What is upc of a product?

Since we mentioned GS1 already, let’s have our first question be about that!

GS1 is the nonprofit organization that develops the barcoding standards in use around the world. GS1 is the mostly widely used system of standards, giving companies the ability to identify, capture, and share information using a common language that connects systems and processes.

Manufacturers can purchase and license UPCs from GS1. As a licensing and standards organization, GS1 ensures each UPC is a unique identifier and assures interoperability between organizations.

All products need a unique identification number from GS1 to be able to sell them online or in stores. In fact, many giants of the retail supply chain require suppliers to affix UPC barcodes to items as a condition of doing business with them, including Amazon, eBay, Google, and Walmart.

A Universal Product Code (UPC), or UPC barcode, is a type of Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) that makes items trackable throughout the global supply chain. UPCs’ interoperability and standardization means that the UPC for an item doesn’t change, so any business can identify that item by scanning its barcode.

The UPC, a standardized 12-digit, numeric-only code, was originally developed to help grocery stores speed up the checkout process and track their inventory more efficiently; soon, this technology spread to other retail products.

Do you know what the first item ever scanned was? A 10-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum! Read more about the interesting history of the barcode.

Barcodes can contain a wide variety and types of information. Some of the more common information includes the product identity, size, weight, manufacturer, information about the facility where the product was manufactured, as well as other data.

A typical UPC barcode’s 12 digits include:

Read more about the information contained in UPC barcodes.

Although there are many free resources available that make it possible to generate a barcode, the GS1 Company Prefix must be purchased from GS1.

As an alternative to dedicating your organizations time and resources working with GS1 to obtain your GS1 approved Global Trade Numbers such as a Company Prefix, GTIN, GLN, etc, Barcoding is a Certified Identification Partner (CIP) of GS1. This certification enables Barcoding to work directly with its customers and act on behalf of GS1 to support customers in these efforts.

It should be noted that ANY global trade barcodes which are obtained by other resources aside from GS1 or CIP partners like Barcoding, will be rejected in the market place when working with organizations like Amazon and other e-commerce business.

GS1 offers a 10-step guide to securing a UPC barcode; however, some of the steps are best executed by a partner like Barcoding with the expertise needed to accomplish it quickly and accurately.

Step 1. Get your company prefix. Every company using UPCs must obtain a company prefix (identification number) from GS1; this prefix will serve as the first six to ten digits of your barcode.

After receiving a GS1 company prefix, you can start assigning identification numbers to your products, company, locations, logistic units, individual company assets, returnable assets (pallets, kegs, tubs), and/or service relationships.

The last digit in a UPC barcode is derived from a formula based upon the previous 11 numbers. The formula is as follows:

Step 2. Once you’ve received your assigned GS1 Company Prefix, assigned all of your item numbers, and calculated the check digit, you’ll need the barcode image itself. After the appropriate information has been generated and purchased from GS1, you can use Barcoding’s free barcode generator to get the barcodes you need.

Step 3. Finally, once you’ve gotten all of your information and barcode images, you’ll need to print the barcodes on labels and affix them to your products. When printing barcode labels, there are several options for printing method and label material, each with its own purpose and benefits, so it’s best to get the guidance of an expert partner like Barcoding to help you select the right ones to ensure durability and readability.

You can read more about printing and labeling options in these content pieces:

One key consideration is whether your information is static or dynamic. If the information is static (always the same), the barcode can be printed using traditional printing methods directly onto the package or on a label that’s applied to the package. If the information is dynamic, either digital or a combination of digital and traditional printing will be required.

Steps 4, 5, and 6: Choose a barcode type, size, and placement. The specifications for barcode type, size, and placement all depend on where the barcode will be scanned:

Step 7: Format the barcode text. The text beneath a barcode, called Human Readable Interpretation (HRI), is important because if the barcode is damaged or of poor quality, the text is used as a back-up. GS1 in its 10 Steps explains more about HRI here.

Steps 8 and 9: Pick a barcode color and placement. The optimum color for good contrast in a barcode symbol is black bars on a white background. If you’d like to use another color(s), and GS1 offers “do’s and don’ts” guidelines to ensure readability.

When determining placement, it’s best to first consult the packaging engineer to choose a location where the symbol won’t be obscured or damaged.

