EAN-13 Barcode Generator
Generate an EAN-13 barcode for a retail product from its 12 digit number or its full 13 digit GTIN. The tool calculates the check digit, or verifies the one you enter, then draws the barcode as a PNG image or an SVG file with the digits printed below. Retailers, manufacturers and packaging designers can set the scale, the bar height and an optional 2 or 5 digit add-on.
Frequently asked questions
What do I enter in the EAN-13 Barcode Generator?
Enter the 12 digits of your EAN-13 number, or all 13 digits including the check digit. Spaces and hyphens are ignored, so you can paste the number as it is printed on a label. Letters and other symbols are rejected with a message.
Does the tool calculate the check digit?
Yes. With 12 digits the tool calculates the 13th digit with the standard GS1 modulo 10 method and encodes it. With 13 digits it checks the last digit and refuses the number if it is wrong, telling you which digit is correct.
Can I add a 2 or 5 digit add-on?
Yes. Enter the add-on in the add-on field and it is drawn as a small extra barcode to the right of the main symbol. Two digit add-ons are used for issue numbers of magazines and five digit add-ons for book prices. Any other length is rejected.
Should I download the EAN-13 barcode as PNG or SVG?
Choose SVG for print work, packaging artwork and anything you scale later, because the bars stay sharp at every size. Choose PNG for documents, web pages and label software that only accept raster images. The PNG has a white background and the SVG draws a white background rectangle, so both scan on any page color.
What does the scale setting do?
The scale sets how many pixels wide the narrowest bar is, from 1 to 10, with 3 as the default. At scale 3 an EAN-13 barcode is about 380 pixels wide including its white margin. Use a higher scale for large prints and a lower one for small screens.
Can I change the bar height?
Yes. The bar height field takes a value from 5 to 50 millimeters. Leave it empty to use the standard height of about 25 millimeters at the nominal size, which suits most packaging. Very short bars are harder to scan with handheld scanners.
Can I hide the digits under the bars?
Yes. Turn off the human readable text option to get bars only. Retail barcodes normally show the digits so that cashiers can type the number when a scan fails, so keep them unless your artwork prints the number elsewhere.
Where do I get an EAN-13 number for my product?
EAN-13 numbers come from GS1, the organization that assigns company prefixes, through your national GS1 office. This tool draws a barcode for any valid number but cannot register a number for you. Retailers and marketplaces check that the prefix belongs to your company.
Is EAN-13 the same as a GTIN-13?
Yes. EAN-13 is the barcode symbology and GTIN-13 is the 13 digit number it carries. A 12 digit UPC-A number becomes a GTIN-13 by adding a leading zero, and the bars are then the same as the UPC-A symbol.
How large can the barcode be?
The image may be at most 4000 pixels on each side. If your scale or bar height would go beyond that, the tool asks you to lower them instead of producing a huge file. The text you enter is used only to draw the barcode and is not stored.