Surface guide
QR codes on memorials and headstones
A memorial QR code must be legible for decades on stone, which means a sandblasted or laser-etched code of 5–10 cm at error correction H, and, more importantly, a URL that will still resolve long after the person who chose it.
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| Typical scan distance | 50 cm–1 m |
|---|---|
| Minimum code width | 5–10 cm |
| Error correction | H |
The permanence problem is not the stone
Granite lasts centuries. Domains lapse in a year. A memorial code pointing at a hosted memorial-page service is a promise that the service will outlive the family, and most such services do not last a decade.
The most durable options, in order:
- A page on a domain paid up for the longest term available, with the renewal recorded in the estate documents.
- A page on a large institutional site (a church, a cemetery trust, a university) that has an existing permanent web presence.
- An archive.org permalink, which at least has a preservation mandate.
Whatever is chosen, write down what the code points to somewhere other than the stone.
Marking
- Sandblasted into granite and paint-filled dark is the most durable and highest contrast.
- Laser etching on polished granite gives excellent contrast but is shallower and weathers faster.
- Applied plaques (ceramic or stainless) can be replaced if the destination changes, which is a genuine advantage.
Specification
- 5–10 cm, modules at 1.5 mm or more.
- Error correction H: lichen, weathering and chipping are certain over decades.
- Paint-fill the dark modules; unfilled etching relies on shadow and fails in flat light.
- Position where rain runs off rather than pools, and where lichen is least likely, not under a tree.
Cemetery permission
Many cemeteries and burial authorities have rules about what may be added to a memorial. Check before commissioning.