Step 10: Ensure ongoing barcode quality. GS1 General Specifications is a list of symbol-quality specifications that align with specific symbol type, application, and the GS1 identification key the symbol is carrying.

There are several benefits to securing your UPC barcode using GS1, and you can read about them here.

The item’s price is not data that’s encoded into the barcode. And there’s a good reason: What if the item’s price changes, or a retailer chooses to ignore the manufacturer’s suggested selling price and set their own?

The Universal Product Code (UPC or UPC code) is a barcode symbology that is widely used worldwide for tracking trade items in stores.

UPC (technically refers to UPC-A) consists of 12 digits that are uniquely assigned to each trade item. Along with the related International Article Number (EAN) barcode, the UPC is the barcode mainly used for scanning of trade items at the point of sale, per the specifications of the international GS1 organisation.[1] UPC data structures are a component of Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) and follow the global GS1 specification, which is based on international standards. But some retailers (clothing, furniture) do not use the GS1 system (rather other barcode symbologies or article number systems). On the other hand, some retailers use the EAN/UPC barcode symbology, but without using a GTIN (for products sold in their own stores only).

Research indicates that the adoption and diffusion of the UPC stimulated innovation and contributed to the growth of international retail supply chains.[2]

Wallace Flint proposed an automated checkout system in 1932 using punched cards. Bernard Silver and Norman Joseph Woodland, a graduate student from Drexel Institute of Technology, developed a bull's-eye-style code and applied for the patent in 1949.[3][4]

In the 1960s and early 1970s, railroads in North America experimented with multicolor bar codes for tracking railcars, but this system was eventually abandoned[5] and replaced with a radio-based system called Automatic Equipment Identification (AEI).

In 1973, a group of trade associations from the grocery industry formed the Uniform Product Code Council (UPCC) which, with the help of consultants Larry Russell and Tom Wilson of McKinsey & Company, defined the numerical format that formed the basis of the Uniform Product Code.[6] Technology firms including Charegon, IBM, Litton-Zellweger, Pitney Bowes-Alpex, Plessey-Anker, RCA, Scanner Inc., Singer, and Dymo Industries/Data General, put forward alternative proposals for symbol representations to the council.[citation needed] The Symbol Selection Committee finally chose to implement the IBM proposal designed by George J. Laurer, but with a slight modification to the font in the human readable area.[citation needed]

The first UPC-marked item ever to be scanned at a retail checkout was a 10-pack (50 sticks) of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum, purchased at the Marsh supermarket in Troy, Ohio, at 8:01 a.m. on 26 June 1974.[7] The NCR cash register rang up 67 cents.[8] The shopping cart also contained other barcoded items but the gum was the first one picked up at the checkout. A facsimile of the gum packet went on display at the Smithsonian Institution's American history museum in Washington, D.C.[9][10]

Murray Eden was a consultant on the team that created the Universal Product Code barcode.[11][12] As Chairman of a committee of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he helped "select a symbol that would endure the inevitable rush of technology that lay ahead."[13] He chose the font, and he came up with the idea to add numbers to the bottom, which is a fail-safe system, in case the barcode reader is not working correctly.[14][15]

Around late 1969, IBM at Research Triangle Park (RTP) in North Carolina assigned George Laurer to determine how to make a supermarket scanner and label. In late 1970, Heard Baumeister provided equations to calculate characters-per-inch achievable by two IBM bar codes, Delta A and Delta B. In February 1971, Baumeister joined Laurer.

Delta B compared bar widths to space width to code bits. This was extremely sensitive to ink spread, where improper levels of ink or pressure would cause both edges of a bar to spread outward or shrink in.

In mid 1971, William "Bill" Crouse invented a new bar code called Delta C.[4] It achieved four times the characters per inch as Delta B.

Delta C achieved its higher performance by only using leading to leading or trailing to trailing edges which was unaffected by uniform ink spread. The code provided best performance when it had a defined character set with a fixed reference distance that spanned most or preferably all the character.

In August 1971, Crouse joined the scanner effort. After several months they had made no progress. They were aware of the RCA bull's eye label that could be scanned with a simple straight line laser scanner, but a readable label was far too large.

