What Is a UPC Code? UPC-A, UPC-E and How to Get One
A UPC code is the 12-digit number under the barcode on most products sold in stores in the United States and Canada. It identifies one product from one brand, and the store's system finds the name and price from it. This guide explains the digits, the check digit, UPC-A and UPC-E, and how to get a number.
By the Barcode.codes editorial teamReviewed
What a UPC Code Does
A UPC (Universal Product Code) is a GTIN-12, a product number of the GS1 system, printed as a barcode so stores can scan it.
Identifying One Product
Each UPC belongs to one trade item from one brand: a size, flavor or color that differs gets its own number. Stores use it to find the product in their own systems at the checkout and in stock counts.
What a UPC Does Not Contain
The barcode carries only the number. The product name, the price and the stock level live in the retailer's database, which is why the same UPC can ring up at different prices in different stores.
How to Read the 12 Digits
The first digits are the brand's U.P.C. Company Prefix, the next are the item reference the brand chooses, and the last is the check digit.
How to read a barcode the digits of every product barcode, and the bars read by eye.
Company Prefix and Item Reference
GS1 US licenses a GS1 Company Prefix that starts with 0; written without that 0, it is the U.P.C. Company Prefix at the start of the UPC. The brand numbers its products in the digits that remain, so a longer prefix leaves room for fewer products.
The Check Digit
The 12th digit is calculated from the first 11. For 03600029145: 3 × (0 + 6 + 0 + 2 + 1 + 5) + (3 + 0 + 0 + 9 + 4) = 58, and 60 − 58 = 2, so the full number is 036000291452. When the sum is already a multiple of 10, the check digit is 0.
Try it: check digit calculator
11 digits without the check digit.
Check digit
2
036000291452
Show the calculation
| # | Character | Value | Weight | Product |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | ×3 | 0 |
| 2 | 3 | 3 | ×1 | 3 |
| 3 | 6 | 6 | ×3 | 18 |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | ×1 | 0 |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | ×3 | 0 |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | ×1 | 0 |
| 7 | 2 | 2 | ×3 | 6 |
| 8 | 9 | 9 | ×1 | 9 |
| 9 | 1 | 1 | ×3 | 3 |
| 10 | 4 | 4 | ×1 | 4 |
| 11 | 5 | 5 | ×3 | 15 |
| Sum | 58 | |||
Nearest multiple of ten at or above 58 is 60: 60 − 58 = 2
UPC-A and UPC-E
UPC-A prints all 12 digits; UPC-E prints a shorter form of some UPC-A numbers for small packages.
| Property | UPC-A | UPC-E |
|---|---|---|
| Digits shown | 12 | 8 |
| Used for | most products | small packages, when the number allows it |
| Number carried | a GTIN-12 | the same GTIN-12, expanded to 12 digits by the scanner or the software |
Which Numbers Have a UPC-E
GS1 allows a UPC-E only for some GTIN-12s that start with 0, with their zeros in set places (General Specifications, section 7.10). The UPC-E shows eight digits, but its bars hold six; the leading 0 and the check digit are carried by the pattern of the bars.
UPC-E to UPC-A converter expands or compresses a UPC and names the rule that applies.
UPC, GTIN and SKU
A UPC is a GTIN-12, one of the GS1 product number formats, while a SKU is a code a business makes up for its own stock.
UPC and GTIN
GTIN is GS1's name for product numbers of 8, 12, 13 or 14 digits, and a UPC is the 12-digit GTIN-12. Systems that store GTINs in 13 or 14 digits add zeros in front, but the number stays the same GTIN-12: the zeros do not make it a GTIN-13 or a number for a case.
SKU vs UPC how a seller's own SKU differs from the UPC, and when you need each.
How to Get a UPC Code
In the United States, a brand gets UPC numbers from GS1 US, one at a time or as a GS1 Company Prefix for many products, then gives each product its own number.
- Choose a GS1 US option: a single GTIN for a few products, or a GS1 Company Prefix for many products, cases or pallets.
- Assign one number to each product, size and variant.
- Calculate the check digit, or let the UPC barcode generator add it.
- Print the barcode at GS1's size, scan a test print, and give retailers the product data they ask for.
UPC barcode generator draws a UPC-A or UPC-E and adds the check digit.
GS1 US Options
On October 8, 2026, GS1 US listed a single GTIN at $30 with no renewal fee, for companies with few products; it cannot identify pharmaceutical or variable measure products or mixed cases, or create coupons. A GS1 Company Prefix comes in sizes from 10 to 100,000 numbers with an annual fee, and also covers cases, pallets and locations. Outside the United States, ask the GS1 Member Organization of your country what it offers.
Before Buying Numbers Elsewhere
Retailers and marketplaces set their own rules for product numbers. Check what they accept before buying numbers from anyone other than GS1.
Buy UPC barcodes: GS1 or a reseller? compares the prices, the registration and Amazon's check, with a calculator for how many you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does UPC Stand For?
Universal Product Code. It is the product numbering and barcode system used in stores in the United States and Canada, now part of the GS1 system.
Is a UPC the Same as a Barcode?
Not quite. The UPC is the number; the barcode is the bars that let a scanner read it. The UPC-A symbol prints the number under the bars as well.
Can Two Products Have the Same UPC?
They should not. Each UPC is meant for one product from one brand, which is why the numbers come from GS1 and are licensed to that brand.
Does a UPC Show the Price?
No. The UPC identifies the product, and the store's system looks up the price from it. Each retailer sets the price in its own database.
Can I Find a Product by Its UPC?
A barcode scanner shows the number but not the product. Verified by GS1 shows which company the number is licensed to, and retailers' or open product databases list the product only if its data was published there.
Do I Need a UPC to Sell Online?
It depends on the marketplace: each sets its own rules for product numbers. Check them for every marketplace you plan to use before you buy or assign numbers.
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.
Verified by GS1 is GS1's service that shows which company a GTIN is licensed to.
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