Do you need to buy EAN numbers?
If the product will be sold through supermarkets, chains or Amazon, yes. Retailers only accept numbers licensed from GS1, the global standards body, through its office in your country. The fee depends on how many numbers you need, and the number then identifies your company in every retailer’s system.
Numbers bought cheaply from reseller websites are often recycled and registered to another company. Amazon checks barcodes against the GS1 database and can block listings that don’t match. For products sold only in your own shop or market stall, an internal Code 128 label is enough.
How the 13 digits are made up
| Part | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| GS1 prefix | 590 | The GS1 office that issued it (590 is Poland), not where the product is made |
| Company and item number | 123412345 | Your company prefix plus the item reference you assign |
| Check digit | 7 | Calculated from the other 12, to catch typos |
Print size
The standard (100 percent) EAN-13 is 37.29 mm wide and 25.93 mm tall including the digits. GS1 allows from 80 to 200 percent; going smaller risks failing at the till. The PDF downloads here put each bar unit at 0.33 mm, the 100 percent width. For the full standard bar height as well, set Height to about 140 at the default bar width. Shortened bars are common on small packs, but some retailers reject them; if space is tight, reduce the whole barcode proportionally instead.
Questions
What if I enter 13 digits with the wrong last digit?
The tool tells you which check digit the first 12 digits require. Usually that means a typo in the number, so check it against your GS1 certificate.
EAN-13 or UPC-A?
Tills worldwide read both. Use whichever GS1 issued to you: UPC-A from GS1 US and Canada, EAN-13 elsewhere. See UPC-A.