• Bar Codes
• Universal Product Code (U.P.C.)
  
            U.P.C. Version A
  • U.P.C. Version A (U.P.C.-A)
  • U.P.C.-A  Symbol
  • U.P.C.-A  Character Pattern
  • U.P.C.-A  Check Digit Calculation
    
    U.P.C. Version E
  • U.P.C. Version E (U.P.C.-E)
  • Formatting U.P.C.-E  Symbol
  • U.P.C.-E  Parity Pattern
  • U.P.C.-E  Symbol
  • U.P.C.-E  Character Pattern
    
    
• U.P.C.-A  Check Digit Calculator
  
  
• International Article Numbering (EAN) ---
  European Article Numbering (EAN)
  • Assignment of Prefix Digits by EAN International
  • EAN Numbering Organizations
    
    EAN Version 13
  • EAN Version 13 (EAN-13)
  • EAN-13  Symbol
  • EAN-13  Character Pattern
  • EAN-13  Parity Pattern
  • EAN-13  Check Digit Calculation
    
    
• EAN-13  Check Digit Calculator

Bar codes are widely used on consumer items. The Uniform Code Council Inc. (Lawrenceville, New Jersey, U.S.A.) manages the Universal Product Code (U.P.C.) system in the U.S.A. and Canada, while EAN International (Brussels, Belgium), through its Numbering Organizations (NOs), manages the International Article Numbering (EAN) system in over 90 other countries. The U.P.C. numbering system was the original system, from which the EAN system evolved.

In the early days, EAN signified European Article Numbering Association. Since countries from other continents joined the Association, the name was changed to International Article Numbering Association, currently the EAN International. The EAN acronym was, however, retained to refer to the numbering system and to the symbology.

The purpose of U.P.C. and EAN symbols (codes) is to facilitate automatic scanning of item numbers and associated price look-up at the point of sale (POS)---the checkout counter. The symbols can be scanned in an omnidirectional fashion---in any package orientation provided the symbol faces the scanner---at the POS.

When a customer buys groceries at the supermarket or consumer items at department store, discount store or other type of chain store, the cashier scans the bar code on each product with an infra-red gun or moves each product over a window where an invisible infra-red laser beam scans the bar code. The number goes into the computer which instantly shows the price of the product on the checkout display and adds up the bill. The computer keeps a record of all products sold and calculates stock levels. It can also be used to tell the retailer when to reorder items or work out which products are hot sellers and which are not moving at all.

The users of EAN system whose point of sale (POS) files are of 13-digit field length can equally accommodate U.P.C. numbers in those files without ambiguity. Users of U.P.C. numbers who have organized their files to a field of 12 digits only, will not be able to accommodate EAN numbers without increasing their field length.

General EAN Specifications

For complete details of the EAN specifications including the size of symbols, printing and packaging, please refer to the General EAN Specifications manual, published by EAN International, 145 rue Royale, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium.

EAN Manufacturer's Number

The EAN manufacturer's number, like the U.P.C. manufacturer's number, allows the identification of 100,000 different articles. Export-manufacturers may apply for a manufacturer's number with the EAN Numbering Organization (EAN N.O.) located in its territory.

In case no EAN Numbering Organization exists in its territory, a solution would be: if the company has organizational links with a company in an EAN member country (e.g. a production plant, a parent company, an agent, ...) it may contact this company and request to share its EAN product number capacity. If such a solution does not apply, the EAN International can allocate a manufacturer's number to the company with payment of an annual fee. Send the applications to:


EAN International
145 rue Royale
B-1000 Brussels
Belgium
Tel:  32-2-227-1020
Fax: 32-2-227-1021

EAN Check Digit Calculation

The check digit---check character or modulo check character---enables the scanner system to immediately verify the accurate data translation of the symbol as it is scanned. Please see EAN-13 Check Digit Calculation for the sample calculation.

Trademark

EAN is a trademark of EAN International.