Free Barcode Generator

How to make a barcode

To make a barcode, choose a type, type or paste your number or text, and download the barcode as PNG or SVG. To generate a barcode with letters, choose Code 128: it takes letters, digits, spaces and basic symbols, up to 80 characters. To create a barcode for a product number, choose UPC-A, EAN-13 or EAN-8: UPC-A takes 11 or 12 digits, EAN-13 takes 12 or 13, and EAN-8 takes 7 or 8. On these three, leave the check digit off and the page adds it; type a wrong one and the page refuses it and shows the right one. The files carry no watermark and need no account. What you type is encoded in your browser and is not sent to our servers.

Can I create my own barcodes?

Yes, you can create your own barcodes here, as long as you already have the number to put in them. This tool draws the barcode for a number you already have. It does not give you a registered product number. To sell in stores or on marketplaces, you need GTINs from GS1. According to GS1, the number starts with a GS1 Company Prefix, which a company obtains from a GS1 member organization (GS1).

Do I need a GS1 barcode to sell my product?

Usually yes: to sell in stores or on marketplaces, you need GTINs from GS1, which states that it is the only official provider of GS1 GTINs and EAN/UPC barcodes globally (GS1). GS1 defines a GTIN, a Global Trade Item Number, as a unique number that identifies a trade item (GS1). According to the Amazon Seller Central page on valid UPCs, product UPCs are checked against the GS1 database and those that do not match are treated as invalid (Amazon Seller Central, Valid UPCs). According to Amazon Seller Central, sellers can also apply for a GTIN exemption for products such as handmade ones, but not for a product that already has a GS1-approved barcode (Amazon Seller Central).

Which barcode type should I use: UPC, EAN or Code 128?

Use UPC-A or EAN-13 for products sold in stores, Code 128 when the code needs letters, and EAN-8 for a number already assigned as 8 digits. This page does not draw GTIN-14 or Code 39 barcodes.

To make only a UPC-A, with the arithmetic shown step by step, use Varnip's UPC barcode generator. For one format only, with its size in millimeters and the check digit worked out, open the EAN-13 barcode generator. For a barcode with letters, such as a stock code or a SKU, use Varnip's Code 128 barcode generator.

UPC vs EAN: what is the difference?

GS1 describes the 12-digit UPC as mostly used in North America and the 13-digit EAN as mostly used in Europe and the rest of the world (GS1 Support), and GS1 US says both can be used internationally (GS1 US). On this page UPC-A takes 11 or 12 digits and EAN-13 takes 12 or 13, and in both the last digit is the check digit.

Which barcode should I use for inventory?

For inventory labels, such as the stock or SKUs of a small business or a warehouse, use Code 128 when the label needs letters, or whatever code the scanner or 3PL (third-party logistics provider) that reads your labels accepts. Code 128 takes letters, digits, spaces and basic symbols; UPC-A, EAN-13 and EAN-8 take digits only. Confirm with whoever scans your labels which code they read.

How do I generate barcodes in bulk from a list of numbers?

To generate barcodes in bulk from a list of numbers, switch to Bulk, paste one value per line, and download one ZIP with up to 1,000 SVG files or 100 PNG files. The page checks every line first; a line with an error stops the download and is named, for example "Line 3". Each line follows the rules of the type you chose, so a UPC-A line needs 11 or 12 digits. There is no CSV or Excel import: paste the list. For a longer list, split it and download one ZIP for each part.

How do I print barcodes at the right size?

To print barcodes at the right size, choose Print at true size: it lays the barcode on a printable A4 or US Letter page at the size shown in Printed size, with the copies you choose and a 50 mm ruler. In the print window, choose Scale 100% (Actual size), turn off Fit to page, and check that the ruler measures 50 mm. When we measured the print PDF made in Chromium, the ruler came out at 50.0 mm; the size on paper still depends on your print window, so check the ruler on yours. Scan one printed label before you print many. The Size menu offers 80%, 100% and 200% of the 0.33 mm bar, each rounded to whole pixels of the PNG, so the menu and Printed size show the bar width the file really gets, 0.339 mm at 100%. SVG is a vector file sized in millimeters; PNG is 600 dpi by default (300 dpi optional) with the dpi stored in the file.

What is the standard barcode size in mm, cm and inches?

