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The first three digits of the EAN-13 barcode, known as the GS1 Prefix, indicate the country or region where the manufacturer is registered. This prefix does not necessarily indicate where the product was made.

Note that EAN-13 codes beginning with 0 are actually 12-digit UPC codes with prepended 0 digit. In recent years, more products sold by retailers outside the United States and Canada have been using EAN-13 codes beginning with 0, since they were generated by GS1-US.

The 020-029 GS1 Prefixes are worth a special mention. GS1 defines this as being available for retailer internal use (or internal use by other types of business). Some retailers use this for proprietary (own brand or unbranded) products, although many retailers obtain their own manufacturer's code for their own brands.

Other retailers use at least part of this prefix for products which are packaged in store, for example, items weighed and served over a counter for a customer. In these cases, the barcode may encode a price, quantity or weight along with a product identifier – in a retailer defined way. The product identifier may be one assigned by the Produce Electronic Identification Board (PEIB) or may be retailer assigned. Retailers who have historically used UPC barcodes tend to use GS1 prefixes starting with '02' for store-packaged products.

Here's a detailed description of some notable GS1 Prefix ranges:

1.000-019: United States and Canada

Products with these prefixes are registered by companies in the United States and Canada. The prefix does not indicate the country of production but rather the location of the company that registered the product.

2.030-039: United States (Drugs and Pharmaceuticals)

These prefixes are typically used for pharmaceuticals and health-related products that are registered in the United States.

3.040-049: Used for General Purposes within the United States

These numbers are reserved for products that might not fall into the specific categories of the previous ranges but are still registered in the United States.

4.050-059: Coupons

This range is designated for use on coupons issued in the United States.

5.060-099: United States and Canada

Similar to the 000-019 range, these prefixes are also used for products registered in the United States and Canada.

6.300-379: France and Monaco

Products with these prefixes are registered by companies in France and Monaco. This includes a wide range of consumer goods.

7.380: Bulgaria

The 380 prefix is assigned to products registered by companies in Bulgaria.

8.383: Slovenia

Products with this prefix are registered by companies in Slovenia.

9.400-440: Germany

These prefixes are used for products registered by companies in Germany, covering a broad range of consumer goods.

10.450-459 and 490-499: Japan

The 450-459 and 490-499 ranges are assigned to products registered by companies in Japan.

How the GS1 Prefix Works

The GS1 Prefix is part of the broader EAN-13 barcode structure, which includes:

GS1 Prefix (first 3 digits): Indicates the country of the registering organization.

Company Number (variable length): Assigned by the GS1 member organization to the manufacturer.

Product Code (variable length): Assigned by the manufacturer to a specific product.

Check Digit (last digit): Ensures the barcode is correctly composed.

Examples

4901234567892: A product registered in Japan.

3601234567892: A product registered in France.

5012345678900: A product registered in the United Kingdom (prefix 500-509).

These prefixes are managed and assigned by the GS1 organization, which ensures unique identification for products globally. The system helps in standardizing product identification and facilitates international trade by providing a reliable method of tracking and inventory management.

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Once you obtain a GS1/UPC/EAN barcode, or other barcode type and QR code, you can use our free software to batch print barcode labels onto Roll label paper using a professional label printer, or to batch print barcodes onto Avery 5160 label sheets using a regular laser or inkjet printer. Our software has free and paid versions.

The free version fully meets your needs for batch printing GS1/UPC/EAN barcodes. The paid version can import data from Excel and databases to batch print barcode labels with different values.

How to Use & FAQ:

Highlights

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