How an EAN-13 number is built
| Prefix (2 to 3 digits) | The GS1 member organization: 00 to 13 USA and Canada, 50 UK, 400 to 440 Germany, 45 and 49 Japan, 690 to 699 China, 84 Spain, 880 South Korea |
|---|---|
| Company number | Assigned to a company when it joins GS1 |
| Item reference | Chosen by the company for each product |
| Check digit (1 digit) | Calculated from the first 12 digits to catch reading errors |
How the check digit works
Starting from the right, multiply the digits in odd positions by 3 and the others by 1, add everything up, and the check digit is whatever brings the total to the next multiple of 10. This page does the math the moment you type.
The prefix shows which GS1 office issued the number, not where the product was made.