GS1 Canada lists 37.29 mm as the width of a UPC-A or EAN-13 at 100%, quiet zones included, which is about 3.7 cm or 1.47 in by our conversion (GS1 Canada, EAN/UPC Symbol Reference, 2018). At 100% it also gives a bar width of 0.33 mm and a minimum bar height of 22.86 mm, which are about 0.033 cm (0.013 in) and 2.3 cm (0.9 in) by our conversion. GS1 Canada specifies a range of 80% to 200% for a UPC-A or EAN-13, where 100% is a bar width (the X-dimension, the width of the narrowest bar) of 0.33 mm and the range runs from 0.26 mm to 0.66 mm. For automated scanning, such as in logistics, warehouses and distribution centers, GS1 Canada recommends 150% to 200% (GS1 Canada, EAN/UPC Symbol Reference, 2018). Of the Size menu on this page, only 200% falls inside that range. The Bar height menu offers Standard, Short and Tall, and Units shows sizes in millimeters or inches.

Why won't my barcode scan?

To help your barcode scan, this page keeps the quiet zone in every file, warns about bar colors that are too light or have much red in them, and refuses a wrong check digit on UPC-A, EAN-13 and EAN-8. GS1 Canada says black bars on a white background give good contrast, dark green or dark blue are good alternatives, and red, orange and yellow should be avoided for the bars because of the scanner's red laser (GS1 Canada, guide for designers and printers, 2024). The quiet zone is the blank margin to the left and right of the bars, so do not crop it. A transparent background carries a warning to place it on a light background. At every build, our tests draw every format, size and resolution as PNG and SVG in Chromium, Firefox and WebKit and read each file back with a software decoder, including the files this page downloads. On one Android phone, a reader app read a downloaded Code 128 PNG. We have not tested scanning a printed label or handheld scanners, so scan one printed label before you print many. This page makes barcodes; it does not read or repair one you already have.

What is a check digit, and what is the barcode formula?

A check digit is the last digit of a UPC or EAN number, calculated from the other digits; GS1 US says it is added to detect errors (GS1 US, 2026). The barcode formula, as GS1 gives it, multiplies the digits by 3 and 1 in turn, starting from the right, adds the results, and subtracts the sum from the nearest equal or higher multiple of ten (GS1). GS1 describes the check digit as the digit that makes sure the barcode is correctly composed (GS1). For 629104150021 the sum is 57, so the check digit is 3 and the EAN-13 number is 6291041500213. On UPC-A, EAN-13 and EAN-8, leave the check digit off and this page adds it; type a wrong one and the page refuses it and shows the right one.

Can a check digit be 10?

No: in UPC and EAN numbers the check digit is a single digit, from 0 to 9; when the weighted sum is already a multiple of ten, the check digit is 0. GS1 US says the final digit of a UPC or EAN is a check digit, a single number (GS1 US). For 629104150022 the sum is 60, so the EAN-13 number is 6291041500220.

What is a barcode?

According to GS1 US, a 1D barcode such as a UPC is a series of vertical lines and spaces that represents a Global Trade Item Number, or GTIN, while 2D barcodes such as QR Code use a grid pattern (GS1 US). This page makes the four barcode types in the table above, and it does not make QR codes or other 2D codes. GS1 describes the step a barcode generator does as converting the barcode numbers into a barcode image using software (GS1). This page makes barcodes; it does not read or repair one you already have. For a QR code, use Varnip's QR code generator. For a QR code or a Data Matrix that holds a product's GTIN in a GS1 Digital Link, use Varnip's GS1 Digital Link generator. Not sure which code you need? Both tools are on one page, with a switch between them.

Is a UPC the same as a barcode or a GTIN?

A UPC is a type of barcode that represents a GTIN, according to GS1 US (GS1 US), and GS1 says GTIN-12 is also called UPC and GTIN-13 is also called EAN or JAN (GS1 Support). GS1 defines a GTIN as a unique number that identifies a trade item that may be priced, ordered or invoiced (GS1).

Does a barcode contain the price, expiry date or country of origin?

Generally no: GS1 says the barcode represents the number that identifies the item uniquely (GS1). GS1 says the description and price may be retrieved from a database, except for variable-measure items and money-off coupons (GS1). For serial numbers, expiry dates or measures, GS1 says to use GS1-128, GS1 DataBar or a GS1 2D symbol, which this page does not make (GS1). GS1 also says GS1 Prefixes do not identify the country of origin of a product, because companies can manufacture products anywhere in the world (GS1).

Is this barcode generator safe to use?

What you type is encoded in your browser and is not sent to our servers. The barcode generator is free, and it needs no account. The barcode is drawn in your browser, and the file you download is made on your device. Varnip does count how the generators are used, such as which format was downloaded, never what you type. The privacy page has the details.