UPC-A is the twelve-digit retail code on almost every product sold in North America. Type the eleven digits you were issued and the twelfth, the check digit, is worked out for you; type all twelve and it is checked. The bars follow the standard's proportions and the quiet zone is included.
What the twelve digits are
The first digit starts the UPC prefix. 0, 1 and 6 to 9 begin company prefixes, and so does 3, which is kept aligned with the FDA labeler code for medicines. 2 is for in-store numbers such as goods priced by weight, 4 is for a company's internal numbering, and 5 is reserved. The company prefix varies in length, the item number fills the rest, and the last digit is the check digit computed from the other eleven. A twelve-digit UPC-A is the same code as an EAN-13 that starts with 0, which is why a scanner reads both.
Who issues the prefix
GS1 US issues the company prefix. This page will draw any twelve digits that carry a valid check digit, and that is exactly why it belongs with numbers issued to you.
Working out the check digit
Add the digits in the odd positions and multiply the sum by three, add the digits in the even positions, and the check digit is whatever brings the total up to the next multiple of ten. Type eleven digits and the tool computes it; type twelve and it names the correct value if yours disagrees.
Typing the number
Spaces and hyphens are ignored, so a number written as 0 12345 67890 can be pasted exactly like that. Letters and any other characters are refused with the reason, since a UPC is digits only.
Printing a UPC-A
At GS1's nominal module width of 0.330 mm the symbol is 37.29 mm wide with its quiet zones, and the bars are 22.85 mm tall. GS1 allows 0.264 to 0.660 mm, which is 80% to 200%. Below 80% the bars are too fine for a retail scanner. Keep the nine-module quiet zone on each side blank, and never stretch the picture horizontally, because the bar widths are the data. Take the SVG for anything going to a printer.
The short answer
A UPC-A barcode carries a 12-digit GTIN-12: the UPC company prefix GS1 US licensed to the brand, the brand's own item number, and a check digit worked out from the first eleven. Put a 0 in front and it is the same number as an EAN-13, which is why every retail scanner reads both. Type eleven digits here and the twelfth is calculated; type twelve and it is checked.
The check digit, worked through
Here are eleven digits, 41234567890. Because they begin with 4, a company-internal prefix, they are no shop's product. Multiply positions 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 by three and the even positions by one, then total everything; the check digit is the gap to the next round ten.
Check digit for 41234567890
Position
Digit
Weight
Product
1
4
×3
12
2
1
×1
1
3
2
×3
6
4
3
×1
3
5
4
×3
12
6
5
×1
5
7
6
×3
18
8
7
×1
7
9
8
×3
24
10
9
×1
9
11
0
×3
0
Sum
97
The total is 97, the next round ten is 100, and the difference, 3, is the check digit: the UPC-A reads 412345678903.
Is it acceptable to create a UPC for my own product?
Drawing one here is fine; putting it on a product for sale is not. UPC prefixes come from GS1 US and name a company. A made-up number collides with someone's product or is rejected, and a marketplace may check it against the GS1 registry. Label your own stock with Code 128.
What separates UPC-A from EAN-13?
One digit. UPC-A is the twelve-digit North American form, and an EAN-13 is the international form. A UPC-A is exactly an EAN-13 with a leading zero, and every retail scanner reads both. If a marketplace asks for an EAN, give it the same number with a 0 in front.
Why would my printed UPC not scan?
Almost always size or stretching. It was printed under 80% of nominal, it was scaled in one direction, or the blank margins were trimmed. Print black on white, keep the quiet zone that is already in the file, scale proportionally and use the SVG.
Does a UPC number I type leave my browser?
No. The barcode is drawn in this tab and the page has no server to send anything to. Unreleased product numbers are exactly the strings people would rather not paste into someone else's website.
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