Generate EAN-13 barcodes
The retail barcode used almost everywhere outside North America, with the check digit done properly.
EAN-13 is the barcode on the back of nearly every product sold in a shop outside the US and Canada. The thirteenth digit is a check digit calculated from the other twelve, and a barcode printed with the wrong one will either refuse to scan or scan as a different product. Paste your numbers here and each is verified: if you leave the check digit off, it is worked out and added, and if you include one that does not match, you are told what it should have been.
How to generate an EAN-13 barcode
- 1
Paste your numbers
One per line, 12 or 13 digits each. Add a caption after a tab if you want the product name under the bars.
- 2
Check what it reports
Every line is validated. Numbers with a bad check digit are listed with the digit they should end in, and left out until fixed.
- 3
Print or download
Choose a label sheet for a print-ready PDF, or images for a zip of PNG and SVG files to send to a printer.
Why the check digit matters more than the design
A barcode is only worth printing if it scans as the right number. Most free generators draw whatever you type. This one refuses to draw a number that is arithmetically wrong, which is the one mistake that costs you a print run.
Selling in the US as well?
North American retail uses UPC-A, which is the same system with twelve digits.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I get the numbers?+
From GS1, the organisation that issues company prefixes. This tool draws the barcode for a number you already have the right to use; it cannot invent a number that is yours, and a made-up number will clash with a real product somewhere.
Do I have to include the check digit?+
No. Give 12 digits and the thirteenth is calculated for you, and the tool says it did so. Give 13 and it is verified rather than trusted.
Will it scan at the size I print?+
EAN-13 has a nominal size, and the defaults match it. If you shrink it a long way it will start to fail on older scanners, so print a test sheet and scan it before ordering ten thousand labels.
Is my product list uploaded?+
No. The barcodes are drawn in your browser, so a full catalogue of unreleased product codes stays on your machine.