Free EAN-13 barcode generator.

Type

Linear, EAN/UPC family, read in any direction

Specification

GS1 General Specifications 26.0 (2026), section 5.2; ISO/IEC 15420

Data

13 digits: GTIN-13 or Restricted Circulation Number (RCN-13)

Check digit

1, mandatory, weights 1 and 3

X-dimension

0.264–0.660 mm at retail checkouts, target 0.330 mm

Bar height

22.85 mm at 0.330 mm, scaled with X; at least 18.28 mm

Width

113 modules with quiet zones, 37.29 mm at 0.330 mm

Quiet zones

11X left, 7X right

Print quality

ISO/IEC 15416 grade 1.5 or better, 6 mil aperture, 660 nm

Number issuer

GS1 Member Organisations; ISBN agency for 978 and 979

A GTIN-13 consists of a GS1 Company Prefix of 4 to 12 digits, an item reference you assign and a check digit. A 9-digit prefix leaves 3 digits for item references: 1,000 products. The first digits, the GS1 Prefix, show the type of number:

Calculating the check digit of the example 952012345678:

1. Multiply the 12 digits by 1 and 3 alternately, from the left: 9, 15, 2, 0, 1, 6, 3, 12, 5, 18, 7, 24.
2. Add the results: 102.
3. Subtract the sum from the nearest equal or higher multiple of ten: 110 − 102 = 8.
4. Complete number: 9520123456788.

• Size. 80–200% of nominal (0.264–0.660 mm) at checkouts; at least 0.495 mm if warehouses scan the pack too.
• Quiet zones. 11X left, 7X right: 3.63 and 2.31 mm at 0.330 mm. The generator includes them.
• Digits. All 13 digits must appear below the bars, the first left of the start guard. OCR-B is the recommended font.
• Contrast. Dark bars on a light background: the darkest bar must reflect at most half as much light as the background.
• Placement. Preferably the lower right quadrant of the back, 8–100 mm from the nearest edge. On cylinders under 48 mm in diameter, turn the code so the bars run around the cylinder.
• Verification. Most verifiers grade print quality but do not measure bar height, so check the height separately.

Printers print whole dots, so choose an X-dimension of whole dots:

GS1 allows 0.250 mm (2 dots at 203 dpi) only for thermal or laser printing on demand. The space for the symbol and its quiet zones should still be at least that of a 0.264 mm symbol.

• Typing a 12-digit UPC number. The generator reads 12 digits as data and adds a check digit: 725272730706 becomes 7252727307068. Create a UPC-A instead.
• Resizing the image in layout software. Scaling adds or drops pixels unevenly, and bar widths drift. Generate at final size and printer resolution, or use a vector file.
• Shortening the bars to fit. A truncated EAN-13 scans only in some orientations. Reduce the X-dimension instead, or use EAN-8 on packs too small for EAN-13.
• Printing into the quiet zones. A frame, text or label edge within 10X on the left or 6.2X on the right fails verification. Keep 11X and 7X clear.
• Giving an old GTIN to a new product. This risks conflicting product data; GS1 forbids reallocating GTINs, with narrow exceptions. Assign a new GTIN instead.
• Leaving inner barcodes visible on a multipack. The checkout may scan a single unit instead of the pack. Fully cover every barcode that carries a different GTIN.