QR alignment pattern position table: versions 2 to 40

How the coordinates work

Each version lists a set of row/column values. Alignment patterns (5 × 5 concentric squares) are placed at every (row, column) combination of those values, except the three combinations that would collide with the corner finder patterns. So n coordinate values give n² − 3 patterns. Version 1 has no alignment patterns at all.

Coordinates are the centre module, counted from 0 at the top-left. This table is verified against the pattern-geometry module in UseQR's own renderer, which carries the ISO/IEC 18004 Annex E values.

The table

Version	Modules	Centre coordinates	Patterns
2	25	6, 18	1
3	29	6, 22	1
4	33	6, 26	1
5	37	6, 30	1
6	41	6, 34	1
7	45	6, 22, 38	6
8	49	6, 24, 42	6
9	53	6, 26, 46	6
10	57	6, 28, 50	6
11	61	6, 30, 54	6
12	65	6, 32, 58	6
13	69	6, 34, 62	6
14	73	6, 26, 46, 66	13
15	77	6, 26, 48, 70	13
16	81	6, 26, 50, 74	13
17	85	6, 30, 54, 78	13
18	89	6, 30, 56, 82	13
19	93	6, 30, 58, 86	13
20	97	6, 34, 62, 90	13
21	101	6, 28, 50, 72, 94	22
22	105	6, 26, 50, 74, 98	22
23	109	6, 30, 54, 78, 102	22
24	113	6, 28, 54, 80, 106	22
25	117	6, 32, 58, 84, 110	22
26	121	6, 30, 58, 86, 114	22
27	125	6, 34, 62, 90, 118	22
28	129	6, 26, 50, 74, 98, 122	33
29	133	6, 30, 54, 78, 102, 126	33
30	137	6, 26, 52, 78, 104, 130	33
31	141	6, 30, 56, 82, 108, 134	33
32	145	6, 34, 60, 86, 112, 138	33
33	149	6, 30, 58, 86, 114, 142	33
34	153	6, 34, 62, 90, 118, 146	33
35	157	6, 30, 54, 78, 102, 126, 150	46
36	161	6, 24, 50, 76, 102, 128, 154	46
37	165	6, 28, 54, 80, 106, 132, 158	46
38	169	6, 32, 58, 84, 110, 136, 162	46
39	173	6, 26, 54, 82, 110, 138, 166	46
40	177	6, 30, 58, 86, 114, 142, 170	46

The pattern behind the table

Three regularities hold for every version:

• The first coordinate is always 6, centred in the timing-pattern row/column.
• The last is always modules − 7, seven from the far edge.
• Every gap is an even number, which keeps alignment pattern centres on the same black/white phase as the timing patterns.

The gaps after the first are always equal; the first gap absorbs the remainder, and not in a way any single obvious rounding rule reproduces. Compare version 32 (gaps 28, 26, 26, 26, 26, first gap larger) with version 36 (gaps 18, 26, 26, 26, 26, first gap smaller). Because no clean formula regenerates all forty rows, every serious implementation embeds the table verbatim, including the one this page was checked against.

Why the count jumps where it does

New coordinate values arrive at versions 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 (every seventh version), so the pattern count steps 1 → 6 → 13 → 22 → 33 → 46. A version 6 code (41 modules) has a single central pattern; version 7 (45 modules) suddenly has six. This is why codes on curved surfaces get noticeably more reliable once the payload pushes the symbol past those thresholds: more anchors for the decoder to fit the grid to. Module counts per version are in the version and module table.

FAQ

How many alignment patterns does a QR code have?

None at version 1, one at versions 2–6, then 6, 13, 22, 33 and finally 46 at versions 35–40. The count is n² − 3 where n is the number of coordinate values for that version.

Where is the alignment pattern in a small QR code?

Versions 2–6 have exactly one, centred at (18, 18) to (34, 34) depending on version, always at coordinate modules − 7 in both axes, tucked toward the bottom-right.

Is there a formula for alignment pattern positions?

Almost. First coordinate 6, last modules − 7, equal even gaps between the rest, but the first gap absorbs rounding slack inconsistently across versions, so implementations embed the ISO/IEC 18004 Annex E table instead of computing it.

Why do alignment patterns skip the three corners?

The corners are occupied by the 7 × 7 finder patterns and their separators. The coordinate grid would place patterns there, so those three combinations are explicitly excluded.