EAN-13 barcode

How to read it

There are bars for only 12 characters, but the barcode carries 13 digits: GS1’s specification encodes the first digit in the mix of bar patterns used for the six digits on the left, Guard bars at both ends and in the centre play the part that start and stop patterns play in other barcodes. The first two or three digits are the GS1 Prefix of the national organisation that issued the company’s prefix, which doesn’t show where the product was made. The Library of Congress describes the EAN as developed from the UPC: a 12-digit UPC number becomes an EAN number with a zero in front, and the retail standard in the US requires every point-of-sale scanner to read both. Keyence’s guide notes that Japan’s JAN code is the same system.

Also searched as: 13 digit barcode, ean, ean barcode, ean code, european article number, gtin-13, international article number, jan code.

Numbers a shop prints itself

Not every EAN-13 comes from a maker. GS1 sets aside numbers beginning 20 to 29 for Restricted Circulation Numbers, defined by each national GS1 organisation. Keyence’s guide describes the commonest use: labels a supermarket prints for fresh food sold by weight, such as meat and vegetables, where the price can be part of the number.

Prefixes that aren’t companies

Numbers beginning 978 or 979 are books (ISBN barcode (Bookland EAN)) and 977 is magazines and other serials (ISSN barcode (magazine barcode)).

Look-alikes

A UPC-A has 12 digits; read with a zero in front, it is the same number as a 13-digit EAN. EAN-8 is a shorter GS1 barcode with four digits in each half.