Although Litton Industries proposed a bull's eye symbol cut in half to reduce the area, it was still too large and presented the same ink smear printing problems as the RCA symbol. The redundancy and checking ability were removed completely. They were also aware of the many proposals from around the world, none of which were feasible.

In the spring of 1972, Baumeister announced a breakthrough. He proposed a label with bars that were slightly longer than the distance across all bars that needed to be read in a single pass. This label could be scanned with a simple "X" scanner only slightly more complex than the straight line laser scanner. The next day Baumeister suggested if the label were split into two halves the bar lengths could be cut nearly in half.

These two proposals reduced the area from the bull's eye by one third and then one sixth. The image to the right shows the label proposed by Baumeister. He did not specify any specific bar code as that was well understood. Except for the bar coding and ten digits the UPC label today is his proposal. Shortly after that Baumeister transferred to another area of RTP.

Laurer proceeded to define the details of the label and write a proposal. N.J. Woodland was assigned as planner for the project and aided Laurer with writing his proposal.

Laurer's first attempt with a bar code used Delta B. The resulting label size was about six inches by three inches which was too large. Crouse suggested that Laurer use his Delta C bar code and provided a copy of his patent that had a sample alphanumeric character set and rules to generate other size alphabets. This reduced the label size to about 1.5” x 0.9”.

Later Laurer asked Crouse for assistance in how the scanner could detect a label. Together they defined guard bars and a definition of how to detect the label. The guard bars also provided identification for half label discrimination and training bars for the scanner threshold circuits. Laurer had a complete label definition and proceeded to write his proposal.[16]

Previously Crouse had an idea for a simple wand worn like a ring and bracelet. He decided to develop that wand to provide a demonstration of the label.[citation needed]

On 1 December 1972, IBM presented Laurer's proposal to the Super Market Committee in Rochester, Minnesota, the location where IBM would develop the scanner. During the presentation, Crouse gave a lab demonstration where he read UPC-like labels with his ring wand. In addition to reading regular labels, he read the large two-page centerfold label in the proposal booklet. He then turned to a page showing a photo of labeled items sitting on a table. The labels were small and flawed due to the resolution of the printed photo but the wand read many of them. This demonstration showed the robustness of the pure Delta C code. The proposal was accepted.

One month later, 1 January 1973 Crouse transferred back to IBM's Advanced Technology group, and Laurer remained with the full responsibility for the label.

Dymo Industries, makers of handheld printing devices insisted that the code be character independent,[clarification needed] so that handheld printing devices could produce the bar code in store if the items were not bar-coded by the manufacturers. Dymo's proposal was accepted by IBM and incorporated in IBM's latest proposal.

It was decided that the two halves of the label should have a different set of numeric characters. The character set Laurer derived from the Delta C patent used seven printable increments or units where two bars and two spaces would be printed. This yielded twenty combinations of characters, but there were two pairs that when read by Delta C rules yielded the same code for the pair.

Since eighteen characters were not enough Laurer tried adding one unit to the character set. This yielded twenty-six Delta C characters which could provide the two sets of decimal characters but it also added fourteen percent to the width of the label and thereby the height. This would be a thirty percent increase in area or a label of 1.7”x1.03”. Laurer felt this was not acceptable.

Laurer returned to the original character set with twenty characters but four of those were two pairs with the same Delta C reading. He decided to use them all. To distinguish between the pairs he would measure one bar width in each of the pairs to distinguish them from each other. For each pair those bars would be one or two units wide.

Laurer didn't apply Baumeister's equations to this set. He felt just one bar width measurement would not be too serious. As it turned out it would have required over fifty percent increase in width and height for an area increase of more than double. Laurer later admitted these four characters in each set were responsible for most of the scanner read errors.

David Savir, a mathematician, was given the task of proving the symbol could be printed and would meet the reliability requirements, and was most likely unaware of Baumeister's equations. He and Laurer added two more digits to the ten for error correction and detection.

Then they decided to add odd/even parity to the number of units filled with bars in each side. Odd/even parity is a technique used to detect any odd number of bit errors in a bit stream. They decided to use odd on one half and even on the other. This would provide additional indication of which half ticket was being read. This meant that every bar width had to be read accurately to provide a good reading. It also meant every space would also be known.

