UPC vs EAN

The two retail barcodes side by side, and when each fits.

UPC-A and EAN-13 are the two barcodes on products in shops, and they're closer than they look. UPC-A was introduced in the United States in 1974 with 12 digits. EAN-13 followed in Europe in 1976 and added a 13th digit so that other countries could have their own number ranges. Both now belong to GS1, and a UPC-A is simply an EAN-13 whose first digit is 0.

That's why converting is easy: put a 0 in front of a 12-digit UPC and you have the EAN-13, with the same check digit. Since 2005 retailers in the US and Canada have been able to scan EAN-13, so either works almost everywhere. The practical difference is where you got your number: GS1 US and GS1 Canada issue numbers that print as UPC-A, other GS1 organizations issue numbers that print as EAN-13.

UPC-A and EAN-13 compared

Feature	UPC-A	EAN-13
Digits	12 (GTIN-12)	13 (GTIN-13)
Introduced	1974, United States	1976, Europe
Issued by	GS1 US and GS1 Canada	Any GS1 Member Organization
Where it's used	Mainly the US and Canada	The rest of the world, and accepted in North America
Structure	Company prefix + item reference + check digit	GS1 Prefix and company prefix + item reference + check digit
Width at 100%	37.29 mm including quiet zones	37.29 mm including quiet zones
Quiet zones	9X left and right	11X left, 7X right
Check digit	GS1 mod 10	GS1 mod 10 (same digit for the same number)
Short version	UPC-E (8 digits, zeros suppressed)	EAN-8 (8 digits, issued individually)
Convert	Add a leading 0 to make an EAN-13	Remove the leading 0, if it is one, to make a UPC-A

The same product number in each form

Form	Number	Note
UPC-A (GTIN-12)	036000291452	12 digits, check digit 2
EAN-13 (GTIN-13)	0036000291452	A leading 0; same check digit
GTIN-14	00036000291452	Padded to 14 digits for databases
UPC-E	None	Only UPC-As with enough zeros in the right places can be suppressed

Good to know

Which one do I need?

Whichever your GS1 organization issues. If you're in the US or Canada, GS1 US or GS1 Canada will give you numbers that print as UPC-A; elsewhere you'll get EAN-13s. Both are accepted by major retailers and marketplaces in North America and beyond.

Amazon and marketplaces

Marketplaces ask for a UPC, EAN or GTIN and usually check it against GS1's database, so numbers from resellers that aren't licensed to your brand may be rejected.