

    Compare the total with the card’s short side, then print one proof on the real stock and scan it with two phones before ordering.

Keep going

Related tools and guides.

GuideBusiness card QR code size

The arithmetic behind this checker, with real encodes.

 MetalQR codes on metal cards

How engraved Cardr Metal codes scanned, measured.

 Free toolLinkedIn QR code generator

A code for your profile, with its print size worked out.

 Free toolvCard QR code generator

A code that saves your contact straight to a phone.
Questions

Size questions.

What is the minimum size for a QR code?

There is no single figure, because it depends on how many modules the code has. Multiply the modules across, plus 8 for the margin, by GS1’s minimum module of 0.396mm. A short link (a 29 by 29 grid) comes to about 0.58 inch; a vCard with an address (77 by 77) needs 1.33 inch. The checker above does the arithmetic for your content.

What size should a QR code be on a business card?

For a short link, 0.58 to 0.72 inch square including its margin. For a vCard holding your details, check it: a lean one needs 1.01 to 1.27 inch, and a full one with an address and two numbers takes 66% to 83% of a 2 inch card’s height.

Does the quiet zone count towards the size?

Yes. ISO/IEC 18004 requires 4 modules of blank space on every side, and a code printed without it may not scan however sharp it is. The checker includes it in every figure it calls a print size.

Why does more data make the QR code bigger?

More data needs more modules, a higher version. At a fixed printed size every module gets smaller, so to keep each module above the minimum the whole code has to grow. That is why a link prints smaller than the details themselves.

Which error correction level should I use?

M, the level most generators use, restores about 15% of a damaged code (Denso Wave). L makes a smaller grid and suits a clean card; Q and H tolerate more damage, or a logo in the middle, at the cost of more modules.

What about the 10 to 1 distance rule?

You will see it everywhere: scan distance is ten times the code’s width. We could not find a primary source for it, so this checker does not use it. The module size is the part with a published standard behind it.

Does an engraved metal card need a bigger code?

Engraving reads differently from ink. Our metal QR results show how real Cardr Metal codes scanned, with their grids and sizes.

The card behind one code.

  • One code, any size
  • Saves to their phone
  • Free, no card details
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More on NFC and QR codes

Start with QR codes and NFC on business cards: Two ways to hand over your details, and where each one fails.

Every guide on NFC and QR codes

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