Requiring every bit width to be read precisely basically nullified the Delta C advantage except for the Delta C reference measurement. Only the strange character set and the size of the label remains as a shadow of the Delta C code. The size was still that calculated for pure Delta C. If the label size had been properly recalculated, taking into account the required bar width measurements the label would have been far too large to be acceptable.

Mechanical engineering and electronic circuit design commonly require worst case designs using known tolerances. Many engineers working with bar codes had little experience with such things and used somewhat intuitive methods. This was the cause of the poor performance of the Delta B code and quite likely the failure of RCA's bull's eye scanner.

The following table shows the workable labels, available in the early 1970s, with their sizes.

This is assuming a bull's eye with the same information and reliable readability.

Each UPC-A barcode consists of a scannable strip of black bars and white spaces above a sequence of 12 numerical digits. No letters, characters or other content of any kind may appear on a UPC-A barcode. There is a one-to-one correspondence between 12-digit number and strip of black bars and white spaces, i.e. there is only one way to represent each 12-digit number visually and there is only one way to represent each strip of black bars and white spaces numerically.

The scannable area of every UPC-A barcode follows the pattern SLLLLLLMRRRRRRE, where S (start), M (middle), and E (end) guard patterns are represented the same way on every UPC-A barcode and the L (left) and R (right) sections collectively represent the 12 numerical digits that make each UPC-A unique. The first digit L indicates a particular number system to be used by the following digits. The last digit R is an error detecting check digit, that allows some errors to be detected in scanning or manual entry. The guard patterns separate the two groups of six numerical digits and establish the timing.

UPC-A 042100005264 is equivalent to UPC-E 425261 with the "EOEEOO" parity pattern, which is defined by UPC-A number system 0 and UPC-A check digit 4.

UPC-A barcodes can be printed at various densities to accommodate a variety of printing and scanning processes. The significant dimensional parameter is called x-dimension (width of single module element). The width of each bar (space) is determined by multiplying the x-dimension and the module width (1, 2, 3, or 4 units) of each bar (space). Since the guard patterns each include two bars, and each of the 12 digits of the UPC-A barcode consists of two bars and two spaces, all UPC-A barcodes consist of exactly (3 × 2) + (12 × 2) = 30 bars, of which 6 represent guard patterns and 24 represent numerical digits.

The x-dimension for the UPC-A at the nominal size is 0.33 mm (0.013"). Nominal symbol height for UPC-A is 25.9 mm (1.02"). The bars forming the S (start), M (middle), and E (end) guard patterns, are extended downwards by 5 times x-dimension, with a resulting nominal symbol height of 27.55 mm (1.08"). This also applies to the bars of the first and last numerical digit of UPC-A barcode. UPC-A can be reduced or magnified anywhere from 80% to 200%.

A quiet zone, with a width of at least 9 times the x-dimension, must be present on each side of the scannable area of the UPC-A barcode.[17][18] For a GTIN-12 number encoded in a UPC-A barcode, the first and last digits of the human-readable interpretation are always placed outside the symbol in order to indicate the quiet zones that are necessary for UPC barcode scanners to work properly.

The UPC-A barcode is visually represented by strips of bars and spaces that encode the UPC-A 12-digit number. Each digit is represented by a unique pattern of 2 bars and 2 spaces. The bars and spaces are variable width, i.e. 1, 2, 3, or 4 modules wide. The total width for a digit is always 7 modules; consequently, UPC-A 12-digit number requires a total of 7×12 = 84 modules.

A complete UPC-A is 95 modules wide: 84 modules for the digits (L and R sections) combined with 11 modules for the S (start), M (middle), and E (end) guard patterns. The S (start) and E (end) guard patterns are 3 modules wide and use the pattern bar-space-bar, where each bar and space is one module wide. The M (middle) guard pattern is 5 modules wide and uses the pattern space-bar-space-bar-space, where each bar and space is also one module wide. In addition, a UPC-A symbol requires a quiet zone (extra space of 9 modules wide) before the S (start) and after the E (end) guard patterns.

