You have a GTIN for each product, and maybe an SSCC on your pallet labels. Then a customer's onboarding form or a freight document asks for your "GLN" or a "ship-to GLN," and it is not obvious whether that is a number you already have.
This guide explains what a GLN identifies, how its 13 digits are built, how it differs from a GTIN, and where it shows up on shipping labels. It is general information about a GS1 standard, not legal or financial advice.
What a GLN identifies
GS1 US describes the GLN as a globally unique GS1 identification key for parties and locations. It lets systems answer "who" and "where" in the supply chain (GS1 US). A GTIN answers "what."
A GLN can stand for four kinds of thing:
| Kind | Examples |
|---|---|
| Legal entity | A company, a subsidiary, a government body |
| Function | A department such as accounts receivable or purchasing |
| Physical location | A warehouse, a distribution center, a dock door, a bin location |
| Digital location | An EDI gateway or an ERP system |
GS1 says a room or a shelf can get its own GLN when that is needed (GS1 GLN summary). The GLN itself carries no name or address. It is a key that points to a record, so the details live in a database that you and your trading partners share.
How the 13 digits are built
A GLN has three parts: a GS1 Company Prefix, a reference number you assign, and a check digit (GS1 US). That is the same layout as a GTIN's. Here the reference is called the Location Reference, and GS1 US recommends it carry no meaning, with numbers assigned in sequence.
The prefix length sets how much room is left. Thirteen digits minus a 7-digit prefix minus the check digit leaves 5 digits for locations. A 10-digit prefix leaves only 2.
Here is a worked example using 0614141, a placeholder prefix used in GS1 examples (not a real company), and Location Reference 00001:
- Write the first 12 digits: 061414100001.
- Multiply from the left by 1, 3, 1, 3 and so on: 0, 18, 1, 12, 1, 12, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 3.
- Add them: 48.
- The check digit is the amount needed to reach the next multiple of ten: 2.
The GLN is 0614141000012. Location Reference 00002 gives a sum of 51, so its check digit is 9 and the GLN is 0614141000029. This is the same mod-10 method used for GTINs, which How Check Digits Work walks through. The check digit calculator has no GLN mode, but a complete 13-digit GLN reports it as a valid GTIN-13 if the check digit is right (ignore any GTIN-14 line it also shows).
GLN vs. GTIN
A GLN looks like a GTIN-13 and both grow from your company prefix, so people mix them up. They never compete. GS1 US notes that a GLN and a GTIN can have identical digits without conflict, because the barcode element or database field says which one it is (GS1 US).
| GTIN | GLN | |
|---|---|---|
| Identifies | A product, service or packaged group | A company, department or place |
| Usual barcode use | UPC or EAN on retail products | GS1-128 on shipping labels, or data only |
| Typical home | Product barcodes, item records | Orders, invoices, ship notices, shipping labels |
Do not put a GLN in a GTIN field, such as AI (01) or a retail UPC or EAN symbol, and do not put a GTIN in a location field. Each number only makes sense in its own field. For the product side, see What Is a GTIN?.
Where you meet a GLN
Most GLN use is in data rather than on a package. GS1 US says GLNs are an integral part of most EDI transactions, such as purchase orders, advance ship notices and invoices. They are also required for parties that exchange product data through the Global Data Synchronization Network (GS1 US).
A GLN can also be printed on a label in a GS1-128 barcode. GS1 lists these Application Identifiers for it:
| AI | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (410) | Ship to, deliver to |
| (411) | Bill to, invoice to |
| (412) | Purchased from |
| (414) | Physical location |
The full list also covers (413), (415), (416) and (417). The ship-to code appears on GS1's example logistic label, where it routes a shipment to its destination (GS1).
A pallet label could carry (00)006141410000001231(410)0614141000029, an SSCC followed by the ship-to GLN from the example above. Both are fixed length, so no separator is needed between them. The barcode generator accepts AIs typed in parentheses and checks their lengths, but it does not check a GLN's check digit, so verify it first. For label layout, see GS1-128 SSCC shipping labels and the Application Identifiers guide.
Do you need one?
Usually only when a trading partner asks. Whether a retailer or carrier requires a GLN varies by relationship, so read its supplier instructions rather than assuming.
If you already license a GS1 Company Prefix, you can create GLNs from it yourself. GS1 US Data Hub lets you assign the next available GLN, choose whether it is a physical location, digital location or party, and enter a name, an address (optional for a company or department) and a phone number or email (GS1 US help). Many GS1 member organizations also issue a GLN when you first license a prefix, and some license single GLNs (GS1 US). Check your certificate and your GS1 office for current terms and prices.
Three rules matter once you start:
- Use your own. A GLN you present as yourself must come from your own GS1 Company Prefix. You cannot borrow someone else's.
- Describe it. A GLN with no data attached has no meaning, so keep the name, address and contact record current.
- Do not reuse. GS1 US says that as of July 1, 2022, a GLN cannot be reused, with narrow exceptions such as a number never shared outside your company (GS1 US). A closed location's number should not be handed to a new place.
If you only need internal bin or shelf labels, an internal code is simpler. GS1 US points out that internal codes can duplicate a partner's codes, which is why shared GLNs exist for data you exchange.
Bottom line
A GLN is a GTIN-like number for who and where. You build it from your own GS1 Company Prefix, attach a record of the name and address, and use it in orders, ship notices and shipping labels. If no partner has asked for one, you can leave it for later; if one has, get the exact field and format from their instructions. To confirm who owns a number, see how to check who owns a UPC.