Free EAN-13 barcode generator (and UPC-A)

Type a 12- or 13-digit product number and Codeshed draws the EAN-13 barcode, adds the check digit if you left it off, and lets you download it as SVG, PDF or PNG. It is free, needs no account and you may use it on products you sell.

Make an EAN-13 barcode →

First, the number

A generator draws the barcode; it cannot give you a valid number. Shop tills and marketplaces look an EAN-13 up in their product database, and the number has to come from your company prefix issued by GS1, the organisation that runs the system. A made-up number will scan, but it may belong to somebody else's product, and retailers will reject it. Contact your country's GS1 office to get a prefix and numbers.

For your own stock, shelves or asset tags, you do not need GS1 at all: use Code 128, which holds letters as well as numbers. Which barcode should I use? walks through the choice.

What Codeshed does with your number

• Check digit: enter 12 digits and the 13th is calculated for you; enter 13 and the last digit is checked, so a typo is caught before you print.
• Add-on (optional): a 2- or 5-digit supplement printed beside the main code, used on magazines and some books.
• Human-readable digits under the bars, which you can switch off if your packaging prints them separately.
• UPC-A for shops in the US and Canada is the 12-digit variant; choose it in the studio's barcode types.

Printing it so it scans

• Use the SVG or PDF for packaging and labels. They stay sharp at any size; a PNG can blur when a printer resizes it.
• Do not squash the barcode or cut its height to fit a space. Scale it evenly, and keep the white space on both sides clear.
• Print dark bars on a white or very light background. Red, orange and yellow bars often do not scan, because many scanners use red light.

How to make one

1. Open the product barcode in the studio.
2. Enter your GS1 number, and an add-on if you need one.
3. Download SVG, PDF or PNG, and scan a test print before a big run.

Everything happens in your browser, and the barcode is yours to use anywhere, including on products you sell.

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Codeshed is a trading name of Third Coffee Studio Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 17517422.