The UPC-A's left-hand side digits (the digits to the left of the M (middle) guard pattern) have odd parity, which means the total width of the black bars is an odd number of modules. On the contrary, the right-hand side digits have even parity. Consequently, a UPC scanner can determine whether it is scanning a symbol from left-to-right or from right-to-left (the symbol is upside-down). After seeing a S (start) or E (end) guard pattern (they are the same, bar-space-bar, whichever direction they are read), the scanner will first see odd parity digits, if scanning left-to-right, or even parity digits, if scanning right-to-left. With the parity/direction information, an upside-down symbol will not confuse the scanner. When confronted with an upside-down symbol, the scanner may simply ignore it (many scanners alternate left-to-right and right-to-left scans, so they will read the symbol on a subsequent pass) or recognize the digits and put them in the right order. There is another property in the digit encoding. The right-hand side digits are the optical inverse of the left-hand side digits, i.e. black bars are turned into white spaces and vice versa. For example, the left-hand side "4" is space×1 - bar×1 - space×3 - bar×2, meanwhile the right-hand side "4" is bar×1 - space×1 - bar×3 - space×2.

The number of UPC-A and UPC-E barcodes are limited by the standards used to create them.

Below is description of all possible number systems with corresponding 12-digit UPC-A numbering schema LLLLLLRRRRRR, where L denotes number system digit and R check digit.

The UPC includes a check digit to detect common data entry errors. For example, UPC-A codes choose the check digit x 12 {\displaystyle x_{12}} to satisfy the check digit equation:

If an entered code does not satisfy the equation, then it is not a valid UPC-A.

The UPC-A check digit may be calculated as follows:

For example, in a UPC-A barcode "03600029145x12", where x12 is the unknown check digit, x12 may be calculated by:

Thus, the check digit x12 is 2.

The check digit equation is selected to have reasonable error detection properties (see Luhn algorithm).

UPC in its most common usage technically refers to UPC-A.

Other variants of the UPC exist:

To allow the use of UPC barcodes on smaller packages, where a full 12-digit barcode may not fit, a zero-suppressed version of UPC was developed, called UPC-E, in which the number system digit, all trailing zeros in the manufacturer code, and all leading zeros in the product code, are suppressed (omitted).[23] This symbology differs from UPC-A in that it only uses a 6-digit code, does not use M (middle) guard pattern, and the E (end) guard pattern is formed as space-bar-space-bar-space-bar, i.e. UPC-E barcode follows the pattern SDDDDDDE. The way in which a 6-digit UPC-E relates to a 12-digit UPC-A, is determined by UPC-E numerical pattern and UPC-E parity pattern. It can only correspond to UPC-A number system 0 or 1, the value of which, along with the UPC-A check digit, determines the UPC-E parity pattern of the encoding. With the manufacturer code digits represented by M's, and product code digits by P's, then:

For example, a UPC-E 654321 may correspond to the UPC-A 065100004327 or 165100004324, depending on the UPC-E parity pattern of the encoded digits, as described next:

UPC-E 654321 with "EOEOEO" parity pattern (UPC-A 065100004327) would be encoded as

The barcode would look like this:

The EAN-13 was developed as a superset of UPC-A, adding an extra digit to the beginning of every UPC-A number. This expanded the number of unique values theoretically possible by ten times to 1 trillion. EAN-13 barcodes also indicate the country in which the company that sells the product is based (which may or may not be the same as the country in which the good is manufactured). The three leading digits of the code determine this, according to the GS1 country codes. Every UPC-A code can be easily converted to the equivalent EAN-13 code by prepending 0 digit to the UPC-A code. This does not change the check digit. All point-of-sale systems can now understand both equally.

EAN-8 is an 8-digit variation of the EAN barcode.

UPC usage notes:

We’ll help you fully understand universal product codes and how it differs from a SKU number.

UPC barcodes are widely used for retail goods. It’s a way to identify products. There are different types of UPC barcodes out there and specific reasons why businesses might need them for order processing.

You can break down UPCs by their product label. The label will typically have 2 different parts. The first is the barcode and the second is the unique number underneath. Barcodes consist of lines and black bars that are in a special sequence. In order to read the barcode, you’re going to need a barcode scanner.

Each product will also have a unique numerical code consisting of 12 digits. This code is referred to as a Global Trade Identification Number or GTIN. Labels typically have a UPC barcode and a GTIN underneath. The UPC and GTIN is essentially the same except for the fact that the UPC is a barcode.

