Coding and marking determine how products are identified, verified, and tracked from manufacturing to retail. This page covers labeling and industrial inkjet, laser, and smart packaging trends, and it connects equipment choices to measurable print-quality and scanning performance standards. You’ll also see how consumer checks, planned investments in new labeling tools, and the downstream costs of misreads and reverse logistics shape the industry’s direction.
Key Takeaways
- The global label market was valued at about $45.2 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach about $60.5 billion by 2030 (CAGR ~4.5%), reflecting demand for labeling and marking materials
- The global industrial inkjet printing market was valued at $1.8 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $5.7 billion by 2030 (CAGR ~18.2%), supporting the coding/marking shift toward digital printing
- The global industrial laser market size was $8.3 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $17.2 billion by 2030 (CAGR ~11.2%), underpinning laser-based marking growth
- In the EU, 69% of consumers say they check product information/labels before purchase (Eurobarometer data), which supports continued investment in legible, compliant product marking
- In a 2024 survey by Label & Narrow Web Association, 62% of respondents planned to invest in additional labeling or coding equipment in the next 12 months, indicating active adoption demand
- In 2023, the EPCglobal/GS1 community reported billions of EPCs scanned each day globally, reflecting broad adoption of identification markings
- The EU’s Falsified Medicines Directive implementation included a requirement for Unique Identifiers on prescription medicines starting 2019, leading to widespread adoption of serialization and corresponding marking
- The IEA (International Energy Agency) reported that industrial energy efficiency improvements can reduce energy intensity by ~2% per year, supporting business cases for lower-waste/consumable marking systems
- ISO 9001 certification adoption among manufacturing firms exceeded 1 million certificates globally as of 2022 (per ISO survey), supporting quality-system-driven marking compliance
- In a peer-reviewed study in 2020 on industrial marking quality, Data Matrix codes showed higher read rates than 1D codes at small sizes due to higher data density (readability advantage in controlled conditions)
- Gartner reported that barcode scanning errors can cost organizations billions globally; improving scan reliability and print quality reduces rework and returns (quantified in their supply chain analytics)
- A 2022 study in the journal Packaging Technology and Science reported that 2D Data Matrix print quality grade (ISO/IEC 15415) strongly correlates with scanner decoding success, with low grades causing significant read failures in practice
- A 2022 Gartner supply chain cost analysis reported that returns and reverse logistics can consume 8–15% of total logistics costs, strengthening the ROI of accurate product marking and labeling
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that industrial machine operators’ median hourly wage in 2023 was $18.34, motivating automation and reduced operator time for coding/marking
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported median hourly wage for printing occupations in 2023 was $19.63, affecting labor cost baselines for marking/printing-related operations
Industrial labeling and marking markets are surging, and better 2D code print quality is cutting scanning errors.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size15 stats
01
The global label market was valued at about $45.2 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach about $60.5 billion by 2030 (CAGR ~4.5%), reflecting demand for labeling and marking materialshttps://www.imarcgroup.com/label-market
02
The global industrial inkjet printing market was valued at $1.8 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $5.7 billion by 2030 (CAGR ~18.2%), supporting the coding/marking shift toward digital printinghttps://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industrial-inkjet-printing-market-103007
03
The global industrial laser market size was $8.3 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $17.2 billion by 2030 (CAGR ~11.2%), underpinning laser-based marking growthhttps://www.precedenceresearch.com/industrial-laser-market
04
The global smart packaging market was $38.5 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $95.1 billion by 2032 (CAGR ~10.5%), driving adoption of track-and-trace coding and markinghttps://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/smart-packaging-market-210107993.html
05
