Free EAN-13 barcode generator
EAN-13 is the 13-digit barcode on products sold in shops almost everywhere outside North America. This page encodes the number you give it and works out the final digit.
Barcode format
12 digits, or 13 with the check digit. The 13th digit is calculated for you.
Check digit 7 calculated and appended.
Keep strong contrast (dark bars on a light background) and leave a clear margin, or scanners may fail to read it.
Preview
Rendering…
Everything is generated in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Retail EAN-13 numbers must be built from a company prefix licensed by GS1. This tool does not issue, sell or register numbers, so do not invent one for a product that will be sold in shops.
What is EAN-13?
An EAN-13 holds a GS1 prefix, your company number, an item reference and a final check digit. The first two or three digits come from the GS1 member organisation that issued the prefix; they are not a guarantee of where the product was made.
The symbol is 95 modules wide with guard bars at the start, middle and end. The very first digit is not drawn as bars; it is signalled by the pattern used for the left-hand half.
When to use EAN-13
Products on shelves in Europe, Asia, Australia and most other markets.
Mock-ups, packaging proofs and training material using placeholder numbers (clearly not for real sale).
Re-printing a barcode for a product whose GTIN you already own.
How to make a EAN-13 barcode
- 1
Enter the 12-digit number, or all 13 digits. The check digit is calculated and appended for 12; for 13 it is verified and a wrong one is rejected.
- 2
Pick size and colours. Keep strong contrast, dark bars on a light background.
- 3
Download SVG for packaging artwork, which scales without blur.
- 4
Print at 80 to 200 percent of nominal size and leave the quiet zone either side.
EAN-13 questions
Where do I get a real EAN-13 number?
From GS1, through the member organisation in your country. They license a company prefix and you assign item numbers within it. This site only draws the barcode for a number you already hold.
How is the EAN-13 check digit calculated?
Digits are weighted alternately 1 and 3 from the left of the first twelve, summed, and the check digit tops the sum up to the next multiple of 10. You only need to supply 12 digits.
What is the difference between EAN-13 and UPC-A?
A UPC-A is an EAN-13 with a leading zero. Modern scanners read both, so a 12-digit UPC is simply written as 13 digits with 0 in front.
What size should an EAN-13 be?
Nominal size is about 37.3 mm by 25.9 mm, and GS1 allows scaling roughly 80 to 200 percent. Smaller than that and checkout scanners struggle.
Related barcode formats
Need a code people scan with their phone?
Barcodes hold short numbers. For links, Wi-Fi, contact cards and more, create a QR code.
- No watermark
- No account for static codes