UPC barcode generator
Enter the 11 digits of your UPC to have the check digit added, or all 12 to have it checked. Download the barcode as PNG or SVG at print size. Selling in stores? Your number needs to come from GS1.
Enter 11 digits and the check digit is added, or all 12 to have it checked.
- Barcode type
- UPC-A
- Full number
- 012345678905
- Check digit
- 5 (verified)
- Number system 0
- Regular product number (GS1 US range)
- 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.
Size
100% (0.33 mm bars) is the GS1 standard. Store checkouts accept 80% to 200%.
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 a UPC barcode
- 1
Enter the 11 digits of your UPC to have the check digit added, or all 12 to have it checked.
- 2
Leave the size at 100% unless your packaging needs it smaller or larger (80% to 200%).
- 3
Keep the bars at full height and the digits showing underneath: that’s what store scanners and staff expect.
- 4
Download the SVG for your packaging designer or a PNG at your printer’s DPI, then test-scan a printed copy.
Features
Check digit worked out
Type 11 digits and the 12th is calculated. Type all 12 and a wrong last digit is caught before anything is printed.
Drawn like the real thing
Long guard bars, the first and last digits outside the bars, and 9-module quiet zones, as in the UPC-A layout.
80% to 200% sizes
Pick a magnification and see the exact size in inches and millimeters, plus the PNG’s pixels at your printer’s DPI.
A whole product line
Paste every UPC from a spreadsheet and download them all as one ZIP of PNG or SVG files.
How a UPC-A is built
A UPC-A is 95 modules wide, where a module is the narrowest bar or space. Each of its 12 digits takes 7 modules as two bars and two spaces. Long guard bars mark the start, the middle and the end. The right half uses the same patterns as the left with bars and spaces swapped, so a scanner can tell which half it is reading and read the barcode in either direction.
The digits themselves are a GTIN-12: your GS1 company prefix, an item reference and a check digit. In 0 12345 67890 5, if the company prefix were the six digits 012345, the item reference would be 67890 and 5 would be the check digit. The shorter the prefix, the more products it can number:
| Company prefix | Item reference digits | Products it can number |
|---|---|---|
| 6 digits | 5 | 100,000 |
| 7 digits | 4 | 10,000 |
| 8 digits | 3 | 1,000 |
| 9 digits | 2 | 100 |
| 10 digits | 1 | 10 |
UPC sizes
The standard UPC-A, at 100% magnification, has bars 0.33 mm (13 mil) wide. GS1 allows from 80% to 200% for products scanned at a checkout. The sizes below include the blank quiet zones on both sides and the digits underneath:
| Size | Narrowest bar | Overall (inches) | Overall (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80% | 0.264 mm | 1.17 × 0.82 in | 29.8 × 20.7 mm |
| 100% (standard) | 0.330 mm | 1.47 × 1.02 in | 37.3 × 25.9 mm |
| 120% | 0.396 mm | 1.76 × 1.22 in | 44.7 × 31.1 mm |
| 150% | 0.495 mm | 2.20 × 1.53 in | 55.9 × 38.8 mm |
| 200% | 0.660 mm | 2.94 × 2.04 in | 74.6 × 51.8 mm |
Scale the whole barcode up or down rather than squashing it in one direction. Cutting the bars shorter, called truncation, makes a UPC hard to read from an angle, and GS1 advises against it for retail.
Printing UPC labels
A printer can only make bars a whole number of dots wide, so the PNG snaps each module to whole pixels at the DPI you choose. At 100% that gives:
| Printer | Dots per module | Printed bar | Actual size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 203 DPI | 3 dots | 0.375 mm | 113.7% |
| 300 DPI | 4 dots | 0.339 mm | 102.6% |
| 600 DPI | 8 dots | 0.339 mm | 102.6% |
Choose the DPI your label printer actually prints at (look for 203 or 300 DPI in its specifications) and print at 100% scale, with no “fit to page” option. For packaging artwork, send your designer the SVG: it's a vector file at exact size, and the printer's software makes the final adjustments.
Before a print run
- Make sure the number is licensed to your company and that the product is listed in your GS1 account.
- Print black or dark blue bars on a white or light background. Red bars can’t be seen by most scanners.
- Keep the quiet zones clear: about 3 mm (1/8 inch) on each side at 100%, with no text, edges or folds in them.
- Scan a printed sample with a store-type scanner or a phone app, and compare the result with the number you intended.
Selling outside North America? Use the EAN-13 barcode generator. For warehouse and shipping labels, the Code 128 barcode generator takes letters as well as digits, and the barcode generator covers every type. Pricing the product? The margin calculator shows what you keep at each price.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I get a UPC number?
In the United States from GS1 US, and in Canada from GS1 Canada. GS1 US licenses a company prefix, which covers a range of products, or single numbers for businesses with just a few. You then give each product its own number. This page turns that number into a barcode; it can’t issue one.
What do the 12 digits of a UPC mean?
The first digits are your GS1 company prefix, then comes the item reference you assign to each product, and the last digit is the check digit. Prefixes are 6 to 10 digits long, so how the digits split between company and item depends on how many numbers you licensed.
What does the first digit of a UPC mean?
It was called the number system digit. Numbers starting 0, 1, 6, 7, 8 or 9 are ordinary product numbers; 2 is for variable-weight items such as meat and cheese priced in the store; 3 is for drugs and health products under the US National Drug Code; 4 is for in-store use; and 5 was once used for coupons. The tool shows which one your number has.
Do online marketplaces need a UPC?
Many do. Large marketplaces such as Amazon ask for a GTIN, usually a UPC in the US, for most new listings, and check codes against GS1’s records. Some brands and categories can apply for an exemption. Rules change, so check the marketplace’s current seller help pages.
How small can a UPC barcode be?
GS1 allows down to 80% of the standard size: bars 0.264 mm wide and about 1.17 inches across including the quiet zones. Smaller than that, many checkout scanners struggle. Shrink the whole barcode rather than cutting the bars shorter, which GS1 advises against.
What is the difference between UPC-A and UPC-E?
UPC-E is a shortened 8-digit form for very small packages, made by leaving out zeros from certain UPC-A numbers. This tool makes UPC-A, the full-size version used on most products. Outside North America the usual small-pack barcode is EAN-8.
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