Barcode number checker
Type the digits under a barcode. You see what kind of number it is, whether its last digit is right, and its other forms.
EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, UPC-E, ISBN-10/13, GTIN-14 or SSCC. Spaces and dashes are fine.
Checked. Skip the typing: the app reads the barcode with the camera and shows its type, check digit and the product.
The iPhone app- 01
Type the number
Copy the digits printed under the barcode. Spaces and dashes are ignored.
- 02
See the result
The type is worked out from the length and first digits. A green tag means the check digit is right; red shows the digit it should be.
- 03
Use the other forms
Copy the number as EAN-13, UPC-A, UPC-E, ISBN-10 or GTIN-14 when a system asks for a different format.
How a barcode checks itself
The last digit of every EAN, UPC and GTIN is a check digit worked out from all the others. If one digit is mistyped or misread, the sum no longer matches, and scanners reject it. That catches every single wrong digit and most swaps of two neighbours.
So a right check digit means the number is well formed. It does not mean the number was ever issued to a real company, or that it belongs to the product it is printed on: anyone can make a number with a valid check digit.
What the length tells you
8 digits: EAN-8 (small packs) or a UPC-E (a shortened UPC-A). 12 digits: UPC-A, used in the US and Canada. 13 digits: EAN-13, used everywhere else, and ISBN-13 on books when it starts with 978 or 979. 14 digits: GTIN-14 on cases and cartons. 18 digits: SSCC on pallets and shipping labels. 10 digits: usually an old ISBN-10.
How do I check if a barcode number is valid?
Type it here. The checker works out the check digit from the other digits and compares it with the last one. A match means the number is well formed.
Can a barcode be fake?
A made-up number can still have a correct check digit, so a valid check digit does not prove a product is genuine. Only the company that owns the number (or GS1's own registry, GEPIR) can say who it was issued to.
Does the barcode show the country of origin?
No. The first digits (the GS1 prefix) show which country's GS1 office issued the company's number. Products are often made somewhere else.
What does a barcode starting with 0 mean?
A 13-digit number starting with 0 is a US or Canadian UPC-A written with a leading zero. Drop the 0 and you have the 12-digit UPC.
What barcodes start with 2?
Numbers starting with 2 (020–029 and 200–299) are in-store numbers. Shops make them for weighed food, own labels and reductions, so they only mean something inside that shop.
Why does my barcode have 8 digits?
It is either an EAN-8 (used on small packs) or a UPC-E, a shortened UPC-A. The checker tries both and shows the full UPC-A when it is a UPC-E.
QR Code Scan KitComing soon
