29 SYMBOLOGIES, CHECKSUM-VALIDATED

Barcode generator

EAN, UPC, Code 128, Data Matrix and the GS1 family — with the check digit calculated for you and bar width validated against your print size.

Pick the symbology

Symbology

More symbologies

Add the content

Product number (12 digits, check digit added)Check digit 0 calculated and appended

Human-readable text

Set it for print

Colour100% · grade A

Symbol contrast against ISO 15416, and the same difference in the red channel — what a laser scanner sees. A combination that fails either is refused rather than drawn.

Bar height12 mm

Tall enough that a scanner can find a clear path across the bars at an angle.

Print width38 mm

Nominal size for EAN-13 is 31.35mm. Retail scanners are calibrated for it — going smaller is where in-store failures come from.

Your barcode

Symbology: EAN-13
Encoded value: 8901234567890
X-dimension: 0.400 mm
Quiet zone: 11 X left, 7 X right
Modules across: 95

Prints reliably at 38mm on a retail scanner. Keep the quiet zones clear and do not stretch the bars vertically only.

Several at once0 of 5

One value per line, maximum 5 at a time, in the symbology and colours chosen above. For thousands from a CSV with label-stock layouts, use bulk in the dashboard.

ALL 29 SYMBOLOGIES

Pick the right one for the job

Every thumbnail here is drawn by the same encoder as the tool above, from that symbology’s own sample value — a real bar pattern, not a picture of one. The human-readable digits are left off at this size; every code you generate carries them.

EAN-13Retail13 digits · retailThe global retail standard outside North America.

EAN-8Retail8 digits · retailSmall packs where EAN-13 will not fit.

UPC-ARetail12 digits · retailNorth American retail equivalent of EAN-13.

UPC-ERetail8 digits · retailCompressed UPC-A for very small packaging.

Code 128Logisticsalphanumeric · logisticsDense and flexible; the workhorse for internal labels.

Code 39Logisticsuppercase · industrialOlder equipment and defence supply chains still require it.

Code 93Logisticsalphanumeric · compactA denser successor to Code 39 with better checksums.

ITF-14Logistics14 digits · cartonsShipping containers and outer cases; prints on corrugated board.

Interleaved 2 of 5Logisticsdigits · numericNumeric-only logistics where density matters.

CodabarLogisticsdigits + ABCDBlood banks, libraries and photo labs.

MSI PlesseyLogisticsdigits · shelvesInventory and shelf labelling in older systems.

GS1-128LogisticsAI-structuredApplication identifiers for batch, expiry and weight.

GS1 DataBarLogisticsAI · smallFresh produce and coupons where space is tight.

ISBNRetailEAN-13 subsetBooks, with the price add-on where required.

ISSNRetailEAN-13 subsetPeriodicals and journals.

Data Matrix2D2D · tinyDirect part marking; readable down to 10mm square.

PDF4172D2D · high capacityID documents, boarding passes, transport tickets.

Aztec2D2D · no quiet zoneTransport ticketing; needs no surrounding margin.

Micro QR2DTiny QR for tiny labels — up to ~15 characters; phones vary in supportTiny QR for small labels. Phone cameras vary in support, so test before a print run.

rMQR2DRectangular Micro QR for narrow spaces (ISO 23941)A rectangular QR for narrow spaces — cable flags, pen barrels, edges of a board.

POSTNETPostalUS postal (legacy) — 5, 9 or 11 digitsUS postal routing, now legacy. Intelligent Mail replaced it for new work.

PLANETPostalUS postal (legacy) — 11 or 13 digitsUS postal confirmation, also legacy and also superseded by Intelligent Mail.

USPS Intelligent MailPostal20, 25, 29 or 31 digits — tracking then routingThe current USPS barcode: routing and tracking in one, on letters and flats.

Royal Mail RM4SCCPostalUK postcodes — letters and digitsUK postal sorting, printed under the address on Royal Mail machinable items.

KIX (PostNL)PostalDutch postal — letters and digitsDutch postal sorting, PostNL’s equivalent of RM4SCC.

PharmacodePharmaOne track — a number from 3 to 131070Pharmaceutical packaging control — read at high speed on a production line.

Two-track PharmacodePharmaTwo tracks — a number from 4 to 64570080Two-track Pharmacode, for the same line control where more numbers are needed.

EAN-2 add-onRetail2 digits — printed beside an EAN-13, e.g. an issue numberThe two-digit add-on beside an EAN-13, most often a magazine issue number.

EAN-5 add-onRetail5 digits — printed beside an EAN-13, e.g. a book priceThe five-digit add-on beside an EAN-13, most often a book’s recommended price.

BARCODE SCANABILITY

The same verification, applied to bars

Retail barcodes fail for their own reasons: bars printed below the minimum X-dimension, a truncated quiet zone, or a colour pair that a red-laser scanner reads as solid. Every barcode is checked for all three before you download it.

X-dimension versus print width

The narrowest bar must stay at or above 0.264mm for retail scanning. We compute it from your chosen width and warn before you commit to a label run.

Quiet zones

EAN and UPC need eleven modules of clear space on the left and seven on the right. Packaging designers routinely crop them, and the code then fails at the lane rather than on the desk.

Contrast and colour

Red laser scanners read red bars as white. Bars must be dark on light, and we reject the colour combinations that look fine on screen and vanish under a laser.

Checksum correctness

A wrong check digit produces a barcode that scans and returns garbage — worse than one that fails outright. Check digits are calculated, never accepted from input.

Generate thousands from a CSV, with label-stock layouts →

FAQ

Barcode questions

Where do I get a real EAN number?

From GS1 in your country — they allocate the company prefix. Numbers generated here are valid in structure but not registered to you, so they are for internal or test use unless you own the prefix.

Do you calculate the check digit?

Yes, always, and we never accept one from input. Enter the 12 digits of an EAN-13 and the 13th is computed with the standard weighted modulo-10 algorithm.

Can I print a barcode smaller than nominal?

GS1 permits scaling down to 80% of nominal for EAN-13. Below that, supermarket lane scanners begin to fail even though a handheld imager will still read it.

QR code or barcode for my product?

Both, usually. The retail barcode is required at the till; a QR code beside it carries the consumer content — authenticity, warranty, instructions. GS1 Digital Link can eventually do both in one symbol.

Can I generate thousands from a spreadsheet?

Yes. Bulk generation takes CSV or XLSX, validates every row, and lays the output out on label stock or print sheets with cut marks.

Which format should I send to a printer?

SVG or EPS — both are vector, so the bars stay crisp at any size. Never send a scaled-up PNG; resampling softens bar edges and costs you scan reliability.

Thousands of barcodes from one CSVLabel-stock layouts, check digits computed, every row validated.Generate barcodes in bulk Or do 5 at a time, free