Free UPC barcode generator

This UPC generator draws the barcode for a number you already have, as a UPC-A, UPC-E, EAN-13 or EAN-8. It checks the check digit first: a wrong one is refused, with the right one offered. It doesn't sell or issue numbers. If you don't have one yet, read Do I need a GS1 barcode?

UPC sizes for printing

A U.P.C. barcode's size is set by its X-dimension, the width of the narrowest bar. GS1's standard size is an X of 0.330 mm (13 mils), and it allows 0.264 mm to 0.660 mm for barcodes scanned at the checkout:

Source: GS1 General Specifications Release 26.0, Table 5-44 (symbol specification table 1) and Table 5-12. Widths are the number of modules times X, worked out by us. EAN-13 is as wide as UPC-A; EAN-8 sizes are in the barcode size guide.

The generator starts at the standard 0.330 mm and rounds the bars to whole dots of the printer you pick, never below 0.264 mm. That changes the size a little: at 300 dpi, 0.330 mm becomes 0.339 mm, 4 dots wide. The smallest UPC-A it makes is 0.375 mm at 203 dpi, 0.339 mm at 300 dpi and 0.296 mm at 600 dpi. The panel under the preview shows the size it made, and what that is as a percentage of GS1's standard size.

Don't cut the bars shorter to fit a package, and don't stretch or shrink the file afterwards. Make it again at the size you need instead.

Is my UPC number valid?

The last digit of a U.P.C. number is a check digit, worked out from the other 11. It catches most typing and scanning mistakes. Type all 12 digits and the generator checks it; type 11 and it asks how to read them before it makes anything.

A correct check digit only means the number is well formed. It doesn't mean the number is registered to you, or to anyone. To check a whole list of numbers at once, or to see how a check digit is worked out, use the check digit calculator.

Where UPC numbers come from

You don't make up a U.P.C. number. A number used in open trade, in stores or on marketplaces, has to be allocated under GS1's rules. In the US it comes from GS1 US, or, for a product you resell, it is the number the manufacturer already printed on the package.

GS1 US's page on barcodes for Amazon reports that Amazon checks product U.P.C.s against the GS1 database. We have not yet read that on Amazon's own page, so treat it as Amazon's position as reported by GS1 US. Sellers in forum threads we read also report trouble with numbers bought outside GS1, such as numbers that already belonged to other products. Do I need a GS1 barcode? covers the details.

UPC-A or EAN-13?

Pick the barcode that matches your number. A 12-digit number (a GTIN-12) is printed as a UPC-A, or as the shorter UPC-E when it has enough zeros to leave out. A 13-digit number (a GTIN-13) is an EAN-13, and an 8-digit one an EAN-8.

A UPC-A number is the same product number as the EAN-13 with a 0 in front: 036000291452 and 0036000291452 identify the same product. If you type 12 digits that form a complete UPC-A while EAN-13 is picked, the generator asks whether you meant that EAN-13, a switch to UPC-A, or an EAN-13 missing its check digit.

Print one label or a sheet

For one barcode, download the SVG, PDF, EPS or PNG, or use Print to get a Letter page with the barcode at its true size and a ruler to measure. Print at 100% (Actual size), not "Fit to page".

For many products, or a sheet of labels, the bulk barcode generator takes a list or a CSV file and makes Avery label sheets, thermal labels, one PDF or a ZIP.

Questions

Can I make up my own UPC number?

Not for products you sell through stores or marketplaces: those numbers come from GS1. For labels that never leave your own business, GS1 sets aside numbers starting with 4 in UPC-A form. Do I need a GS1 barcode? explains both.

What size should a UPC be on my packaging?

Use the standard 0.330 mm X unless your printer or package needs another size, and stay between 0.264 mm and 0.660 mm. The barcode size guide has the full tables.

Why does my 11-digit number ask a question?

Eleven digits can be a UPC-A without its check digit, or a full UPC-A whose leading 0 was dropped. Spreadsheets drop leading zeros from numbers. The two readings make different barcodes, so the generator shows both and makes nothing until you choose.

Is a test code safe to print on products?

No. "Generate a test code" (with EAN-13 picked) makes an EAN-13 starting with 952, a prefix GS1 keeps for demonstrations and examples. Every such code is marked TEST ONLY on screen and in the file. So is any EAN-13 or EAN-8 starting with 952 that you type yourself. Use them to try a printer or a layout, never on a product.

Is anything I type uploaded?

No. The barcode is made in this browser tab. What you type is never sent to us or to analytics.