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Free EAN-13 barcode generator

Type the 12 or 13 digits of your GTIN-13. The generator adds or checks the check digit, keeps GS1’s unequal quiet zones, and downloads an SVG at the printed size or a PNG for your printer.

  • Free to use
  • No sign-up
  • No watermark
  • Personal and commercial use
  • Runs in your browser

EAN-13 Retail products

Free · runs in your browser
Barcode type
Retail products
Cartons and logistics
Internal labels
2D

12 digits (we add the check digit) or 13 digits (we check it). When to use EAN-13

Check digit 8 added: 9520123456788.

A barcode is only as unique as its number: the same number always draws the same bars. For trade, use numbers licensed to your company; anyone can check who a GTIN belongs to in Verified by GS1 (how).

The preview also updates as you type.

Preview · printed sizeScale in mm

Black on white only: colored bars and backgrounds are a common cause of scan failures. Everything is drawn in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere.

Printed size

The width of the narrowest bar. Defaults follow GS1’s standard size for this type. Size and print settings explained

Download for your printer

SVG downloads at the printed size above, for design and label software. PNG for a 300 dpi printer (12 dots/mm): 4 printer dots per module, so X is 0.333 mm (101%) and the bars 23.08 mm tall; print it at 100% scale. Free for personal and commercial use, with no watermark. Test a printed sample with the scanner that will read it.

  • Free to use
  • No sign-up
  • No watermark
  • Personal and commercial use
  • Runs in your browser

EAN-13 at a glance

EAN-13 is the retail barcode read by checkouts worldwide; GS1 US notes that it is commonly found outside North America. It carries one 13-digit GTIN-13.

EncodesA GTIN-13: 13 digits, the last one a check digit
CharactersDigits 0–9 only
Check digitRequired; GS1 modulo 10 over the first 12 digits
Leading digitNot drawn as bars: it sets the pattern of the six characters in the left half
Width95 modules of bars, an 11-module quiet zone on the left and 7 on the right: 113 modules
X-dimension (retail checkout)0.264 to 0.660 mm; 0.330 mm is the target (100%)
Bar height22.85 mm at 0.330 mm, in proportion to X (18.28 mm at 0.264 mm)
Human-readable digitsAll 13; the first one to the left of the start guard bars
SpecificationsISO/IEC 15420 and the GS1 General Specifications, section 5.2

A 13-digit number that starts with 0 is a GTIN-12 (a UPC) with a leading zero: GS1 reserves the leading digit 0 for GTIN-12s. Print those as UPC-A; the bars are identical either way. Sizes come from symbol specification table 1 in the GS1 General Specifications.

A printed example

9520123456788. Its prefix 952 is the one GS1 sets aside for demonstrations and examples, so it should never appear on a real product. At 100% the symbol is 37.29 mm wide including the 11X and 7X quiet zones.

What each setting does for an EAN-13

  • Data. 12 digits get a check digit added; 13 digits are checked, and a wrong last digit is named.
  • X-dimension and bar height. Start at 0.330 mm and 22.85 mm. Outside 0.264–0.660 mm, or with bars shorter than the height that goes with your X, the generator warns you.
  • Quiet zone. The field sets the left side (11 modules by default) and keeps the right side 4 modules smaller, so the 11/7 split GS1 specifies stays intact.
  • Text and downloads. As for every type: digits on by default, SVG at the printed size, PNG in whole printer dots for 203, 300 or 600 dpi.

Sizes that print cleanly

EAN-13 shares UPC-A’s module count, so the same printer steps apply: at 203 dpi (8 dots per mm) 3 dots give 0.375 mm (114%) and a 42.4 mm wide symbol; at 300 dpi (12 dots per mm) 4 dots give 0.333 mm (101%) and 37.7 mm. GS1 accepts an X below 0.264 mm, down to 0.249 mm, only from on-demand printers such as thermal and laser, and says the space reserved for the symbol and its quiet zones should never be smaller than a 0.264 mm symbol needs.

Common mistakes

  • Printing a number that is not yours. Any 13 digits with a correct check digit will draw. For trade the GTIN must be licensed to you; here is how to check who owns one.
  • Trimming the right quiet zone. It is only 7 modules (2.31 mm at 100%), and artwork or a box edge creeping into it is a classic no-read.
  • Reading the prefix as the country of origin. For most numbers the first three digits show which GS1 Member Organisation licensed the company prefix (978 and 979 mean books, 977 serials, and some ranges are for internal use or coupons), never where the product was made; see what the prefix means.
  • Scaling or truncating the art. Re-create the barcode at the size you need instead, as GS1 US advises.

Worked example

  1. Type 952012345678. Weighting the digits 3, 1, 3, 1… from the right gives 8×3 + 7 + 6×3 + 5 + 4×3 + 3 + 2×3 + 1 + 0×3 + 2 + 5×3 + 9 = 102, so the check digit is 8: 9520123456788.
  2. The readout shows 100% and a 37.3 mm wide symbol with 22.85 mm bars.
  3. For a 203 dpi label printer, set X to 0.375. That is exactly 3 dots, 114%, and the generator suggests bars of at least 25.97 mm for that X (22.85 × 0.375 ÷ 0.330); set the height to 26.
  4. Download the PNG for 203 dpi and print one label at 100% to test.

Sources

  1. GS1: GS1 General Specifications Standard (Release 26.0) (accessed )
  2. ISO: ISO/IEC 15420:2025, EAN/UPC bar code symbology specification (accessed )
  3. GS1: GS1 Company Prefix (list of GS1 Prefixes) (accessed )
  4. GS1 US: Types of Barcodes (accessed )
  5. GS1 US: Barcode Placement & Printing Guidelines (accessed )

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