About EAN-13 Barcodes
EAN-13 (European Article Number) is a 13-digit barcode standard used worldwide for identifying retail products. Originally developed in Europe, it has become the international standard for product identification and is used in over 100 countries.
EAN-13 is a superset of UPC-A, meaning every UPC-A barcode can be represented as an EAN-13 code by adding a leading zero. This makes EAN-13 the most universal retail barcode format available.
EAN-13 Format Structure
An EAN-13 barcode consists of 13 digits organized as follows:
- Country Code (2-3 digits): Identifies the GS1 Member Organization that assigned the manufacturer code. For example, 00-13 represents the United States and Canada, while 40-44 represents Germany.
- Manufacturer Code (4-5 digits): A unique code assigned to the product manufacturer by their national GS1 organization.
- Product Code (3-5 digits): Assigned by the manufacturer to identify a specific product. The length depends on the manufacturer code length.
- Check Digit (1 digit): A calculated value that validates the barcode for scanning accuracy.
Common Use Cases
- European Retail: EAN-13 is the standard barcode for all retail products sold in Europe and most countries outside North America.
- International Trade: Products exported globally use EAN-13 for universal identification across borders and supply chains.
- Product Cataloging: Manufacturers and distributors use EAN-13 codes to maintain product databases and ensure consistent identification.
- Library Systems: Many libraries use EAN-13 barcodes for book tracking and circulation management alongside ISBN codes.
Related Barcode Types
Explore other barcode formats for different use cases:
- UPC-A Barcode Generator — The 12-digit barcode standard used for retail products in the US and Canada.
- EAN-8 Barcode Generator — A compact 8-digit version of EAN for small products.
- ISBN Barcode Generator — Specialized barcodes for book and publication identification.
- See all barcode types — Browse all supported barcode formats.
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