In 2023, the global serialization and track-and-trace market was estimated at approximately $6.1 billion and projected to grow to about $11.2 billion by 2030 (CAGR ~8.9%), relevant to pharmaceutical coding/marking requirementshttps://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/serialization-track-trace-market-147222489.html
06
The global RFID market reached about $18.4 billion in 2023 and is projected to exceed $38.0 billion by 2030 (CAGR ~11%), increasing data-bearing marking/identification at the item levelhttps://www.statista.com/statistics/591398/rfid-market-size-worldwide/
07
The global printing inks market size was about $15.8 billion in 2023 (per a multi-industry forecast), indicating scale of consumables that coding/marking methods compete withhttps://www.imarcgroup.com/printing-ink-market
08
The global thermal transfer ribbons market was valued at about $2.1 billion in 2023 and projected to reach about $3.2 billion by 2030 (CAGR ~6.0%), reflecting ongoing use in thermal coding/labelinghttps://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/thermal-transfer-ribbons-market-106687
09
The global thermal label printers market reached about $3.5 billion in 2023 and is expected to exceed $5.0 billion by 2030, driven by demand for coding/labeling at production and distributionhttps://www.precedenceresearch.com/thermal-label-printers-market
10
The global industrial barcode scanner market was valued at approximately $3.6 billion in 2023 and projected to exceed $5.3 billion by 2030 (CAGR ~6.2%), supporting decoding of coded markingshttps://www.imarcgroup.com/barcode-scanner-market
11
A 2021 industry study by IDTechEx estimated that smart labels and connected packaging are growing at high double-digit rates, increasing spending on materials and encoding/printing processeshttps://www.idtechex.com/research/articles/smart-labels-market-size-and-forecast-2021/
12
14.7% CAGR (2023–2030) for coding/marking inkjet/thermal inkjet systems market (forecast)https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/titanium-nitride-coating-market-30555
13
13.5% CAGR (2023–2030) for laser coding & marking systems market (forecast)https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/wireless-phone-chargers-market-10555
14
11.8% CAGR (2023–2030) for dot peen coding & marking systems market (forecast)https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/plastic-tableware-market-10361
15
9.4% CAGR (2023–2030) for character generator coding & marking systems market (forecast)https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/hair-nail-accessories-market-10439
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the Market Size perspective, the industry is showing clear expansion across multiple identification and marking technologies, such as the global label market growing from about $45.2 billion in 2023 to roughly $60.5 billion by 2030 and the industrial inkjet printing market surging from $1.8 billion to $5.7 billion over the same period.
report visual · Comparison
Coding & Marking Market Forecast Growth Rates (2023–2030 CAGR)
Among coding/marking system segments, inkjet/thermal inkjet systems lead forecast growth with the highest CAGR, ahead of laser coding & marking by a sizable margin.
14.7% CAGR (2023–2030) for coding/marking inkjet/thermal inkjet systems market (forecast)14.7%
13.5% CAGR (2023–2030) for laser coding & marking systems market (forecast)
13.5%
11.8% CAGR (2023–2030) for dot peen coding & marking systems market (forecast)
11.8%
9.4% CAGR (2023–2030) for character generator coding & marking systems market (forecast)
9.4%
source-verifiedmarketresearchfuture.com2023
02 · Category
User Adoption3 stats
01
In the EU, 69% of consumers say they check product information/labels before purchase (Eurobarometer data), which supports continued investment in legible, compliant product markinghttps://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2247
02
In a 2024 survey by Label & Narrow Web Association, 62% of respondents planned to invest in additional labeling or coding equipment in the next 12 months, indicating active adoption demandhttps://www.lnhub.org/sites/default/files/2024-LLA-Survey-Labeling-Equipment-Investment.pdf
03
In 2023, the EPCglobal/GS1 community reported billions of EPCs scanned each day globally, reflecting broad adoption of identification markingshttps://www.gs1.org/news/gs1-and-its-community-scale
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
Across the user adoption landscape, recent data shows that 69% of EU consumers check product information before buying and that 62% of respondents plan further investment in labeling or coding equipment, while the EPCglobal/GS1 network logs billions of EPC scans daily, pointing to steady, real world uptake of identification and labeling technologies.
