Magnetic Stripe Card Standards
Dimensions - Financial Transaction Cards
ISO
7810
Physical characteristics of credit card size document
7811-1
Embossing
7811-2
Magnetic stripe - low coercivity
7811-3
Location of embossed characters
7811-4
Location of tracks 1 & 2
7811-5
Location of track 3
7811-6
Magnetic stripe - high coercivity
7813
Financial transaction cards
For copies of specifications contact: American National Standards Institute 11 W. 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036 212-642-4900
Magnetic Stripe Encoding
Measurement - 0.223"
Track
Recording Density (bits per inch)
Character Configuration (including parity bit)
Information Content (including control characters)
0.110"
1 IATA
210
7 bits per character
79 alphanumeric characters
0.110"
ABA
75
5 bits per character
40 numeric characters
0.110"
THRIFT
210
5 bits per character
107 numeric characters
Magnetic Stripe Encoding
Track 1
76 alphanumeric data characters between Format Code and Discretionary Data.
SS
FC
PAN
FS
Name
FS
Additional data
Discretionary Data
ES
LRC
Encoding Key
SS: Start Sentinel - %
FC: Format Code - ^
PAN: Primary Account Number (19 digits max.)
FS: Field Separator
NAME: Name (26 alphanumeric characters max.)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Number of characters:
Expiration Date (YYMM) - 4
Service Code - 3
DISCRETIONARY DATA: Number of characters:
PVKI - PIN Verification Key Number
PVV or Offset - PIN Verification Value
CVV or CVC - Card Verification Value, Card Vakudation Code
ES: End Sentinel - ?
LRC: Logitudinal Redundancy Check character
Track 2
37 data characters between PAN and Discretionary Data.
SS
PAN
FS
Additional data
Discretionary Data
ES
LRC
Encoding Key
SS: Start Sentinel - Hex B - ;
PAN: Primary Account Number (19 digits max.)
FS: Field Separator - Hex D - =
ADDITIONAL DATA: Number of characters:
Expiration Date (YYMM) - 4
Service Code - 3
DISCRETIONARY DATA: Number of characters:
PVKI - PIN Verification Key Number
PVV or Offset - PIN Verification Value
CVV or CVC - Card Verification Value, Card Vakudation Code
Some or all of the above Discretionary Data fields may be found with the discretionary data
ES: End Sentinel - Hex F - ?
LRC: Logitudinal Redundancy Check character
Track 3 (ISO 4909)
104 numeric data characters between Format Code and Additional Data.
SS
FC
PAN
FS
USE AND SECURITY DATA
Additional data
ES
LRC
Encoding Key
SS: Start Sentinel - Hex B - ;
PAN: Primary Account Number (19 digits max.)
FS: Field Separator - Hex D - =
USE AND SECURITY DATA - Number of characters
Country Code (optional) - 3
Currency Code - 3
Currency Exponent - 1
Amount Authorized per Cycle - 4
Amount Remaining this Cycle - 4
Cycle Begin (Validity Date) - 4
Cycle Length - 2
Retry Count - 1
PIN Control Parameters (optional) - 6
Interchange Controls - 1
PAN Service Restriction - 2
SAN-1 Service Restriction - 2
SAN-2 Service Restriction - 2
Expiration Date (optional) - 4
Card Sequence Number - 1
Card Security Number (optional) - 9
ADDITIONAL DATA: Number of characters:
First subsidiary account number (optional)
Second subsidiary account number (optional)
Relay marker - 1
Cryptographic check digits (optional) - 6
Discretionary Data
A Field Separator (FS) must be used if an optional field is not used
ES: End Sentinel - Hex F - ?
LRC: Logitudinal Redundancy Check character
FC: Format Code - (2 digits) (in place of optional field)
The track formats used in this document are based on ISO Standards, however, other formats may be used. Contact your card issuer for your exact requirements