Difference Between EAN-13 and UPC-A Barcodes
Short answer: they’re the same barcode. A UPC-A is a 12-digit number; an EAN-13 is the same number with a leading zero. When that leading digit is a zero, the bars of both are identical — a scanner reading one is reading the other.
The only visible difference is where the human-readable digits sit beneath the bars.
| UPC-A | EAN-13 | |
|---|---|---|
| Digits | 12 | 13 (same number, leading zero) |
| Bars | Identical | Identical |
| Traditionally used in | Canada and the USA | Everywhere else |
| Scanned worldwide today | Yes | Yes |
Which one should you use?
For most sellers, it makes no practical difference; modern retail scanners read both anywhere in the world.
Where it does matter is what your retailer expects to see printed. If you’re selling in Canada or the USA, use the UPC-A image. If you’re selling exclusively outside North America, use the EAN-13. If you’re doing both, or you’re not sure yet, use UPC-A; it will still scan overseas.
You don’t have to choose when you buy. Every retail barcode we supply comes as both a UPC-A and an EAN-13 image, at no extra cost, because it’s one number in two presentations. See barcode packages.
If a scanner reads it in the wrong format
This happens occasionally, and it’s easy to fix.
Because a scanner reads only the bars (not the digits printed underneath), an EAN-13 beginning with zero can be interpreted as a UPC-A without the zero, and the reverse. It usually happens the first time a new product is entered into a retailer’s system, when the software has no record of the barcode and defaults to whichever format it expects.
Two fixes, both straightforward:
- Best: ask the retailer to enter the number manually the first time and link it to the product, rather than scanning it. Every scan after that returns the format they entered.
- Also works: the retailer adds or drops the leading zero to match what their system wants. The number stays globally unique either way, because the bars haven’t changed.
The technical version
The two formats use different parity encoding. UPC-A uses one left-hand and one right-hand parity set, while EAN-13 adds a third, and the leading digit of an EAN-13 isn’t encoded in the bars at all but determines how the following six are. A leading zero produces exactly the UPC-A pattern, which is why the bars match.
Buy retail barcodes. UPC-A and EAN-13 supplied with every number, delivered within minutes.