Barcodes.GG Blog

Barcode & product-data guides

Practical, accurate references on GTIN/UPC/EAN standards, check digits, validation, and putting product data to work — from the team behind the Barcodes.GG API.

Barcodes, GTINs & check digits

Barcode standards

What Is a GTIN? UPC, EAN & GS1 Barcode Standards

A GTIN is the GS1 Global Trade Item Number that sits above UPC, EAN and the 14-digit case code as one shared product identifier.

Jul 15, 2026 4 min read
Barcode standards

How to Validate a Barcode: UPC, EAN & GTIN

A practical guide to checking that a UPC, EAN, or GTIN is well formed before you trust it.

Jul 15, 2026 4 min read
Barcode standards

GTIN vs UPC: What is the Difference

UPC is not an alternative to GTIN. A UPC-A barcode carries a 12-digit GTIN-12, so UPC is one member of the wider GTIN family.

Jul 15, 2026 3 min read
Barcode standards

EAN-13 Format Explained: Structure & Prefixes

An EAN-13 barcode is a 13-digit GTIN-13 built from a GS1 prefix, a company prefix, an item reference and a check digit.

Jul 15, 2026 4 min read
Barcode standards

GTIN-14 Explained: Cases, Cartons & Pallets

GTIN-14 identifies a packaging level such as a case or carton by adding an indicator digit in front of the base product GTIN.

Jul 15, 2026 3 min read
Barcode standards

How to Calculate a UPC/EAN Check Digit by Hand

Compute the modulo-10 check digit for any UPC-A or EAN-13 with a pen, paper, and one small rule.

Jul 15, 2026 4 min read
Barcode standards

Why Your Barcode Check Digit Does Not Match: 7 Causes

The seven reasons a UPC or EAN check digit fails validation, and how to fix each one.

Jul 15, 2026 4 min read
Barcode standards

UPC-A vs UPC-E: Format, Length & Check Digit

How UPC-E compresses a 12-digit UPC-A into 8 digits, and why they share a check digit.

Jul 15, 2026 3 min read

Product data & the Barcodes.GG API

Sneaker identification & sourcing