What is an EAN-13 barcode?

EAN-13 (European Article Number) is the 13-digit barcode you'll find on almost every retail product worldwide. Each digit has a job.

The structure of the 13 digits

Take the barcode 4610017121214. It breaks down like this:

• Country prefix — the first 2–3 digits (461) are the GS1 prefix, here registered in Russia.
• Manufacturer & product code — the middle digits identify the company and the specific item. GS1 assigns each company a prefix of variable length, so this block isn't a fixed split.
• Check digit — the final digit (4) is a checksum of the first twelve.

Open any product page and you'll see this breakdown drawn out and colour-coded, with the check digit verified.

How the check digit works

Multiply the digits in odd positions by 1 and even positions by 3, add them up, and the check digit is whatever makes the total a multiple of 10. If a scan doesn't satisfy this, the read is rejected — which is why a mistyped code shows as invalid.

EAN-13, UPC-A and EAN-8

UPC-A (12 digits, common in North America) is really an EAN-13 with a leading zero — see UPC-A vs EAN-13. EAN-8 is a shortened 8-digit version for small packaging.

Scan a barcode with your camera Browse country prefixes