A UPC or Universal Product Code consists of a 12-digit barcode. It’s assigned to a product in order to easily identify it as well as its manufacturer. The barcode has numerous vertical variable-width bars. The original UPC was created in 1973 by IBM in order to track their merchandise in stores. Ideally, it was used at the point of sale. Since then, the UPC has spread to other countries.

GS1 is an international non-profit organization. It maintains and regulates the UPC. They also work on developing supply-and-demand chain standards in numerous industries.

The UPC is most frequently used in North America, but also worldwide for retail products and eCommerce. It can vary between 8 and 12 digits that identify each product during sales transactions.

Almost every consumer product that is sold in-store or online will have a UPC. It’s a machine-readable number or otherwise known as a barcode. It's an essential part of the order management system. The bars have spaces in between them that are unique to the product.

Under the bars, there are between 8 and 12 digits based on the code. The first 6 to 10 digits indicate the manufacturer’s identification number. The following 1-5 digits indicate the item number. Finally, the last digit is the check digit. It guarantees the accuracy of the code.

In today’s world, UPC barcodes are essential in standard sales transactions. Merchants use barcode readers to scan products at checkout. The reader will transmit the data from the UPC to the POS system in order to look it up.

Once the POS system retrieves the information, it will get the price at the point of sale. This will allow the merchant to sell the product at a specific price.

Most UPC barcodes are used for high-volume scanning. This is especially seen in retail stores. However, they can also be ideal for the healthcare industry. They can identify medical devices, be used for security, logistics, warehousing, and data tracking.

UPC barcodes can vary based on their type. Here are the two kinds you might come across:

This is considered to be the standard UPC. It’s used in POS retail transactions. This barcode has 12 digits and works on encoding data referred to as Global Trade Item Number or GTIN-12.

Instead of the standard 12 digit barcodes, the UPC-E is 8 digits long. It also encodes GTIN-12 data. This barcode is typically used when there isn’t enough space for a 12-digit one. These can be found on smaller retail items like cigarettes, gum, and cosmetics.

If your business sells physical products under a brand or label that belongs to you, you’ll likely need a UPC. This will help you identify each product in your inventory. Additionally, each product will have a specific variation of a unique barcode.

UPCs might also be necessary if you sell products online based on the platform you use. Large retailers such as Walmart, Amazon, Google, eBay, and others request barcodes for their products.

When it comes to scanning and tracking your inventory, UPC barcodes can come in handy.

Obtaining a UPC code isn’t as simple as it might seem. You’ll have to apply to GS1 for barcode issuing and maintenance. This organization makes sure that no two products use the same UPC code.

If you’re in the U.S., here are the steps you have to follow to get a universal product code.

Obtaining a barcode isn’t free. The cost of it can depend on the type of barcode you select. A one-time license for a GS1 US GTIN barcode costs $30. GS1 Company Prefix costs can vary. This is based on the number of items that you need a barcode for. In this case, there's an initial fee that can range from $250 to 2,100. Additionally, you’ll have a yearly fee between $50 to $2,100 in order to maintain the UPC registration with the GS1.

When you ask yourself “What is UPC?”, you might think that it’s the same as a SKU or ASIN. However, these all differ from each other in one way or another.

UPC barcodes resemble a standard barcode. It’s common for business owners to confuse them with other product numbers like SKUs and ASINs.

A SKU is an internal product number. SKUs can incorporate letters and numbers. There is no limit on the length of these numbers. There are some businesses that choose to print SKUs over their UPC labels. This makes it easier to identify internal products.

Inventory systems can be set up to automatically translate UPC barcodes into SKU numbers for your products. You can also use a SKU generator to create the number for you. To understand SKUs better, understand SKU rationalization.

An ASIN is also known as an Amazon Standard Identification Number. This number is used specifically by Amazon. It can often be a variation of your product’s UPC barcode, but not always.

Correct product identification is necessary to sell through traditional retailers and online marketplaces, such as Amazon, Walmart, Kroger, and Ebay.  UPC barcodes (aka UPC Codes) are standardized global identifiers, which enable products to be sold, reordered and tracked through supply chains.  Accurate product identification starts with the UPC barcode since it is the key to which everything is based upon.

