What is EAN-13?
EAN-13 is the 13-digit barcode standard printed on most retail products sold outside North America, including in Pakistan.
Updated
Meaning
English
EAN-13 is the 13-digit barcode standard printed on most retail products sold outside North America, including in Pakistan.
Roman Urdu
EAN-13 13 hindson wala barcode standard hai jo Pakistan samet duniya ke zyada tar products par chhapa hota hai.
Also called EAN, European Article Number, GTIN-13, 13 digit barcode.
Example
A biscuit packet's barcode reads 13 digits. The first digits identify the GS1 country prefix of the company that registered it, the middle part the company and product, and the last digit is a check digit.
How it works
EAN-13 numbers are issued through GS1, the global barcode body, to brand owners. The last digit is calculated from the first twelve, so a scanner can tell when it has misread a code. Because the number identifies the product, not the shop, two stores selling the same item see the same barcode.
A shop does not need its own GS1 number for in-house labels: those can use Code 128 or internal numbers. A manufacturer that wants its goods in supermarkets usually needs registered EAN-13 codes. Never make up 13-digit numbers that look like EAN codes for your own products, because they may clash with a real product.
In Nafaa
The Nafaa label designer prints EAN-13 only when a code is a valid 13-digit number with a correct check digit; any other code is printed as Code 128 automatically.
Related terms
- Barcode
A barcode is a machine-readable pattern of bars or squares printed on a product or label that a scanner reads to identify the item.
- UPC (Universal Product Code)
UPC is the 12-digit barcode standard used mainly in the United States and Canada, readable by the same scanners as EAN-13.
- SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)
An SKU is a code for one exact product variant in stock, so each size, colour or pack size is counted separately.