Which barcode format should I use for retail products?

Use EAN-13 for products sold internationally or UPC-A for products sold in the US and Canada. Both are GS1 standards accepted by all major retailers and point-of-sale systems. If you're registering a new product, you'll need to obtain a GS1 company prefix first — the barcode itself is generated here for free.

What is a check digit and does this tool calculate it?

A check digit is the final digit of EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8, and ITF-14 barcodes, calculated from the preceding digits using the GS1 Luhn-variant algorithm. Scanners use it to detect transcription errors. This tool verifies the check digit in real time and tells you the correct value if it's wrong — but it doesn't auto-append it, so you have full control over the data.

What is Code 128 and when should I use it?

Code 128 is a high-density linear barcode that encodes all 128 printable ASCII characters. It's the most widely used format for shipping labels (USPS, FedEx, UPS), warehouse management, and general-purpose tracking. Use it whenever the data isn't a fixed-length numeric product code — it handles letters, numbers, and symbols with no length restriction.

Can I use these barcodes for commercial products?

Yes. The barcode image itself is yours to use freely. However, for retail barcodes (EAN-13, UPC-A) that will appear on products sold in stores or online marketplaces, you need to register your company prefix with GS1 to obtain an officially licensed barcode number. Generating the image is free; the GS1 membership and number assignment is a separate process managed by GS1.

Why is SVG better than PNG for printing?

SVG is a vector format — the barcode bars are defined as mathematical shapes, not pixels. This means you can scale an SVG to any size (a small label or a large banner) and it will always print at the printer's native resolution with perfectly crisp edges. PNG is a raster format: if you scale it up beyond its original pixel dimensions, the bars will appear blurry. For labels and packaging, always prefer SVG.

Barcode Generator

Generate professional 1D barcodes for retail, shipping, and inventory — Code 128, EAN-13, UPC-A, and more. Download as PNG or SVG, no signup needed.

Last updated: April 2026

Barcode Format

High-density alphanumeric — shipping, logistics, general purpose

Data

check_circleValid Code 128

Example: Hello-World-123

Options

Bar Height80 px

30 px200 px

Bar Width2 px

Show human-readable text

barcodeCode 128 barcode

Tips

lightbulbDownload SVG for printing — it scales to any size without pixelation.
lightbulbEAN-13 / UPC-A check digits are verified automatically — use the suggested digit if validation fails.
lightbulbCode 128 is the best all-purpose choice — it encodes any printable text at high density.

What it does

9 Industry-Standard Formats

Code 128, EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8, UPC-E, ITF-14, Code 39, Code 93, and Codabar — covering retail, shipping, manufacturing, and library use cases.

Automatic Check Digit Validation

EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8, and ITF-14 check digits are verified in real time using the GS1 algorithm, with the expected digit shown if validation fails.

PNG and SVG Download

Download as high-resolution PNG for digital use or as infinitely scalable SVG for print-ready labels and packaging — no watermarks.

Adjustable Size

Control bar height (30–200 px) and bar width (1–4×) to match any label, shelf tag, or shipping template.

100% In-Browser

Barcodes are generated entirely in your browser — no data is sent to any server. Works offline once the page loads.

How to use Barcode Generator

1
Choose a barcode format
Select from 9 formats: Code 128 for general purpose, EAN-13 or UPC-A for retail products, ITF-14 for shipping containers, Code 39 for manufacturing, or Codabar for libraries. Each format shows an example value.
2
Enter your data
Type or paste the value to encode. The tool validates your input in real time — for EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8, and ITF-14 it also verifies the check digit and shows the expected digit if it's wrong.
3
Adjust size and appearance
Set the bar height (30–200 px) and bar width (1–4×) to match your label or packaging requirements. Toggle the human-readable text below the bars on or off.
4
Download or print
Click PNG for a high-resolution raster image, or SVG for a vector file that scales to any print size without loss of quality.

When to use this

Retail Product Labels

Generate EAN-13 or UPC-A barcodes for products sold in stores or on Amazon, eBay, and other marketplaces.

Shipping & Logistics

Create Code 128 barcodes for internal shipping labels, warehouse bin locations, or package tracking codes.

Inventory & Asset Tracking

Use Code 39 or Code 128 to label equipment, tools, or inventory items for tracking in spreadsheets or asset management systems.

Library & Medical

Generate Codabar barcodes used in libraries for book check-out or in blood banks and medical labs for specimen identification.

How 1D barcodes encode data

A 1D (linear) barcode encodes data as a series of parallel bars and spaces of varying widths. Scanners illuminate the barcode with a laser or LED and measure how much light is reflected — dark bars absorb light, white spaces reflect it. The pattern of wide and narrow elements maps to characters according to a format-specific encoding scheme.

Code 128 uses three different sub-encodings (A, B, C) that can switch mid-symbol to maximize density. EAN and UPC use fixed-width bars that are 1–4 modules wide, where a 'module' is the narrowest bar. The physical width of one module on a printed barcode determines the minimum scanner distance and scan speed — GS1 specifies a target of 0.33 mm per module for retail labels.

Understanding GS1 check digits

EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8, and ITF-14 all use the same GS1 check digit algorithm. Starting from the rightmost digit (excluding the check digit) and working left, digits in odd positions are multiplied by 3 and even positions by 1. The sum is rounded up to the next multiple of 10 — the difference is the check digit.

This catches single-digit errors and most transposition errors. Because check digits are deterministic, you can calculate the correct one given the first N-1 digits — which is what this tool does when it shows the expected check digit in the validation message.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which barcode format should I use for retail products?: Use EAN-13 for products sold internationally or UPC-A for products sold in the US and Canada. Both are GS1 standards accepted by all major retailers and point-of-sale systems. If you're registering a new product, you'll need to obtain a GS1 company prefix first — the barcode itself is generated here for free.
What is a check digit and does this tool calculate it?: A check digit is the final digit of EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8, and ITF-14 barcodes, calculated from the preceding digits using the GS1 Luhn-variant algorithm. Scanners use it to detect transcription errors. This tool verifies the check digit in real time and tells you the correct value if it's wrong — but it doesn't auto-append it, so you have full control over the data.
What is Code 128 and when should I use it?: Code 128 is a high-density linear barcode that encodes all 128 printable ASCII characters. It's the most widely used format for shipping labels (USPS, FedEx, UPS), warehouse management, and general-purpose tracking. Use it whenever the data isn't a fixed-length numeric product code — it handles letters, numbers, and symbols with no length restriction.
Can I use these barcodes for commercial products?: Yes. The barcode image itself is yours to use freely. However, for retail barcodes (EAN-13, UPC-A) that will appear on products sold in stores or online marketplaces, you need to register your company prefix with GS1 to obtain an officially licensed barcode number. Generating the image is free; the GS1 membership and number assignment is a separate process managed by GS1.
Why is SVG better than PNG for printing?: SVG is a vector format — the barcode bars are defined as mathematical shapes, not pixels. This means you can scale an SVG to any size (a small label or a large banner) and it will always print at the printer's native resolution with perfectly crisp edges. PNG is a raster format: if you scale it up beyond its original pixel dimensions, the bars will appear blurry. For labels and packaging, always prefer SVG.