How to use the Barcode Generator
- Choose the barcode type — EAN-13 or UPC-A for retail products, Code 128 for anything else.
- Type your number or text. For EAN and UPC you can leave out the last (check) digit; it is calculated for you.
- Adjust size and colors, then download an SVG for print or a PNG for documents and labels.
Which barcode should I use?
- EAN-13 — the 13-digit retail barcode used worldwide. The first digits are a GS1 company prefix.
- UPC-A — the 12-digit retail barcode used in the US and Canada; scanners everywhere read it.
- EAN-8 — a short 8-digit retail code for very small packages.
- Code 128 — encodes any text, digits and punctuation compactly. Used for shipping labels, inventory and asset tags. The generator switches to the dense numeric mode automatically for long runs of digits.
- Code 39 — uppercase letters, digits and a few symbols. Older but simple; common for ID badges and industrial labels.
Check digits are added for you
EAN and UPC codes end with a check digit calculated from the others (alternating weights of 1 and 3, modulo 10), so a scanner can detect a misread. Enter 12 digits for EAN-13 (or 11 for UPC-A, 7 for EAN-8) and the last digit is added. If you enter the full number, the generator verifies the check digit and tells you if it is wrong.
Do I need to register product barcodes?
For selling in shops and on marketplaces like Amazon, yes — retail EAN/UPC numbers must come from GS1, the organisation that licenses company prefixes, so your number is unique worldwide. For internal uses — inventory, libraries, assets, events — any number works, and Code 128 is the usual choice.
Printing tips
Use the SVG download for print: it stays perfectly sharp at any size. Keep dark bars on a light background with good contrast, leave the white margin (quiet zone) on both sides, and don’t print EAN/UPC much smaller than about 80% of nominal size (37 × 26 mm for EAN-13).
Tools that pair well with the Barcode Generator
- QR Code Scanner — Point your camera at a QR code, or drop an image or screenshot that contains one.
- SVG to PNG Converter — Render SVG vector graphics as crisp PNG images at exactly the size you need — for app stores, social media, email or documents.
- Image Converter — Convert any image your browser can open — PNG, JPG, WebP, AVIF, GIF, BMP or SVG — into PNG, JPG, WebP or AVIF, one file or hundreds at a time.
- UUID Generator — Create cryptographically random UUIDs (v4) or sortable, timestamp-based UUIDs (v7) in bulk, then copy or download them.