What Is a GTIN? GTIN Number Formats, Check Digit and UPC

A GTIN, or Global Trade Item Number, is the GS1 number that identifies a product or a pack of products in trade worldwide. It has 8, 12, 13 or 14 digits, ends with a check digit, and its first digits come from GS1. This guide explains the formats, the check digit and how GTINs relate to UPC and EAN.

By the Barcode.codes editorial teamReviewed October 8, 2026

What Does GTIN Stand For?

GTIN stands for Global Trade Item Number, the GS1 number for a product or service that is priced, ordered or invoiced.

Who Issues GTINs

A brand gets its numbers from its GS1 Member Organization, either as a GS1 Company Prefix to number many products or, where the organization offers it, as individual GTINs. The brand then gives each product its own number.

A GTIN Is Not a Barcode

The GTIN is the number; the barcode is one way to print it. Each barcode type carries only some GTIN lengths, as the table below shows: a UPC-A carries a GTIN-12, not a GTIN-13.

GTIN Formats: GTIN-8, GTIN-12, GTIN-13 and GTIN-14

GTINs come in four lengths, and each length is printed in the barcodes made for it.

The four GTIN formats and the barcodes that carry them
Format	Digits	Barcodes	Typical use
GTIN-12	12	UPC-A, UPC-E for some numbers; in 14 digits: ITF-14, GS1-128, GS1 DataMatrix, GS1 Digital Link	Products sold in the United States and Canada
GTIN-13	13	EAN-13; in 14 digits: ITF-14, GS1-128, GS1 DataMatrix, GS1 Digital Link	Products sold in most other countries, books and magazines
GTIN-8	8	EAN-8; in 14 digits: GS1-128, GS1 DataMatrix, GS1 Digital Link	Very small packages
GTIN-14	14	ITF-14, GS1-128, GS1 DataMatrix, GS1 Digital Link	Cases and other groupings of a product

The four GTIN formats and their barcodes: GTIN-8 96385074 as EAN-8, GTIN-12 036000291452 as UPC-A, GTIN-13 5901234123457 as EAN-13 and GTIN-14 15901234123454 as ITF-14. — One example of each GTIN format with the barcode it is usually printed in, all at the same bar width.

Leading Zeros Do Not Change a GTIN

Any GTIN can be written in 14 digits by adding zeros in front, as GS1-128, GS1 DataMatrix and GS1 Digital Link require. The UPC 614141234561 written as 00614141234561 is still the same GTIN-12 of the same product: the zeros do not create a GTIN-13 or a number for a case.

GTIN-14 for Cases and Cartons

A GTIN-14 starts with an indicator digit from 1 to 8, chosen by the brand to tell groupings of the same product apart, or 9 for variable measure items such as cases sold by weight. The indicator digits have no fixed meaning, and a brand may give a case its own GTIN-13 or GTIN-12 instead.

SCC-14 barcode guide builds a GTIN-14 from an item's GTIN, step by step.

How to Read a GTIN Number

A GTIN-12 or GTIN-13 has three parts: a GS1 Company Prefix, an item reference chosen by the brand, and a check digit; GTIN-8 and GTIN-14 are built differently.

Take an example GTIN-13: 5901234123457.
The first three digits, 590, are the GS1 Prefix: the number was issued by GS1 Poland.
The digits after the prefix continue the brand's GS1 Company Prefix and then the item reference; where one ends depends on the brand.
The last digit, 7, is the check digit.

EAN-13 barcode 5901234123457 with its parts marked: 590 is the GS1 Prefix of GS1 Poland, the digits up to the last are the rest of the company prefix and the item reference, and 7 is the check digit. — The GTIN-13 5901234123457 in its EAN-13 barcode: the GS1 Prefix 590 of GS1 Poland, then the rest of the company prefix and the item reference, then the check digit 7.

Why the Company Prefix Has No Fixed Length

A GS1 Company Prefix has four to twelve digits (General Specifications, section 1.2.3.3). A brand that needs many numbers gets a short prefix, which leaves more digits for item references, so the split cannot be read from the GTIN alone.

