The short answer
If you are selling only in the United States and Canada, UPC-A is sufficient. If you are selling anywhere else in the world, or if you want a single barcode that works everywhere, use EAN-13.
Both formats are read by the same scanners. The practical difference comes down to where your products will be sold and what your retail partners require.
What is UPC-A?
UPC-A (Universal Product Code, version A) is a 12-digit barcode standard developed in North America in the 1970s. It was designed specifically for grocery and retail use in the US and Canada and is the format mandated by many American retailers.
A UPC-A barcode encodes:
- 6 digits: company prefix (assigned by GS1 US)
- 5 digits: product reference number (assigned by you)
- 1 digit: check digit (calculated automatically)
Use the UPC-A barcode generator to generate a UPC-A barcode from your 11-digit number (the tool calculates the check digit).
What is EAN-13?
EAN-13 (European Article Number, 13 digits) is the international extension of UPC-A, developed in Europe and adopted globally. An EAN-13 barcode encodes 12 digits of data plus a check digit.
The key structural difference: EAN-13 adds a leading country or system prefix digit in front of the UPC-A number. A UPC-A barcode starting with 0 is actually a valid EAN-13 barcode with a leading zero - this is why all modern scanners read both formats interchangeably.
Use the EAN-13 barcode generator to generate an EAN-13 barcode from your 12-digit number.
The relationship between them
EAN-13 with a leading zero and UPC-A encode the same 12 digits of payload. A product with UPC-A 012345678905 can also be represented as EAN-13 0123456789050. The barcodes look different (EAN-13 has 13 digits printed below the bars), but any modern scanner reads them as the same product.
This is why you often see "UPC/EAN" listed as a supported format rather than two separate entries - modern systems treat them as one unified standard.
What GS1 numbers do I need?
For commercial retail use, you cannot use arbitrary numbers. You need:
- A GS1 Company Prefix - this identifies your company
- Product reference numbers - these identify each individual product
These are assigned by GS1 in your country. In the US, contact GS1 US (gs1us.org). In the UK, GS1 UK. In South Africa, GS1 SA. In most countries, annual membership fees apply.
Do not purchase barcodes from resellers who claim to offer "certified" or "registered" numbers cheaply - these are often recycled or improperly assigned numbers that can cause problems in retailer databases.
Special prefix ranges to know
- 978 and 979: Books (ISBN-13). These are not arbitrary - you must use a valid ISBN-13 issued by the national ISBN agency in your country.
- 977: Periodicals (ISSN barcodes)
- 000–019, 030–039, 060–139: US and Canada (UPC-compatible range)
- 500–509: United Kingdom
- 600–601: South Africa
Which format should I generate?
Use UPC-A if:
- Your retailer explicitly requires UPC-A
- You are selling exclusively in North America and your distributor or retailer provides a UPC-A number
Use EAN-13 if:
- You are selling outside North America, or across multiple markets
- Your retailer accepts either format
- You have an EAN-13 prefix from GS1
When in doubt, use EAN-13. It is the international standard, all modern retail scanners read it, and a UPC-A can always be derived from it by dropping the leading zero.
Check digits
Both formats require a check digit as the final digit. The check digit is calculated automatically by the generators on this site - you do not need to compute it yourself.
If you have received a 12-digit EAN-13 number (without the check digit), enter those 12 digits and the tool will generate the correct 13th digit. If you have a 13-digit number and want to verify the check digit is correct, use the barcode check digit checker.