What is EAN-13?
EAN-13 is a linear (1D) barcode that carries a 13-digit GTIN-13 product number and is used worldwide to uniquely identify consumer products at the checkout and throughout the logistics chain. The code is part of the GS1 standards and appears on almost every consumer pack in supermarkets, chemists and DIY stores. An EAN-13 contains only the product number, with no batch, expiry date or serial number: price and description come from the point-of-sale system or ERP, which looks up the scanned GTIN.
EAN-13 is the classic supermarket barcode. Without a valid EAN-13 based on your own GS1 number, hardly any retailer or online marketplace will list your product.
🕰️ Where does EAN-13 come from?
In the United States, the grocery industry chose the 12-digit Universal Product Code (UPC-A) in 1973. On 26 June 1974 the first product with a UPC was scanned at a supermarket in Troy, Ohio: a pack of chewing gum. In 1977 European manufacturers and retailers founded the European Article Numbering Association (EAN) in Brussels, which extended the code to 13 digits. EAN-13 is therefore a superset of UPC-A: an EAN-13 starting with 0 is a UPC-A code with a leading zero, so European scanners can also read North American products. Since 2005 EAN and the US Uniform Code Council have operated worldwide under the name GS1, and the symbology is defined internationally in ISO/IEC 15420.
🔢 How is an EAN-13 number structured?
The number under the bars is a GTIN-13. GS1 distinguishes between the number (the key) and the barcode (the data carrier).
| Part | Length | Example (8712345000011) | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS1 prefix | 3 digits | 871 | Shows which GS1 member organisation issued the number (870–879 = GS1 Netherlands) |
| GS1 company prefix (including GS1 prefix) | usually 7–10 digits | 8712345 | Unique number block of the brand owner |
| Item reference | remaining digits | 00001 | Number chosen by the company for each product variant |
| Check digit | 1 digit | 1 | Calculated with modulo 10, catches reading and typing errors |
The prefix says nothing about the country of origin: a product starting with 87 may be made in Vietnam, as long as the brand owner is a member of GS1 Netherlands. Some ranges have a fixed meaning:
- 20–29 - internal use, for example cheese or cold cuts that a store weighs and labels itself; weight or price is then embedded in the code
- 45 and 49 - Japan, where the code is called JAN
- 977 - periodicals (ISSN), often with a 2-digit add-on for the issue number
- 978 and 979 - books (ISBN) and printed music (ISMN)
- 540–549 - GS1 Belgium & Luxembourg
🧮 How do you calculate the check digit?
The thirteenth digit is derived from the first twelve. Multiply the digits alternately by 1 and 3, with the last digit before the check digit always weighted 3. Add everything up and round up to the next multiple of ten.
| Step | Worked example for 871234500001 |
|---|---|
| Digits in odd positions × 1 | 8 + 1 + 3 + 5 + 0 + 0 = 17 |
| Digits in even positions × 3 | (7 + 2 + 4 + 0 + 0 + 1) × 3 = 42 |
| Sum | 17 + 42 = 59 |
| Round up to multiple of ten | 60 − 59 = 1 |
| Result | 8712345000011 |
The check digit catches every single-digit error and about 90% of transpositions of two adjacent digits. A scanner, PLC or import script can therefore reject a misread number immediately.
🔧 How does the barcode itself work?
An EAN-13 symbol consists of 95 modules of equal width. Each digit takes up 7 modules, split into two bars and two spaces, each 1 to 4 modules wide.
- Start, centre and end guards - the patterns 101, 01010 and 101; these are the longer bars that extend below the others
- Left half - six digits, each in an L or G pattern (odd or even parity)
- Right half - six digits in the R pattern, including the check digit
- The first digit - is not drawn as bars but follows from the sequence of L and G patterns in the left half; for an 8 that sequence is LGLGGL
Because the left and right halves use different patterns, a scanner can read the code in either direction and work out which end comes first. That makes EAN-13 suitable for omnidirectional checkout scanners, even when the customer passes the product over the glass at an angle.
📏 What dimensions and print quality apply?
| Property | Value according to GS1 (point-of-sale use) |
|---|---|
| Nominal module width (X) | 0.330 mm (100%) |
| Permitted magnification | 80% to 200% (0.264–0.660 mm) |
| Width at 100%, including quiet zones | 37.29 mm (113 modules) |
| Bar height at 100% | 22.85 mm, excluding digits |
| Quiet zone | left 11X, right 7X |
| Minimum print quality | 1.5/06/660 according to ISO/IEC 15416 |
Shortening the bars (truncation) to save space makes the code harder to read for omnidirectional scanners, and GS1 advises against it. A red barcode on a white background is unreadable, because scanners use red light at around 660 nm. For very small packs there is EAN-8 with a GTIN-8.
