Barcodes for products in India: EAN-13, Code 128 and when you need GS1
Which barcode you need depends on one question: will your product be scanned only by you, or also by shops and marketplaces you don't control? That single answer decides whether you can make your own number for free or need a registered one.
Which barcode should you use?
| Type | Holds | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Code 128 | Letters, numbers and symbols | Your own stock labels, shelf codes, parcels, asset tags and ID cards |
| EAN-13 | 13 digits | Products sold in shops, in India and most of the world |
| UPC-A | 12 digits | Products sold mainly in the US and Canada |
What the digits in an EAN-13 mean
An Indian EAN-13 is built from four parts:
- 890 is the prefix for numbers issued by GS1 India. It shows who issued the number, not necessarily where the product was made.
- Company prefix: the digits assigned to your business.
- Item reference: the digits you assign to each product, size or pack.
- Check digit: the last digit, calculated from all the others, which lets a scanner catch a misread.
How the check digit works
Take the first 12 digits, for example 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. Multiply them by 1, 3, 1, 3 and so on from the left, and add them up:
8 + 27 + 0 + 3 + 2 + 9 + 4 + 15 + 6 + 21 + 8 + 27 = 130
The check digit is what you add to reach the next multiple of 10. Here, 130 already is one, so the check digit is 0 and the full number is 8901234567890.
Do you need to register with GS1?
For your own use, no. A Code 128 barcode with any code you like works perfectly for stock in your own shop or warehouse, because only your own system has to understand it.
For selling through others, usually yes. An EAN-13 is meant to be globally unique, so it can't simply be made up: a number you invent might already belong to another company's product. Supermarkets and many marketplaces expect a number registered to you, issued in India by GS1 India.
A barcode maker draws a barcode for a number you already have. It doesn't give you the right to that number. Fees and steps change, so check them directly on GS1 India's website, and be careful of resellers who add their own charges or offer numbers that aren't registered to you.
If you do register, give each variant its own number. A 500 g pack and a 1 kg pack of the same product need different numbers, as do different flavours and sizes.
Printing a barcode that scans
- Dark bars on a light background. Black on white is best. Red bars don't work, because scanners often use red light and can't see them.
- Leave the quiet zone. The blank margin on each side of the bars is part of the barcode. Printing right up to an edge or a design is the most common reason it won't scan.
- Keep the proportions. Don't stretch it to fit your label. The standard size for an EAN-13 is about 37 × 26 mm, and GS1 allows scaling from 80% up to 200% of it.
- Save it as SVG if you can. A vector file stays sharp at any size, whereas an enlarged PNG can blur the edges of the bars.
- Test on the real label. Print one, stick it on the actual product, and scan it with more than one scanner or phone before you print a thousand. Curved and shiny packaging can cause problems.
General information based on the GS1 standards for EAN-13. GS1 India is the authority for registered numbers. Retailers and marketplaces set their own requirements.