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EAN-13 barcode generator

Enter the first 12 digits of your EAN-13 number to have the check digit added, or all 13 to have it verified. Download the barcode as a PNG or SVG ready for packaging.

Make

Enter 12 digits and the check digit is added, or all 13 to have it checked. A 10-digit ISBN is converted for you.

EAN-13 barcode
EAN-13 barcode for 9520123456788
9 520123 456788 · check digit 8 is correct
Barcode type
EAN-13
Full number
9520123456788
Check digit
8 (verified)
GS1 prefix 952
Demonstrations and examples of the GS1 system
Size
1.47 × 1.02 in (37.3 × 25.9 mm)
Bar width
100% · 13.0 mil (0.330 mm)
PNG at 300 DPI
452 × 314 px

Sizes are for the SVG, which keeps them exactly. The PNG rounds each bar to whole pixels: at 300 DPI that’s 4 px, or 0.339 mm.

Selling in stores or on marketplaces? Retail UPC and EAN numbers must be licensed from GS1 (GS1 US in the United States) so that they’re unique to your product. This tool draws the barcode for a number you already have; it doesn’t issue numbers. Test-scan a printed sample before a full print run.

Size

100% (0.33 mm bars) is the GS1 standard. Store checkouts accept 80% to 200%.

Units

Leave empty for the GS1 standard height.

Added on every side. The blank quiet zone scanners need is always kept.

Colors

  • Nothing is uploaded
  • Free, no sign-up
  • Works on phone and desktop

How to make an EAN-13 barcode

  1. 1

    Enter the first 12 digits of your EAN-13 to have the check digit added, or all 13 to have it checked.

  2. 2

    Making a book barcode? Enter the ISBN-13, or an older 10-digit ISBN, which is converted for you.

  3. 3

    Look at the GS1 prefix line under the barcode: it names the GS1 office that issued the number.

  4. 4

    Download the SVG for print artwork or a PNG at your printer’s DPI, and keep the blank margins around it.

Features

  • Check digit and ISBN

    The 13th digit is added or verified, and a 10-digit ISBN becomes the ISBN-13 that a book barcode holds.

  • GS1 prefix lookup

    See which GS1 member organization issued the prefix, or whether the number is for a book, a coupon or in-store use.

  • The hidden 13th digit

    The first digit is encoded in the pattern of the left half, exactly as the EAN-13 standard sets out.

  • Batches for catalogs

    Paste a column of EANs or ISBNs and download every barcode in one ZIP of PNG or SVG files.

How an EAN-13 is built

An EAN-13 has the same 95-module layout as a UPC-A, with guard bars at the start, middle and end, but it carries one more digit without adding any bars. The first digit isn't drawn as bars at all: it decides whether each of the next six digits uses the “L” or “G” version of its pattern. A scanner reads that mix and works out the hidden digit.

First digitPatterns of digits 2 to 7
0LLLLLL
1LLGLGG
2LLGGLG
3LLGGGL
4LGLLGG
5LGGLLG
6LGGGLL
7LGLGLG
8LGLGGL
9LGGLGL

A first digit of 0 means all six use L, which is exactly how a UPC-A is drawn. That's why every UPC is also an EAN-13 that begins with 0, and why scanners everywhere read both.

GS1 prefixes are not countries of origin

The first three digits are a GS1 prefix. GS1 hands blocks of prefixes to its national member organizations, which license company numbers to businesses that join them. A few examples from GS1's prefix list:

  • 000: United States (GS1 US, UPC-A compatible)
  • 300: France and Monaco
  • 400: Germany
  • 450: Japan
  • 500: United Kingdom
  • 690: China
  • 754: Canada
  • 800: Italy, San Marino and Vatican City
  • 840: Spain and Andorra
  • 870: Netherlands
  • 890: India
  • 930: Australia

Some ranges aren't countries at all: 200 to 299 are restricted-circulation numbers for use inside a store or region (such as weighed fresh food), 977 is for magazines and other serials (ISSN), 978 and 979 are for books (ISBN), and 981 to 983 and 990 to 999 are for coupons. The generator names the prefix of whatever you type.

Book barcodes

A book's barcode is an EAN-13 holding its ISBN-13. Older 10-digit ISBNs become 13 digits by adding 978 in front and working out a new check digit, because ISBN-10 used a different check (mod 11, which is why some end in X). For example, ISBN 0-306-40615-2 becomes 9780306406157. Publishers in the US get ISBNs from Bowker, the US ISBN agency; each country has its own agency.

Sizes and quiet zones

At the standard 100% size, an EAN-13 is 37.29 mm (1.47 in) wide including its quiet zones: 11 modules of blank space on the left, where the first digit is printed, and 7 on the right. Some printers mark the right-hand quiet zone with a small > sign so nothing gets printed in it; that's optional. As with UPC, sizes from 80% to 200% are allowed at retail checkouts, and the bars shouldn't be cut shorter.

For products sold in the US and Canada under a GS1 US number, the UPC barcode generator is the better fit. Shipping cartons and internal labels can use the Code 128 barcode generator, and the barcode generator has every type in one place. Selling in Europe? The VAT calculator works out prices with and without VAT.

Frequently asked questions

Does the EAN prefix show the country of origin?

No. The first three digits show which GS1 member organization issued the company’s prefix. A company registered with GS1 Germany (prefixes 400 to 440) can make its products anywhere, and a factory in one country may produce goods for a brand registered in another.

How do I make an ISBN barcode?

Enter the 13-digit ISBN, which starts with 978 or 979, as an EAN-13. If you have an older 10-digit ISBN, enter that and it’s converted: 0-306-40615-2 becomes 9780306406157. ISBNs come from your national ISBN agency, which in the United States is Bowker, not from GS1.

What is the small 5-digit barcode next to a book barcode?

That’s an EAN-5 add-on, used mainly on books sold in the US and Canada to show the suggested retail price. In the US it’s 5 followed by the price, so 51995 means $19.95, and 90000 means no price is given. This tool makes the main EAN-13 only.

Can I use an EAN-13 in the United States?

Yes. GS1 US, then called the Uniform Code Council, asked US retailers to be able to scan 13-digit EANs by January 1, 2005, a change known as Sunrise 2005, and imported products often carry an EAN-13. If your company is licensed through GS1 US, though, your numbers are normally printed as UPC-A.

What is the difference between EAN-13 and GTIN-13?

GTIN-13 is the number; EAN-13 is the barcode that carries it. People use the names interchangeably. The same number can also be carried in other symbols, such as GS1-128 or a GS1 2D code.

Why does my 12-digit number get a 13th digit?

Twelve digits in the EAN-13 box are read as an EAN-13 without its check digit, so the 13th is worked out and added. If your 12 digits are a complete UPC, make a UPC-A instead, or put a 0 in front. The tool points this out when your last digit works as a UPC check digit.

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