EAN-13 Barcode Generator

EAN-13 is the barcode on almost every retail product sold outside North America, and supermarket scanners worldwide read it. It encodes a 13-digit GTIN: your GS1 company prefix, a product reference and a final check digit. Type the first 12 digits and QRPebble calculates the 13th, or enter all 13 and we tell you if the check digit is wrong, which catches typos before they reach a print run. A generator only draws the symbol, though. For products sold in shops, the number itself has to come from a GS1 company prefix licensed to your business, so make sure you have that before printing packaging.

Design options
Fill in the form to preview your code.

How to make it

  1. Enter the 12-digit GTIN body from your GS1 allocation in the Data field (spaces and hyphens are ignored).
  2. Or enter all 13 digits and QRPebble validates the check digit.
  3. Download SVG for packaging artwork, or high-resolution PNG for labels.
  4. Before a production run, print a proof at 100% size and test it with a retail-grade scanner.

What gets encoded

EAN-13 encodes 13 digits: 12 data digits plus a check digit from the GS1 mod-10 algorithm, with weights 3 and 1 alternating from the right. The first digit isn't drawn as bars; it's encoded by the pattern of the left-hand digits. The GS1 prefix at the start identifies the numbering organisation, not the country of manufacture. Retail scanners, phone barcode apps and inventory systems read EAN-13 universally, and UPC-A codes are simply EAN-13 numbers with a leading zero.

Where people use it

  • Retail product packaging
  • Books and magazines (as ISBN/ISSN variants)
  • Marketplace listings that require a GTIN
  • Internal stock systems that use EAN symbology

Tips before you print

  • Get your numbers from GS1 or an authorised GS1 member organisation. Invented or bought-second-hand numbers can be rejected by retailers and marketplaces.
  • GS1 specifies a nominal X-dimension of 0.33 mm at 100% size, with an allowed range of roughly 80% to 200%. Don't shrink below 80%.
  • Keep the quiet zones clear: about 11 module widths on the left and 7 on the right.
  • Print dark bars on a light background. Red bars are invisible to many red-light scanners.

FAQ

Can I make up an EAN-13 number?

For anything sold in retail, no. GTINs must come from a GS1 company prefix licensed to your company. For purely internal use you can use GS1's restricted-circulation prefixes (20–29), but those won't be accepted at retail.

What's the 13th digit?

It's a check digit calculated from the first 12 using GS1's mod-10 rule. QRPebble computes it for you or tells you if yours is wrong.

How small can I print it?

GS1 allows 80% of nominal size, about 30 mm wide including quiet zones. Smaller codes risk failing at checkout.

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