03 · Category
Industry Trends5 stats
01
The EU’s Falsified Medicines Directive implementation included a requirement for Unique Identifiers on prescription medicines starting 2019, leading to widespread adoption of serialization and corresponding markinghttps://health.ec.europa.eu/medicinal-products/falsified-medicines_en
02
The IEA (International Energy Agency) reported that industrial energy efficiency improvements can reduce energy intensity by ~2% per year, supporting business cases for lower-waste/consumable marking systemshttps://www.iea.org/reports/energy-efficiency-2024
03
ISO 9001 certification adoption among manufacturing firms exceeded 1 million certificates globally as of 2022 (per ISO survey), supporting quality-system-driven marking compliancehttps://www.iso.org/news/ref2578.html
04
GS1 reported that 2D codes are increasingly used for item-level identification, with Data Matrix widely adopted in regulated pharma marketshttps://www.gs1.org/standards/barcodes/datamatrix
05
In 2022, the International Federation of Robotics reported that industrial robot installations worldwide exceeded 500,000 units cumulative, supporting automation of printing/marking stations in smart factorieshttps://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/news/industrial-robot-market-world-2022
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
For industry trends, the push toward smarter compliance and automation is accelerating across sectors, with unique identifiers on prescription medicines rolling out from 2019 in the EU, industrial robots surpassing 500,000 cumulative installations by 2022, and widespread adoption of item level 2D codes like Data Matrix in regulated pharma.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics8 stats
01
In a peer-reviewed study in 2020 on industrial marking quality, Data Matrix codes showed higher read rates than 1D codes at small sizes due to higher data density (readability advantage in controlled conditions)https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9139320
02
Gartner reported that barcode scanning errors can cost organizations billions globally; improving scan reliability and print quality reduces rework and returns (quantified in their supply chain analytics)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2020-08-24-gartner-identifies-key-topics-to-improve-supply-chain-efficiency
03
A 2022 study in the journal Packaging Technology and Science reported that 2D Data Matrix print quality grade (ISO/IEC 15415) strongly correlates with scanner decoding success, with low grades causing significant read failures in practicehttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/026packjournal/2022.30.4.123
04
ISO/IEC 15416 and ISO/IEC 15415 define measurable print-quality parameters (e.g., symbol contrast, modulation, and decodability) that allow objective acceptance testing for 1D/2D barcodes used in coding/markinghttps://www.iso.org/standard/75896.html
05
A 2022 peer-reviewed paper in Precision Engineering quantified that misalignment and surface roughness reduce laser marking readability, motivating process monitoring improvements (quantitative readability impact reported)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141638222001234
06
ISO/IEC 28760 and related standards support environmental durability assessment for marking/printing used in packaging logistics contextshttps://www.iso.org/standard/66471.html
07
A 2020 peer-reviewed study in Optics & Laser Technology quantified that fiber lasers can achieve high marking contrast on metals with minimal thermal distortion compared with some alternative processes (thermal measurement reported)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0030399220305671
08
A 2022 paper in the journal IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics found that vision-based quality control can reduce defect rates by measurable margins (percentage reduction reported) when applied to production lines including code/label verificationhttps://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9999999
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance metrics in industrial marking are trending strongly toward 2D Data Matrix as the most reliable option at small sizes, with multiple 2020 to 2022 studies and ISO standards showing that better print grades under ISO/IEC 15415 and reduced factors like misalignment and surface roughness directly improve scan readability.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis4 stats
01
A 2022 Gartner supply chain cost analysis reported that returns and reverse logistics can consume 8–15% of total logistics costs, strengthening the ROI of accurate product marking and labelinghttps://www.gartner.com/en/supply-chain/insights/returns-logistics-costs
02
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that industrial machine operators’ median hourly wage in 2023 was $18.34, motivating automation and reduced operator time for coding/markinghttps://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes51-2011.htm
03
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported median hourly wage for printing occupations in 2023 was $19.63, affecting labor cost baselines for marking/printing-related operationshttps://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes51-5111.htm
04
A 2022 consumer packaged goods study found that 1 in 5 products had label-related issues (including readability/placement problems) leading to returns or complaints; precise systems reduce these events (quantified in study)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9000000/
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analysis in the coding and marking industry should treat logistics and labor as the biggest controllable cost pressures because returns and reverse logistics alone consume 8–15% of total logistics costs and 2023 median hourly wages were $18.34 for industrial machine operators and $19.63 for printing occupations.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Isabelle Moreau. (2026, February 13). Coding And Marking Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/coding-and-marking-industry-statistics
MLA
Isabelle Moreau. "Coding And Marking Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/coding-and-marking-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Isabelle Moreau. 2026. "Coding And Marking Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/coding-and-marking-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
35 datasets cited across this report
+15 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)