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Barcode Validator

Paste barcodes. Check every check digit, or add the missing one. Nothing leaves your browser.

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About Barcode Validator

Updated

Barcode Validator checks barcode numbers and calculates check digits. Paste one code per line, or separated by spaces or commas. The tool finds the type of each code by its length and checks its check digit. Wrong codes show the right check digit next to them.

Open the Add check digit tab for codes that do not have one yet: it adds the right digit to each code, ready to copy. The Summary counts the valid and invalid codes and lists the types found. When a code is wrong, the Fixed tab lists every code with the right check digit.

For other schemes, such as IBAN, Luhn card numbers, ISIN or VIN, and to see the math step by step, use the Check Digit Calculator.

Supported codes

  • EAN-8 (8 digits), for small packages.
  • UPC-A (12 digits), the Universal Product Code used in North America.
  • EAN-13 (13 digits), the International Article Number, also used for ISBN-13 (978, 979) and ISSN (977).
  • ISBN-10 (10 characters), the older book number with a modulo 11 check that can end in X.
  • GTIN-14 (14 digits), for cartons, often printed as ITF-14.
  • GSIN (17 digits) and SSCC (18 digits), for shipments and pallets.

Check digits

The last digit of a barcode number is the check digit. It is calculated from the other digits, so a scanner or a person can tell when a digit was read or typed wrong.

For GS1 codes (EAN, UPC, GTIN, SSCC), start from the right of the digits before the check digit. Multiply every second digit, starting with the rightmost, by 3. Add all the results and the other digits. The check digit is the number that brings that sum up to the next multiple of 10.

Example

The check digit of the EAN-13 code 400638133393?:

EAN-13
Digits, right to left:  3 9 3 3 3 1 8 3 6 0 0 4
Times 3, every second:  3   3   3   8   6   0   = 23 x 3 = 69
The others:               9   3   1   3   0   4 = 20
Sum: 69 + 20 = 89. Next multiple of 10: 90.
The check digit is 1: 4006381333931

Barcodes

Barcodes show data in a visual, machine-readable form. The first barcodes used lines of different widths and spaces; today there are also patterns of dots and squares, such as QR codes and Data Matrix. Barcodes track products, shipments, tickets and assets in retail, logistics, healthcare and transport.

The number in a product barcode is usually a GTIN (Global Trade Item Number), given out by GS1, a non-profit organization that sets standards for global trade.

  • Barcodes are read by optical scanners, and by apps on common devices such as phones.
  • What a barcode means depends on its symbology. Common ones are EAN, UPC and QR codes, each made for different uses.

Other barcode resources

Barcode FAQ

What is a barcode?

A barcode is a pattern of parallel lines of different widths, printed on a product and read by a scanner. The lines stand for numbers, most often a GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) that identifies the product.

What do the numbers on barcodes mean?

They are not random. In an EAN-13 or UPC-A code, the first digits identify the company that owns the code (through GS1), the next digits identify the product, and the last digit is the check digit that catches reading and typing mistakes.

How are barcodes generated?

A company gets a number range from GS1 and gives each product its own number. Software then adds the check digit and draws the barcode. This tool calculates the check digit; to draw the barcode image, use the Barcode Generator or label software.

Are barcodes unique to each item?

Each product, and each variant such as size or color, needs its own barcode. The individual units of one product share it: 100 units of the same product all carry the same barcode.

Can barcodes be reused?

Generally no. A barcode belongs to one product, and reusing it confuses stock and sales systems. GS1 rules say that a GTIN given to one product should not be given to another one.

How do barcodes help at checkout?

Scanning a barcode enters the product, its price and stock data at once, which is faster than typing and avoids typing mistakes. Barcodes on receipts can also speed up returns.

Can I print my own barcodes?

Yes. Label software, many point-of-sale systems and online barcode generators can draw barcodes, and you can print them on a label printer or on a normal inkjet or laser printer. For products sold in shops, the number itself must come from GS1.

How do I scan a barcode with my phone?

Use a barcode scanner app or your camera app; many phones read barcodes and QR codes in the camera or with Google Lens. Point the camera at the barcode and hold it still until it is read.

Which codes does this tool check?

EAN-8, UPC-A, EAN-13, ISBN-13, ISSN in EAN-13 form, GTIN-14 (ITF-14), GSIN (17 digits) and SSCC (18 digits) with the GS1 modulo 10 check, and ISBN-10 with the modulo 11 check, where the last character can be X.