What ITF-14 is for
ITF-14 goes on the outside of shipping cartons and cases: the box of 12 jars, not the jar. Warehouses and distribution centres scan it at receiving. The thick, simple bars print well directly onto corrugated cardboard, where finer barcodes would blur.
It carries a 14-digit GTIN-14, which is built from the product’s own EAN or UPC:
- First digit, the indicator (1 to 8): your code for the pack size, such as 1 for a case of 12 and 2 for a pallet layer.
- Next 12 digits: the product’s EAN-13 without its check digit.
- Last digit: a new check digit calculated over all 13.
Bearer bars and printing on cardboard
When ITF-14 is printed directly onto corrugated board, GS1 recommends a thick frame around it called a bearer bar. It evens out printing pressure and stops a scanner reading a partial barcode. The images here don’t include one, so ask your carton printer to add it. For labels printed on paper and stuck on, a bearer bar isn’t needed.
Carton barcodes are scanned from further away than shop barcodes, so they should be large: increase Bar width and Height rather than enlarging a small image.
Questions
Can I put the product's EAN-13 on the carton instead?
Only if the carton itself is sold at the till as one item. Using the same number as the single item on a case causes stock errors, which is why the indicator digit exists.
The tool says my check digit is wrong.
You probably reused the product EAN’s check digit. The GTIN-14 check digit is recalculated over the new 13 digits. Enter 13 digits and let the tool add it. For the single item, see EAN-13.