MICR E-13B
Definition
The Magnetic Ink Character Recognition font standardised by the American Bankers Association and adopted by the RBI for CTS-2010; uses iron-oxide magnetic ink to print routing, account, and serial data at the base of a cheque, machine-readable by bank clearing systems.
- Standard body
- American Bankers Association (ABA)
- India adoption
- RBI, for CTS-2010 cheque standard
- Ink used
- Iron-oxide magnetic ink
- Character set
- 10 digits plus 4 special symbols
- Location on cheque
- MICR line at the base
Common questions
How does E-13B differ from an ordinary printed font?+
E-13B characters carry a distinctive magnetic signature in the ink itself, so a reader head can identify each digit by its waveform even when the print is smudged, stamped over, or partly obscured, which plain optical fonts cannot survive.
Why does this matter to a forgery examiner?+
Genuine E-13B is printed by bank-approved equipment with consistent stroke width and magnetic ink; forged or altered cheques often show toner-printed or non-magnetic substitutes for the MICR line, or digits added after original printing, both of which are detectable under magnetic viewers or microscopy.
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