As the authority on UPC implementation and global barcode provider, we are contacted daily with inquiries. Here are a few of the most basic questions about UPC codes and barcodes:

By definition UPC stands for “Universal Product Code”, so the term UPC Code is incorrectly redundant. The term “UPC Code” is commonly used to describe the UPC Barcode symbol, A “UPC Code” is essentially a barcode symbol encoding a 12-digit number called a GTIN-12.  As described below, the GTIN-12 is essentially the UPC data derived primarily from a UPC Company Prefix and Item Reference Numbers

GTIN describes a family of GS1 (EAN.UCC) global data structures that employ 14 digits and can be encoded into various types of data carriers. Currently, GTIN is used exclusively within bar codes, but it is also used in other data carriers such as radio frequency identification (RFID). The GTIN is only a term and does not impact any existing standards, nor does it place any additional requirements on scanning hardware. For North American companies, the UPC is an existing form of the GTIN. Please visit www.gtin.info for a detailed explanation.

The family of data structures (not symbologies) comprising GTIN include:

A barcode is a graphic symbol used to convey data.  Typically the characters in barcode symbols consist of bar/space patterns. The most common linear barcode is the UPC barcode (aka UPC-A). The barcode image above is an example. Please note that there are numerous other types of barcode languages. Just as English and French use the Roman character set (A, B, C, etc), the various barcode languages use bar/space patterns to convey data.  The UPC-A barcode symbol contains 12 numeric digits.

The basis of the GTIN identification system works of unique company identifiers assigned to each company.  GS1 global is a standards organization that oversees the numbering and guidelines for product identification. There are local GS1 offices in over 104 countries whose primary role is to license GS1 Company Prefixes to companies within their country.  In the US, GS1 US is the local office. The uniqueness of brand-specific GS1 Company Prefix allows products to be accepted and recognized across the globe.   Each country establishes its own pricing rules for licensing GS1 Prefixes, which are normally based on the total number of products a company needs to identify.

Retailers and marketplaces mandate that their suppliers have a UPC Company Prefix licensed to their brand. Since correct and unique production identification is critical to retail supply chains, major retailers and online marketplaces will not accept UPC barcodes without correctly licensed prefixes. In other words, you cannot use a reseller or another company’s UPCs to identify your products. The GS1 Prefix licenses provide denominations in;1-10, 1-100,1-1000,1-10000,1-100,000,  For exact pricing for US company, please click here.

Each individual product that you are planning on selling will need its own unique UPC Code. Each variant of product will require a unique UPC so products of different size and colors will each be unique represented with an individual UPC.

As stated above, UPC are “Universal Product Codes” are acceptable around the globe. EAN stands for European Article Number and was the identifier commonly used internationally. Before 2005, manufacturers were challenged because the US used UPC and 13-digit EAN barcodes were used internationally. The EAN format is essentially identical to the UPC but contains a leading “0” to make the number of digits 13.  Since the UPC was only 12-digits, it normally did not present problems to overseas POS systems. However, the 13-digit EANs could not be read by US stores.  All of the EAN country organizations and the UCC (Uniform Code Council) came together to form GS1.  One of the first initiatives was to establish the 2005 Sunrise Date which educated US companies on the necessity to enable their systems to read 14-digits (GTINs).

Today’s scanners can now read EAN and UPC barcodes so there is never a reason to put both types on a product.  US companies should only use the UPC barcode.

As the US Barcode Authority www.barcode-us.com, we produce over 2,000,000 barcode files every year and we are the ONLY source to obtain precise UPC bar codes (.eps) and personal support. The GS1 Barcode Service helps companies with every step. In addition to application processing, personal assistance with GTIN assignments and product data uploads, high resolution digital barcodes (.eps) are included. Please note that printed labels may be substituted for digital files for 10 & 100 barcode packages.

• Determine how many barcodes you need. You'll need a UPC for each product type and variation.
• Choose where to purchase your UPCs. GS1, a nonprofit organization based in New Jersey, sets and manages the information standards that go into UPC codes.
• Pay any applicable charges.
• Receive your UPC codes.

Without them, it will be next to impossible for you to sell on the marketplace.

If you are not familiar with this concept, then fret not my dear reader!

