GS1 DataBar Expanded
One row, 34 modules high: the example is 108.9 mm wide at 0.330 mm.
Create GS1 DataBar Expanded ›Used by 700,000+ people
Free GS1 DataBar Expanded barcode generator.
GS1 DataBar Expanded puts the GTIN, weight, price and best before date of fresh food into one checkout barcode. Type the Application Identifiers (AIs) and data, then download.
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How to create a GS1 DataBar Expanded barcode
-
01
Collect the GTIN, weight and price
Prefix the GTIN-13 with a zero, so (01) gets 14 digits. Add the weight in kilograms under (3103) and the price under (3922).
-
02
Enter (01) first and the price last
Type AIs and values without parentheses. After a variable-length field such as (3922) or (10), type
\Fbefore the next AI and switch on Escape sequences, or you get an error image. -
03
Choose one row or stacked, then download
Use whole printer dots, such as 0.339 mm at 300 dpi; download PNG, or SVG with a plan.
What is GS1 DataBar Expanded?
GS1 DataBar Expanded (formerly RSS Expanded) is a linear barcode that GS1 designed for variable weight products, perishables and coupons at omnidirectional checkout scanners. It adds attributes such as net weight, price or best before date to the GTIN (Global Trade Item Number). Expanded Stacked splits it into 2 to 11 rows for narrow labels.
Fresh food counters and paper coupons
Meat, poultry, dairy, bakery items and produce sold by weight get their barcode when the store weighs them. The label carries the GTIN with weight or count, plus price and best before date if the retailer wants. For such items with a GTIN, GS1 makes DataBar Expanded or Expanded Stacked the mandatory carrier.
Printed coupons in North America carry their AI (8110) data only in these two symbols; the U.P.C. Prefix 5 coupon code was retired after mid-2015. The point-of-sale (POS) system can then check expiry and purchase requirements automatically.
One GTIN per product, sized for the checkout
With weight and price as attributes, every pack keeps one GTIN instead of a country- or company-specific Restricted Circulation Number (RCN) with weight or price inside an EAN-13. GS1 allows RCNs neither with AIs nor in 2D barcodes.
The drawing shows the example at the 0.330 mm target: 330 modules, 108.9 mm wide, bars 11.23 mm high, no quiet zone. GS1 recommends at most 101.60 mm for linear CCD hand-held scanners, so print smaller or stacked where those are used.
From one pack to a whole price list
Download PNG, GIF or JPG free; SVG comes with a plan. Without an account you make one barcode at a time; a data sheet for a whole price list needs a free sign-in.
Barcode Studio turns a CSV file of weighed packs into symbols in one run. TBarCode Office binds them to Excel cells and Word mail merge; TBarCode/SAPwin prints them from SAPscript and Smart Forms. TEC-IT's software compresses common AI sequences when (01) comes first.
GS1 DataBar Expanded at a glance
- Specification
- GS1 General Specifications Release 26.0, section 5.5.2.3; ISO/IEC 24724
- Character set
- GS1 subset of ISO/IEC 646 (82 characters)
- Data capacity
- 74 digits or 41 letters, also when stacked
- Check character
- Modulo 211
- X-dimension at retail POS
- 0.264–0.660 mm, target 0.330 mm
- Minimum height
- 34 modules per row: 11.23 mm at 0.330 mm
- Quiet zone
- None required
- Print quality
- Grade 1.5 or better (1.5/06/660)
AIs on weighed items and coupons
| AI | Content | Format | FNC1 (\F) if another AI follows |
|---|---|---|---|
| (01) | GTIN, always first | 14 digits | No |
| (3103) | Net weight, kg | 6 digits | No |
| (15) | Best before date | YYMMDD | No |
| (3922) | Price, 2 decimals | Up to 15 digits | Yes |
| (8110) | Coupon code | Up to 70 characters | Yes |
A GTIN starting with 9 marks variable-measure items not scanned at the POS; then (01) and (3103) compress further, to 151 instead of 200 modules in the generator.
GS1 DataBar Expanded input mistakes
- Typed parentheses. They are encoded, and scanners send them. Leave them out.
- No zero before a GTIN-13. The generator accepts it; the receiving system then counts a digit of the next AI into the GTIN.
- A wrong check digit. The bars get the correct one, the text line your typo. Calculate it first.
- A stacked symbol without text line. The download has none, but GS1 requires one in most cases: set the AIs in parentheses in your layout, at least 2 mm high.
GS1 DataBar Expanded compared with related barcodes
GS1 DataBar ›
Carries only the GTIN; for slot scanners, GS1 recommends its omnidirectional variants when no attribute is needed.
GS1-128 ›
Same AIs, but at most 48 data characters, 10-module quiet zones, and not for retail checkouts.
GS1 Composite ›
Adds a 2D component above it: CC-A, or a four-column CC-B of up to 338 digits.
GS1 DataMatrix ›
Same element strings for image-based scanners. On weighed fresh food at checkouts, GS1 accepts it only in addition, during the 2D transition.
GS1 DataBar Expanded or Expanded Stacked
Same data; choose by label width.
GS1 DataBar Expanded Stacked
The generator stacks 4 segments per row, with 3-module separators: at 0.330 mm the example has 4 rows, 33.7 mm wide and 47.85 mm high.
Create GS1 DataBar Expanded Stacked ›Frequently asked questions
Learn more about GS1 DataBar Expanded.
Do checkout scanners read GS1 DataBar Expanded?
Yes, if they are programmed for it. GS1 lists both variants for items scanned at the point of sale; in 2015 GS1 US reported that most existing scanning systems read them, some after a software change. Test with your retailer.
Should fresh food move from price-embedded EAN-13 codes to GS1 DataBar Expanded?
GS1 strongly recommends the GTIN for fresh food. RCNs are valid only within a country or company and fit only EAN/UPC; a GTIN carries weight, price and dates in DataBar Expanded now and in a 2D barcode later.
What does a scanner transmit from GS1 DataBar Expanded?
The identifier ]e0, then the AIs and data without parentheses, with GS for each separating FNC1. In GS1-128 emulation, readers send ]C1 and split data over 48 characters into two messages.
How are decimals set for weight and price?
By the fourth digit of the AI: (3103)001250 is 1.250 kg, (3922)1495 is 14.95. Pounds use (320n), and (393n) adds an ISO currency code.
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