Code 128, EAN-13, UPC… downloadable as PNG.
Enter the value, choose the format, and the barcode appears immediately. Download it to print or insert into a document.
| Format | Accepted content | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Code 128 | Letters, digits and symbols | General use, internal labels, parcels |
| EAN-13 | 13 digits | Retail products (Europe and worldwide) |
| UPC | 12 digits | Retail products in North America |
| Code 39 | Capital letters, digits, a few symbols | Logistics, industry, badges |
| ITF-14 | 14 digits | Cartons and pallets of goods |
For internal use, such as inventory, a library or labelling items, Code 128 is the most flexible and compact.
EAN-13, UPC and ITF-14 codes end with a check digit: a number calculated from the others, which lets the scanner detect a misread. For an EAN-13, enter the first 12 digits and the 13th is calculated; if you enter 13, the last one must be the correct check digit, otherwise the code is rejected.
An EAN or UPC code for retail sale cannot be made up: it must be assigned by GS1, the organisation that manages these numbers in each country. That is what guarantees no other product in the world carries the same code. Retailers and marketplaces check this assignment. Toolo draws the barcode for a number; it does not supply an official number.
A barcode is two separate things: a number and the image of that number. The generator above draws the image. The number has to come from GS1 as soon as the product is sold in shops or on a marketplace.
The first 3 digits identify the GS1 member organisation that issued the number, not the country where the product was made. An item made in Asia for a German brand that belongs to GS1 Germany still starts with 400 to 440.
| Prefix | GS1 organisation |
|---|---|
| 00 to 13 | USA and Canada (UPC) |
| 300 to 379 | France |
| 400 to 440 | Germany |
| 450 to 459, 490 to 499 | Japan |
| 840 to 849 | Spain |
For every other country, GS1 publishes the official list of prefixes.
For retail, use UPC in North America and EAN-13 almost everywhere else, always with a number assigned by GS1. For everything else (stock, parcels, internal labels, a reference that contains letters), Code 128 does the job and needs no membership.
The tool downloads the barcode as a PNG, a pixel image: fine for a label, a document or an office printer, as long as you don't enlarge it a lot. For packaging printed in volume, printers usually work with vector files (EPS, PDF or SVG): give them the number and they will produce the barcode at the right size.
EAN-13 requires exactly 13 digits, or 12 if you let the tool calculate the 13th. Check the length, use digits only, and check the check digit if you enter all 13.
The drawing will be correct, but the number must have been assigned to you by GS1. Otherwise the code may belong to another product.
No, it is drawn in your browser; the value you enter is sent nowhere.
Code 128: it accepts letters and digits and produces a compact code that every scanner reads.
Join the GS1 organisation in your country. It assigns you a company prefix, from which you number your products. This generator then draws the barcode for each number.
No. It shows which GS1 organisation issued the number. A product with a 400 to 440 prefix belongs to a GS1 Germany member, wherever it was manufactured.
No, the download is a PNG. For packaging printed in large runs, give the number to your printer, who will create a vector version.