Which barcode format do you need?
Updated 19 September 2026
Picking the wrong barcode symbology is the sort of mistake you discover at the till. Each format encodes a different kind of data and is read by different equipment, and they are not interchangeable.
The formats
| Format | Takes | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| EAN-13 | Exactly 13 digits | Retail products outside North America |
| UPC-A | Exactly 12 digits | Retail products in the US and Canada |
| EAN-8 | Exactly 8 digits | Small packages with no room for EAN-13 |
| Code 128 | Any letters and digits | Logistics, internal labels, asset tags |
| Code 39 | Letters, digits, a few symbols | Older industrial and military systems |
| ITF-14 | Exactly 14 digits | Shipping cartons of retail goods |
How to choose
- Selling through shops or online marketplaces? You need EAN-13 (or UPC-A in North America), and the number must be bought from GS1 — a barcode you generate yourself is not registered to you and will be rejected.
- Labelling your own stock, files or equipment? Code 128. It takes text as well as numbers, it is compact, and every modern scanner reads it.
- Shipping cartons to a retailer? ITF-14, which encodes the carton-level version of the product number.
- Linking to a web page, a wifi network or a payment? That is not a barcode job at all — use a QR code.
The check digit
EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8 and ITF-14 end in a check digit calculated from the digits before it. Type twelve digits for an EAN-13 and the generator works out the thirteenth for you; type thirteen that do not agree with it and the barcode is invalid even though it renders.
Printing so it scans
- Keep the quiet zone — the empty margin either side. Crowding it is the most common cause of a barcode that will not read.
- Print black on white. Red light scanners cannot see red ink, and pale colours lose contrast.
- Do not stretch it to fit a label. Scaling both dimensions together is fine; distorting one is not.
- At small sizes, print at 600 dpi or higher — an inkjet at draft quality blurs the narrow bars.
Questions
- Can I invent my own EAN-13 number?
- For an internal system, yes. For anything sold in shops or on a marketplace, no — those numbers are issued by GS1 and checked against a register. Made-up numbers collide with real products.
- What is the difference between a barcode and a QR code?
- A barcode stores a short number read in one direction; a QR code stores text, links or wifi details in two dimensions and holds far more. Retail uses barcodes; anything pointing at a web page uses a QR code.
- Which format should I use for asset tags?
- Code 128. It accepts letters, so "LAPTOP-0142" encodes directly, and it is denser than Code 39 for the same content.