Choosing the Right Product Identifier

Start Small with a GS1 US GTIN

Choose the Global Trade Item Number® GS1 US GTIN® as a low-cost way of launching new products in online marketplaces, e-commerce, and retail channels. These product identifiers can be licensed one at a time and are a great way to begin building up seller reputation.

If you have only a few products that need barcodes, starting small with single GTINs might be the most cost-effective option for your company. GS1 US GTINs help empower small businesses that are looking to quickly list their products for sale.

Need a few barcodes?

Scale Up with a GS1 Company Prefix

For growing businesses with many products or a need to identify a location, it can be more convenient to license a GS1 Company Prefix. With a GS1 Company Prefix, you can assign multiple GTINs, U.P.C. barcodes, and other supply chain identifiers. You can use these identifiers for products and higher levels of packaging like a case or pallet.

Every GS1 US Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) and U.P.C. barcode identifies your company as the unique brand owner. Many organizations use this data to validate barcodes

Need several U.P.C. barcodes?

 

For your convenience, you can create barcodes, and manage all your GS1 identifiers and product data via our tool, GS1 US Data Hub®. You also have access to live support from a professionally trained customer service team.

Common Terms

Global Trade Item Number (GTIN)

A globally unique number used to identify a product in the supply chain or in e-commerce.

U.P.C. Barcode

A symbol made of black lines and white spaces that is read by scanners at the point of sale, providing the GTIN in a machine-readable format.

GS1 Company Prefix

A series of numbers that uniquely identifies a company or brand owner and serves as an umbrella to identify multiple products and locations.

Member BenefitsYour Barcodes Come with a Membership

 

Trusted Globally
GS1 US assigned product identifiers are globally unique and accepted at major retailers, in e-commerce, and in marketplaces worldwide.

Authentic Source
Every GS1 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) and barcode identifies your company as the brand owner in the product data.

GS1 US is a not-for-profit standards organization working to improve business processes. When you join our member community, you'll get instant access to tools to help you create and manage barcodes; supply chain tools; expertise; and support to help you as your business grows.

Our barcodes work everywhere — in every supply chain in every country. And there’s someone at GS1 to help answer all your questions. Our member support team is just a phone call or email away.

What We DoThe Identification of Everything Makes Anything Possible

GS1 barcodes are scanned over 6 billion times each day, driving commerce across the globe. At GS1 US, we empower organizations to leverage GS1 Standards to grow and improve efficiency, safety, security, and sustainability.

 
U.P.C. Lookup

U.P.C. Lookup

Use the GS1 Company Database to verify U.P.C. barcodes, confirm company information, and more.

GS1 US Data Hub

GS1 US Data Hub

Easily identify, create, manage, use, and verify data through one convenient, data-sharable platform.

confirm the integrity of your GTIN

Check Digit Calculator

The check digit helps confirm the integrity of your GTIN or barcode number.

Contact GS1 US

Contact Member Support

Fill out our support form, and we'll get back to you soon.

Pay My Bill

Renew your annual GS1 US Membership.

Find a Solution Partner

Work with a certified GS1 US Solution Partner to help you with barcode creation, printing, and verification.

GS1 US University

We offer training modules from basic barcode education to certificate courses on managing product data.

In this publication, the letters “U.P.C.” are used solely as an abbreviation for the “Universal Product Code”, which is a product identification system. They do not refer to the UPC, which is a federally registered certification mark of the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) to certify compliance with a Uniform Plumbing Code as authorized by IAPMO.