What We Covered

In this article, we are going to take a look at what precisely these UPCs are, why they matter so much, and most importantly, where can you buy them.

These codes work in the same way as the barcodes you see on every product in your local supermarket. They are unique, and a simple scan will tell you what the product is, along with other relevant information.

Needless to mention, UPCs have several benefits, such as:

UPCs are essential to do business on Amazon. Period. Amazon needs a unique product identifier, and UPC codes serve that purpose. It is required so that you can fill the ‘Product ID’ section with ease while you are creating a new listing to sell. Of course, there are other codes as well like ASIN, GTIN, EAN, et cetera, but UPC is widely accepted and is the most common identification norm out there in the market.

If you don’t have a UPC code for your product, Amazon will not accept it for its marketplace.

Amazon has also updated its policy on UPC codes, stating that it will now check each product’s UPC against the database provided by GS1 – the one and only provider of UPC codes. It is done to determine the authenticity of the code, and in case of any mismatch/misuse, the listing will not be accepted, and it will be removed. Further action may also be taken against the seller.

Therefore, it is important to ensure that you use a current, valid UPC for your product.

Before we get to the part where we can buy UPC codes, let’s take a look at how UPC codes are generated.

First things first, you cannot make your own code. You need to purchase it from GS1 – a non-profit organization that is tasked with the job of setting up standards for business communication and identifying retail products across the globe. There are over 100 GS1 organizations, catering to different geographies. For the United States, you need to concern yourself with GS1 US.

The process to create a UPC code starts with creating a GTIN – Global Trade Item Number, for your product. If you are confused between UPC and GTIN, think of it in this way:If UPC code is a pattern of black and white stripes created uniquely to identify a product, then GTIN is the number that compliments the same. It is an inherent part of the UPC code.Here is how you generate the UPC code:

A Sample UPC code with GTIN.

European Article Number, also known as EAN, is quite similar to UPC codes. They are mainly used in the European nations and are a combination of 12-13 digits with barcodes.

Now that we know how to generate the UPC codes, let us take a look at how you can go about buying them.

Recommended Guide: 10 ways to reduce your Amazon pick and pack fees.

How much do the UPC codes cost?

The cost of Amazon UPC codes depends on your requirements. If you are a small business owner, GS1 US offers a cost-effective option for you. You can get a single GS1 US GTIN or UPC code for $30 and with no renewal fee.

On the other hand, if you have a lot of individual products to sell, then you will obviously need more codes, and consequently, the price will be higher. Here’s how it works:

Keep in mind that these charges are just for generating the barcodes. You will have to pay extra for ordering them/having them delivered to your products. This fee will depend on the solutions provider you choose.

I’m selling multiple variations of the same product. Do I need UPCs for every product?

Yes, you do. Since the variations of the same product are inherently different in size, color, design, or whatever parameter you have chosen, they are unique products and as such, need a unique identifier.

For example, if you are selling a pair of socks in seven different colors, you need seven different UPCs.

I’m selling a product on Amazon that is already listed on the marketplace. Do I still need a UPC code?

Yes, absolutely! Even if your product is being sold by another seller, you still have a unique identifier for your item. It can be an Amazon UPC code, EAN, GTIN, et cetera.

I’m buying a product from a wholesaler and then reselling it on Amazon. It is not my original brand. Do I still need to pay for a UPC code?

Even if you are reselling a product on Amazon, like most sellers, you still need to pay for a UPC code (or any other unique identifier, for that matter). The bottom line is that Amazon needs to separate each of the millions of products in the database in one way or another. Codes like UPC, EAN, GTIN, among others, help Amazon achieve this goal.So, whatever may be the case, if you are selling something on Amazon, it needs to carry a unique identifier code.

By now, you must have realized the importance of Amazon UPC codes. Without one, it will be impossible for you to sell your products in the marketplace. It is an investment but is undoubtedly worth the price. You need to ensure that you buy Amazon UPC codes from valid authorities like GS1 and their solutions partners, to avoid any discrepancies down the road. The codes need to be authentic and correct and must adhere to Amazon standards.

Please feel free to share your experience with these codes in the comments section below! We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Good luck!

Additional Resource:

Converting Amazon ASIN to UPC

How to update UPC on Amazon.