Create UPC-A, EAN-13, and Code128 barcodes for your products. Download as PNG for free.
Barcodes are essential for selling products on major retail platforms like Amazon, Walmart, and Etsy. A unique barcode (UPC or EAN) serves as a product's unique identifier in the global supply chain, enabling inventory tracking, sales analytics, and marketplace listing management. Without a valid barcode, most major retailers and marketplaces will not accept your products.
UPC-A (Universal Product Code) is the standard barcode format used primarily in the United States and Canada. It consists of 12 digits. EAN-13 (European Article Number) is the international standard, used in most other countries, and contains 13 digits. The key difference is that EAN-13 includes an extra digit representing the country or region code. Amazon requires UPC codes for most product listings in the US marketplace, while EAN is the standard for European marketplaces. If you plan to sell internationally, you may need both formats.
Barcode prefixes indicate the country of origin or registration. For example, prefixes 000-019 and 030-039 are reserved for the US and Canada (UPC), while 400-440 represents Germany, 690-699 represents China, and 500-509 represents the UK. When purchasing barcodes from resellers, verify that the prefix aligns with your product's country of origin. GS1 is the only legitimate issuing authority for barcodes, and codes obtained through GS1 are globally unique and recognized by all retailers. Using unregistered or recycled barcodes can result in listing suspensions and account penalties.
Code128 is a versatile, high-density barcode symbology used primarily for internal inventory management, shipping labels, and logistics. Unlike UPC and EAN, Code128 can encode any alphanumeric data and has variable length. It's commonly used in warehouse management systems, shipping labels from carriers like UPS and FedEx, and internal product tracking. Code128 barcodes are not substitutes for retail UPC/EAN codes required by marketplaces.