Generate EAN-13 barcodes in bulk from a CSV or Excel file — the international standard for retail products worldwide. Export Avery-layout PDFs, 300 DPI PNGs, or scalable SVGs. Check digit calculated automatically. No signup, no row limit, no watermark.
Generate EAN-13 Barcodes Free →EAN-13 is accepted by supermarkets, pharmacies, and POS systems in over 100 countries — the global retail barcode standard.
Enter 12 digits and we calculate the mandatory check digit automatically. Existing 13-digit codes are validated on input.
Upload your product list with hundreds of GTINs and download all labels in one PDF or ZIP — no row limit.
Paste your 12- or 13-digit product codes one per line, or upload a CSV/Excel file with your GTIN list.
Choose EAN-13 from the symbology picker. Select label size and output format (Avery PDF, PNG ZIP, or SVG).
Click Generate and download your print-ready file. EAN-13 labels come out at the correct 37.29 × 26.26 mm retail standard size.
The mandatory barcode for consumer goods sold in European supermarkets, convenience stores, and grocery chains.
EAN-13 is printed on medication packaging for point-of-sale scanning at pharmacies worldwide.
Amazon EU, eBay, and most European e-commerce platforms require valid GTINs (EAN-13) for product listings.
ISBN-13 numbers are encoded as EAN-13 barcodes on book covers, CDs, and DVDs — same format, same scanner.
EAN-13 (European Article Number, 13 digits) is the international retail barcode standard administered by GS1. It uniquely identifies a specific product variant — a particular size, color, or packaging — allowing stores worldwide to scan, price, and manage inventory automatically.
The 13-digit number consists of a GS1 country prefix (2–3 digits), a company prefix assigned by GS1, an item reference number, and a single check digit. For products sold in retail stores, the number must be registered with GS1. For internal labeling systems, any valid 13-digit value works without registration.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Symbology type | Linear (1D), continuous, fixed length |
| Character set | Digits 0–9 only |
| Data length | Exactly 13 digits (12 data + 1 check) |
| Check digit | Mandatory, modulo-10 with 1-3-1-3 weighting |
| Nominal size | 37.29 × 25.93 mm including quiet zones |
| Magnification range | 80 % to 200 % of nominal |
| Quiet zone | 11 modules left, 7 modules right (asymmetric) |
| Guard patterns | Left, centre, and right — the taller bars at each end and middle |
| ISO standard | ISO/IEC 15420 |
| Registration required | Yes — GS1 company prefix |
EAN-13 is a fixed-length format, which is both a constraint and a feature. Because every valid code is exactly 13 digits, a POS system can validate length before even attempting a database lookup, and a mis-keyed value is caught immediately. It also means you cannot shorten an EAN-13 to fit a smaller label — you switch to EAN-8 instead.
Unlike most linear barcodes, EAN-13 specifies different quiet zones on each side: 11 modules on the left and 7 on the right. Package designers who centre the barcode in a symmetrical white box frequently end up with too little space on the left. Our generator embeds the correct asymmetric padding directly into the exported image, so the spacing survives whatever layout you drop it into.
An EAN-13 code is not an arbitrary number. It carries structure that identifies where the code was issued and which company owns it.
| Segment | Digits | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| GS1 prefix | First 2–3 | Country or region of the issuing GS1 member organisation |
| Company prefix | Next 4–7 | Assigned to your business by GS1 |
| Product reference | Remaining | Chosen by you, one per product variant |
| Check digit | Last 1 | Calculated from the preceding 12 |
Common GS1 prefixes include 00–13 (United States and Canada), 30–37 (France), 400–440 (Germany), 45 and 49 (Japan), 50 (United Kingdom), 690–699 (China), and 93 (Australia). The prefix reflects where the registration was issued, not where the product was manufactured — a common misreading. A German company with a 400 prefix selling goods made in Vietnam still uses its German prefix.
The check digit uses alternating weights of 1 and 3, starting from the left. Multiply each of the first 12 digits by its weight, sum the results, then subtract that sum from the next multiple of ten. For 400638133393: the weighted sum comes to 90, the next multiple of ten is 90, so the check digit is 0, giving the complete code 4006381333930. Our generator computes this automatically — enter 12 digits and it appends the thirteenth, or enter all 13 and it verifies the one you supplied.
978 or 979 "Bookland" prefix. This is why every book barcode starts with those digits.977 prefix, often with a two-digit issue add-on to the right of the main symbol.0. Modern scanners read both interchangeably.History: EAN was adopted across Europe in 1977 as a superset of the American UPC, adding the country prefix and a thirteenth digit. The two systems formally merged under GS1 in 2005, which is why EAN-13 and UPC-A are now both described as GTIN encodings rather than competing standards.
50; GS1 Germany issues 400–440. The prefix identifies the registering organisation, not the country of manufacture, so there is no advantage in trying to obtain a particular one. Retailers verify the prefix against the GS1 registry to confirm the code genuinely belongs to you.