Text and data

UPC barcode generator

UPC-A, twelve digits, check digit worked out.

On this device

Type the product number

Eleven digits and the check digit is calculated; twelve and it is verified. Letters are refused, because a UPC has none.

Code 128 carries letters and digits, any length, and needs no registration — use it for anything of your own. EAN-13 and UPC-A are retail product codes and need a number issued to you; UPC-A is the North American one.

Any ASCII text — letters, digits, spaces and punctuation. Nothing is uploaded: the code is drawn on this device.

SizeCode 128 · medium
Size

The width of the narrowest bar, in pixels. Wider scans more reliably from further away and makes a larger file; the SVG is sharp at any size regardless.

Taller bars give a scanner more chances to find a clean line across the symbol, which is why retail barcodes are as tall as they are.

What this tool does, exactly

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 are drawn to the standard's proportions with the quiet zone included, because the margin is part of the symbol.

What the twelve digits are
The first digit is the number system — 0, 1, 6, 7 or 8 for ordinary products, 2 for variable-weight goods priced in store, 3 for drugs, 5 for coupons. The next five identify the company that was issued the prefix, the five after that are the product number the company assigned, and the last 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.
Where the numbers come from
GS1 US issues the company prefix; you cannot invent one for a product going on sale, because the prefix names a company and a made-up one either collides with a real product or is refused at the retailer's system. This page will draw any twelve digits with a valid check digit, and that is exactly why it should only be used with numbers issued to you — for anything internal, Code 128 needs no registration at all.
The check digit
Add the digits in the odd positions and multiply by three, add the digits in the even positions, and the check digit is what brings the total to the next multiple of ten. A scanner recomputes it on every read, which is how a scratched code is rejected rather than misread. Type eleven digits and the tool computes it; type twelve and it names the correct value if yours disagrees.
Printing, where UPC codes fail
The nominal size is 37.29 mm wide by 25.93 mm tall at 100% magnification, and the standard allows 80% to 200%. Below 80% the bars are too fine for a retail scanner; the quiet zone of 9 modules either side must stay blank; never stretch the picture horizontally, because the bar widths are the data. Take the SVG for anything that goes to a printer.

About this tool

Can I make up a UPC for my product?

You can draw one here, and you should not put it on a product for sale. UPC prefixes are issued by GS1 US and identify a company; a made-up number either collides with somebody's product or is rejected by the retailer. If you sell through a marketplace, it will check the number against the GS1 registry. For labelling things inside your own business, use Code 128 instead — it needs no registration.

What is the difference between UPC-A and EAN-13?

One digit. EAN-13 is the international form and UPC-A is the twelve-digit North American one; a UPC-A is exactly an EAN-13 with a leading zero, and every retail scanner reads both. If you are selling outside North America or through a marketplace that asks for an EAN, the same number with a 0 in front is the EAN-13 to give them.

Why does my printed UPC not scan?

Almost always size or stretching: it was printed under 80% of nominal, it was scaled in one direction so the bar widths no longer mean what they say, 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 so the edges stay hard.

Does the number I type leave my browser?

No. The barcode is drawn in this browser tab and the page has no server to send anything to. Unreleased product numbers are exactly the kind of string people would rather not paste into somebody else's website.

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