🏭 Where is EAN-13 used in IT and OT?
| Application | Role of EAN-13 |
|---|---|
| Checkout and self-scan | Look up product, retrieve price, register sale |
| Warehousing and distribution | Goods receipt, order picking and stock counts in the WMS and inventory management |
| Online sales | Marketplaces and price comparison sites ask for a valid GTIN per product |
| Packaging line | A vision camera checks that the right pack with the right code is on the line |
| Supply chain integration | The GTIN from the EAN-13 is the key in EDI messages, supply chain management and product data pools |
In the factory, an EAN-13 error is expensive. A wrong reel of film on a packaging machine produces thousands of packs that ring up as a different product at the till. That is why many manufacturers link the MES order to an inline scanner that reads every pack and stops the line when a code does not match.
🔄 How does EAN-13 differ from other codes?
| Code | Content | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| EAN-13 | GTIN-13 only | Consumer packaging at the checkout |
| UPC-A | GTIN-12 | North America |
| ITF-14 | GTIN-14 | Outer cases, including corrugated board |
| GS1-128 | GTIN, batch, date, SSCC via Application Identifiers | Case and pallet labels, not at the checkout |
| GS1 DataMatrix | GTIN plus batch, expiry date and serial number | Medicines, medical devices, small parts |
| GS1 QR Code | GTIN as a web address via GS1 Digital Link | Consumer information, digital product passport |
| RFID (EPC) | GTIN plus serial number, no line of sight needed | Apparel, returns, asset tracking |
🎯 How do you implement EAN-13 correctly?
- Join your national GS1 organisation - and receive your own company prefix. Single codes bought from resellers are not linked to your company and are rejected by many retailers and marketplaces.
- Give every variant its own GTIN - every flavour, size, colour and content gets its own number, and so does a case with a different count.
- Store the number as text - Excel and many databases strip leading zeros; record the GTIN as 14 characters padded with zeros.
- Design with the quiet zones - keep 11 modules free on the left and 7 on the right, and choose dark bars on a light background.
- Verify the print - test proofs with a verifier and check every pack inline during production.
- Validate every scan - scanners in keyboard-wedge mode can enter any character string into OT systems; check length and check digit before data reaches an HMI or PLC.
GS1 is preparing the move to 2D codes worldwide, including in the Netherlands. With the Sunrise 2027 initiative, GS1 asks retailers to make their checkout scanners capable of reading 2D codes by the end of 2027. EAN-13 will not disappear overnight; during the transition, packs often carry both codes.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Is an EAN code the same as a GTIN?
A GTIN is the product number, while an EAN-13 is the barcode that carries a GTIN-13. In everyday use “EAN code” often refers to the number itself, but the same GTIN can also be encoded in a GS1 DataMatrix, a GS1 QR code or an RFID tag.
Does an EAN-13 starting with 87 mean the product is Dutch?
No, an EAN-13 starting with 870–879 only means that GS1 Netherlands issued the number block to the brand owner. The country where the product was made cannot be derived from the code.
Is an EAN-13 legally required?
An EAN-13 is not a legal requirement for consumer products in the Netherlands or the wider EU. In practice, retailers, wholesalers and online marketplaces do demand a valid GTIN, so a product without an EAN-13 is hard to sell.
Can I print an EAN-13 in any colour and size?
An EAN-13 may be printed between 80% and 200% of its nominal size, with dark bars on a light background. Red, orange and yellow are unsuitable bar colours, because checkout scanners use red light and see those colours as white.
What is the difference between EAN-13 and EAN-8?
EAN-13 carries a 13-digit GTIN-13, while EAN-8 carries a shorter GTIN-8 for very small packs. GS1 member organisations only issue a GTIN-8 when there is genuinely too little space for an EAN-13.
Will 2D codes replace EAN-13?
EAN-13 remains the standard at the checkout for now. Through Sunrise 2027, retail is also preparing checkouts for GS1 DataMatrix and GS1 QR codes, which can carry batch, expiry date or a web address alongside the GTIN.
📌 In summary
EAN-13 is a 95-module barcode carrying a 13-digit GTIN that ends with a modulo-10 check digit. Since the 1970s it has been the foundation of scanning at the checkout, in the warehouse and on the packaging line.
EAN-13 is the universal barcode for consumer products. It identifies a product variant worldwide with a GS1 number and is the foundation for scanning, sales, inventory management and supply chain integration.