As a GS1 customer, you get a unique company prefix that is the basis for creating GTIN:s and identifying your products. In this example, a barcode and GTIN are shown with the company prefix highlighted in red.
Unique identification of products
Unique numbers on your products help you and your trading partners identify and track them throughout the supply chain. They also facilitate streamlining processes, for example automated order management and invoicing.
GTINs are visually visible on most barcodes in the world. You don’t always need a barcode to sell a product online or in a marketplace, but GTINs are used to create barcodes if your products have to pass through an exit checkout. If you plan to sell a product in physical stores, it must have a barcode.
Products that must have a unique ID
You need a GTIN for each type of product or item that requires unique identification for pricing, order management or billing. For example, GTIN 7312345678916 could be a 330 ml bottle of a soft drink.
Every time you produce a new type or variant of a product, you need to use a new GTIN to identify it and to avoid confusion – and this is especially helpful when retailers order from you. For example, a 330 ml bottle of light-soft drink may have GTIN 7312345679012.
If your product is too small to be marked with the standard 13-digit barcode, you need to use a special 8-digit GTIN that generates a shorter barcode. These numbers are used only in exceptional cases.
You will find more information about the rules for assigning GTIN to products in the next step.
Understand the GTIN rules
A new GTIN is always required for a new product, but often you also need to assign a new GTIN when you have made changes to a product, such as major changes to ingredients or if the size or color has changed.
The GS1 global website has GTIN rules that describe which changes to an item require a new GTIN and which changes are allowed without changing the GTIN.
Does your product need a new GTIN? Use GS1’s on-line tool to guide you through the GTIN rules.
Create barcode labels
You can either make barcode originals yourself or hire someone to do it for you, for example a packaging designer, advertising agency or commercial printer.
We have listed some suggestions for barcode vendors that we know follow our barcode size guide. You can of course use a printing service or similar, but please refer them to our size guide.
See barcode suppliers ‘