Used by 700,000+ people
Free UPC-E barcode generator.
UPC-E is the zero-suppressed UPC for small packs: six digits standing for a 12-digit product number. Type 0 and the six digits; the generator adds the check digit.
How to create a UPC-E barcode
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01
Shorten your GTIN-12
Find your GTIN-12's pattern in the table below and type 0 plus the six UPC-E digits. Your GTIN-12's last digit, the check digit, is optional: the generator checks or adds it.
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02
Choose the X-dimension
Enter your printer's dpi, then a module width (X-dimension) in whole dots, within 0.264–0.660 mm. The image includes the 9X and 7X quiet zones.
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03
Download, then measure the bars
Download PNG or, with a plan, SVG. Then check the bars: at 0.330 mm, they must be at least 22.85 mm high.
What is a UPC-E barcode?
A UPC-E barcode, version E of the Universal Product Code, encodes a 12-digit Global Trade Item Number (GTIN-12) in six digits, so it fits small packs. GS1, the global standards organization, allows this zero-suppressed form only for GTIN-12s that start with 0 and contain four or five zeros in set positions.
Small packs and in-store codes
GS1 US names candy, cosmetics, yogurt cups and trial sizes as typical UPC-E items. GS1 Canada adds chewing gum and cigarettes, small packs where a UPC-A may not fit.
With upright bars at 0.264 mm, a UPC-E fits cylinders from 26 mm in diameter, where UPC-A and EAN-13 need 48 mm. Retailers can also number in-house items: GS1 reserves the prefixes 000000 and 001000–007999 for such UPC-E codes, unique only within the company.
The full GTIN-12 in 41% less width
With six characters, no center guard and a six-module end pattern, UPC-E is 67 modules wide with its quiet zones, UPC-A 113. At 0.330 mm, that is 22.11 against 37.29 mm. The checkout expands the code, so price files, orders and invoices keep the 12-digit number, which you cannot give to a different item.
The reader still verifies the check digit, carried by the mix of number sets A and B, against the expanded number. GS1 requires print grade 1.5 or better, as for UPC-A.
Many UPC-Es: data sheets, Barcode Studio, Excel and SAP
A free sign-in adds data sheets, whose rows download as UPC-E barcodes in one go; signed out, each download is one UPC-E. Higher print resolution and SVG come with a plan.
Barcode Studio imports the seven- or eight-digit codes from CSV or text files and exports them in one run, also from the command line. TBarCode Office connects each UPC-E to an Excel cell, and TBarCode/SAPwin prints UPC-E from SAP with the print control C=UCE.
UPC-E at a glance
- Standard
- GS1 General Specifications 26.0; ISO/IEC 15420
- Data
- GTIN-12 starting with 0, with four or five zeros in set places
- Encoded
- Six digits; 0 and check digit implied
- X-dimension
- 0.264–0.660 mm
- Bar height
- 22.85 mm at X = 0.330 mm
- Quiet zones
- 9X left, 7X right
- Numbers
- From a U.P.C. Company Prefix starting with 0
Which GTIN-12s fit into a UPC-E
The GTIN-12 must start with 0. GS1 allows four patterns, and the sixth UPC-E digit says which one applies:
| GTIN-12 digits 1–11 (letters: kept digits) | Condition | UPC-E digits | GS1 example |
|---|---|---|---|
0 abcde 0000 f | e ≠ 0, f = 5–9 | abcdef | 012345000058 → 123455 |
0 abcd 00000 f | d ≠ 0 | abcdf4 | 045670000080 → 456784 |
0 abc 0000 xyz | c = 0, 1 or 2 | abxyzc | 034000005673 → 345670 |
0 abc 00000 yz | c = 3–9 | abcyz3 | 098400000751 → 984753 |
No other GTIN-12 fits. Expanding the example 0123456:
- The sixth UPC-E digit, 6, points to the first pattern: 0 12345 0000 6.
- Calculated as for any GTIN-12, the check digit is 5: 012345000065.
UPC-E sizes and print checks
| Size | X-dimension | Width with quiet zones | Minimum bar height |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80% | 0.264 mm | 17.69 mm | 18.28 mm |
| 100% | 0.330 mm | 22.11 mm | 22.85 mm |
| 200% | 0.660 mm | 44.22 mm | 45.70 mm |
- Warehouse scanning. For packs also scanned in distribution, GS1 asks for at least 0.495 mm and recommends UPC-A or EAN-13 whenever space permits.
- Next to a 2D code. GS1 requires GTIN text, which should accompany both symbols; with UPC-A, only the linear one needs it. GS1's example prints (01)00012345000058 under the 2D code.
Common UPC-E mistakes
- Typing the 12-digit GTIN. The generator rejects it; convert it with the table first.
- Using an outdated form. 0120453 expands to 012000000454, but GS1 accepts this form only when decoding; encode the number as 0120450. The generator does not check this.
- Starting with 1. The generator accepts a 1 in front and swaps the number sets, but GS1 requires 0.
Frequently asked questions
Learn more about UPC-E.
Can any UPC-A number be printed as a UPC-E?
How do I get a UPC-E number for my product?
Why does a UPC-E show eight digits?
Is UPC-E used outside North America?
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