GTIN-8 and GTIN-14

A GTIN-8 has no company prefix: a GS1 Member Organization allocates each one from a GS1-8 Prefix, for packs too small for an EAN-13. A GTIN-14 puts an indicator digit in front of the item's prefix and item reference and gets a new check digit.

How to Calculate a GTIN Check Digit

Multiply the digits by 3 and 1 in turn, starting with 3 at the right, add them up, and subtract the sum from the next multiple of 10.

Write the GTIN without its check digit: 590123412345.
From the right, multiply by 3, 1, 3, 1 and so on: 3 × (9 + 1 + 3 + 1 + 3 + 5) + (5 + 0 + 2 + 4 + 2 + 4) = 83.
Find the next multiple of 10: 90.
Subtract: 90 − 83 = 7, so the GTIN is 5901234123457.

A sum that is already a multiple of 10 gives the check digit 0: 590123412344 has the sum 80, so the GTIN-13 is 5901234123440. As a formula, the check digit is (10 − (sum mod 10)) mod 10.

Try it: check digit calculator

Number type

Digits without the check digit

12 digits without the check digit.

Check digit

5901234123457

Show the calculation

How the check is calculated
#	Character	Value	Weight	Product
1	5	5	×1	5
2	9	9	×3	27
3	0	0	×1	0
4	1	1	×3	3
5	2	2	×1	2
6	3	3	×3	9
7	4	4	×1	4
8	1	1	×3	3
9	2	2	×1	2
10	3	3	×3	9
11	4	4	×1	4
12	5	5	×3	15
Sum				83

Nearest multiple of ten at or above 83 is 90: 90 − 83 = 7

Make this barcode Open the check digit calculator

Check a GTIN Online

The barcode lookup on this site checks the digit of any GTIN you type and shows the right one when it is wrong. A correct check digit only shows that the number is well formed; Verified by GS1 shows whether it is licensed, and to which company.

Barcode lookup the type, the GS1 Prefix and the check digit of a number.

Verified by GS1 is GS1's service that shows which company a GTIN is licensed to.

GTIN vs UPC: What Is the Difference?

A UPC is a GTIN-12 printed as a UPC-A or UPC-E barcode: every UPC is a GTIN, but not every GTIN is a UPC.

Converting a GTIN to a UPC

A GTIN-13 or GTIN-14 that starts with zeros and ends in a valid 12-digit number is a UPC written longer: remove the leading zeros. A GTIN-13 that does not start with 0 has no UPC form and is printed as an EAN-13.

GTIN and EAN

EAN-13 is the barcode that usually carries a GTIN-13, so people often call the number an EAN. GS1 calls the number a GTIN and the barcode an EAN-13.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a GTIN Number?

It is the number under a product's barcode, issued through GS1, that identifies the product in trade. It has 8, 12, 13 or 14 digits and ends with a check digit.

How Do I Get a GTIN for My Product?

Apply to the GS1 Member Organization of your country, which licenses a GS1 Company Prefix or, where it offers them, individual GTINs. Barcode.codes makes barcodes for numbers you already have but does not issue GTINs.

Can I Invent My Own GTIN?

A made-up number may belong to another company or to nobody, and retailers and marketplaces can reject it. Use numbers licensed from GS1 for products you sell.

Is a GTIN the Same as an EAN?

Nearly: EAN is the barcode, and the 13-digit number it carries is a GTIN-13. A GTIN can also have 8, 12 or 14 digits.

Where Can I Find a GTIN Lookup?

The barcode lookup on this site shows the type, check digit and issuing GS1 office, and can search open product registries. For the company that licensed the number, use Verified by GS1.

Does a GTIN Show Where a Product Was Made?

No. Its first digits show the GS1 office that issued the number, and GS1 states that this does not identify the country of origin.

Sources

The facts in this guide come from these GS1 sources, checked on October 8, 2026.

GS1 General Specifications, Release 26.0, ratified January 2026 defines the GS1 identification keys, barcodes and Application Identifiers; the text names the sections used.

GS1 US: How to get a UPC barcode describes the single GTIN and GS1 Company Prefix options and their limits.

GS1 Company Prefix and the GS1 Prefix list lists the prefix ranges and says a prefix does not show the country of origin; list copied October 4, 2026.