The Global Language of Business

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The Global Language of Business

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What is a GTIN?

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  • What Does GTIN Stand For?

    GTIN stands for Global Trade Item Number. A GTIN is a GS1 identification key used to identify a trade item, which can be a product you sell or service you offer in an online marketplace listing or brick-and-mortar store. It is a globally unique number used to identify your specific product or service.

GTIN vs. UPC vs. Barcode

A UPC number is a Universal Product Code often used interchangeably with GTIN or barcode. Let’s clarify the key distinction between each of them. In the GS1 system, there are data carriers and the data itself. In this example, the data carrier is the physical barcode because it contains and carries important data, like the GTIN, for scanners to read.

Here, we are showing the GS1 barcode type known as a UPC-A barcode. This barcode is a product or item number typically used in North America at retail point-of-sale (POS) or checkout. The data that the UPC-A barcode uses is called the GTIN-12. The name GTIN-12 is given because it is always made of 12 digits, which are unique to each of your products. Since the GTIN-12 is often encoded in a UPC-A barcode, the term barcode or UPC is sometimes used in place of GTIN-12. Barcodes from GS1 US provide an authentic way to uniquely identify your products and locations in the supply chain and e-commerce.

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GTIN vs. SKU

While a GTIN identifies a product across the entire global marketplace, a SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) is strictly internal. Here’s a closer look:

  • The Core Distinction: A GTIN is a universal, permanent identification number issued exclusively by GS1. Every retailer, distributor, or online marketplace worldwide uses that exact same number to identify your product. On the other hand, a SKU is just a flexible code you create yourself to track your own inventory.
  • Supply Chain vs. Internal Warehouse: Because a GTIN is standardized, it's like a product passport that ensures data accuracy across separate companies and international borders. A SKU is customized specifically for your operation; it helps your warehouse team locate items on shelves, tracks local stock levels, and changes from business to business.

In short, multiple retailers might sell the exact same item with the exact same universal GTIN, but each retailer will assign it a completely different, unique SKU to fit their own internal inventory systems.

SGTIN

An SGTIN (Serialized Global Trade Item Number) is an advanced extension of the standard GTIN. While a traditional GTIN identifies a general product class – like a specific brand, style, and size of shoe – an SGTIN identifies each individual physical item. It does this by adding a unique serial number to the end of the standard GTIN.

This allows companies to track specific units rather than just a batch of products. SGTIN data is commonly encoded onto RAIN RFID tags – wireless, battery-free smart labels that track individual items – to enable real-time, highly granular tracking through complex supply chains.

There are two primary binary formats used for encoding SGTINs:

  • SGTIN-96: The industry standard for retail. It utilizes a 96-bit format that accommodates a numeric-only serial number up to 12 digits long.
  • SGTIN-198: A larger 198-bit format used when a business requires alphanumeric characters or longer serial numbers up to 20 characters in length.

     

GTIN Structures

Global Trade Item Number barcodes have four structures. They can be 8, 12, 13, or 14 digits long. All GTIN types are intended for global use.

GTIN 12

A GTIN-12 is 12 digits in length. It is predominantly used in North America and is intended to be scanned at Point of Sale (POS). It is synonymous with UPC and is the only GTIN type that can be encoded in the UPC-A barcode.

GTIN 14

A GTIN-14 is always 14 digits in length. It never starts with a zero as the first digit. A GTIN-14 is used to identify trade item groupings (e.g., case of a product or set pack) and is NOT intended for POS use.

GTIN 8

A GTIN-8 is always eight digits in length. This is most often used outside North America and intended to be scanned at POS for small items only.

GTIN 13

A GTIN-13 is 13 digits in length. It is predominately used outside North America and intended to be scanned at POS. It is synonymous with EAN (European Article Number) and is the only GTIN type that can be encoded in the EAN-13 barcode.

How are Global Trade Item Numbers Used?

A GTIN can be used in many ways and has two primary roles. 
  1. Its physical role is to be encoded into barcodes and then scanned at POS, point of care, and/or general distribution to provide accurate data capture. 
  2. The second role is in e-commerce. Since consumers cannot see, touch, or feel items they buy online, the GTIN has a critical role in ensuring that the item listed is the one that is picked, packed, and shipped so the consumer receives the correct item.

The GTIN is also used as a key to retrieve predefined information. These can be prices, product attributes, or other information shared with trading partners through the GS1 Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) or used in EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) and GS1 XML transactions between trading partners (e.g., purchase orders, invoices, advanced ship notices, etc.).

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In retail, a GTIN can call up POS (price and retail category) information. Take a lemon soda, for example. The brand owner assigns and marks the soda with a GTIN. The brand owner then provides the GTIN and required attributes and information about the soda to the trading partner. The trading partner adds pricing information to the database. When you bring the soda to the cashier, the item is scanned and the system can access certain information in the retailer’s database, such as the price. The available units will be updated once the soda is subtracted from the inventory.

Diagram labeling a GTIN-12 and UPC-A

Get Your UPC Barcodes from GS1 US

GS1 is the global authority for the unique identification of products and companies, which serve as the building blocks for barcodes. Get a Global Trade Item Number barcode from GS1 US to provide an authentic way to represent your products and services in retail store locations and major online marketplaces.

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How to Get a GTIN

Getting your official GTINs is straightforward and involves three simple steps:

  1. Calculate Your Barcode Total: First, determine how many unique items or variations – such as different sizes, flavors, or packaging styles – you plan to sell. Each distinct option requires its own individual GTIN. You can use our barcode estimator if you need help.
  2. Select Your Licensing Option: For a few individual items, you can purchase single GTINs with no annual renewal fees. If your brand is growing, you can get a GS1 Company Prefix instead and buy barcodes in bulk for all your current and future products.
  3. Check Out and Manage: Complete the checkout process on the GS1 US online store by entering your business details. You will receive a welcome email within minutes granting you portal access to officially assign your new numbers and download your production-ready barcode artwork.
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Get Your U.P.C. Barcodes from GS1 US

Scale Up with a GS1 Company Prefix

A GS1 Company Prefix allows businesses to get multiple barcodes at a single time, as well as identify locations, mixed cases, create coupons, and create higher levels of packaging like a case or pallet.

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Start Small with a GS1 US GTIN

Barcodes issued by GS1 US uniquely identify a single retail product online and in retail stores around the world. If you have only a few products that need barcodes, this might be the most cost-effective option for your company.

Get a GTIN
GS1 Company Prefix Pricing
GS1 Company Prefix Pricing
Number of items needing a barcode/GTIN Initial fee Annual renewal fee
1 GS1 US GTIN $30 $0
10 $250 $50
100 $750 $150
1,000 $2,500 $500
10,000 $6,500 $1,300
100,000 $10,500 $2,100
GS1 Company Prefix including U.S. FDA NDC Labeler Code $2,100 $2,100

GTIN Frequently Asked Questions

Originally, UPCs were used primarily in North America, while EANs were adopted in Europe and many other regions. EAN was developed as a compatible extension of the UPC system to support international trade. Through the EAN/UCC Sunrise 2005 initiative, retailers and trading partners updated their systems to be capable of scanning and processing both UPC and EAN barcodes, enabling greater global interoperability.

Amazon may allow GTIN exemptions for some private-label products, but Amazon continues to encourage the use of GS1-issued GTINs, particularly brands planning to scale beyond a single marketplace.

A GTIN identifies a product globally, a serial number identifies an individual instance of that product, and a SKU is an internal inventory number created by a company for its own business systems. Multiple companies may use different SKUs for the same product, but a GTIN is intended to be globally unique and consistent across trading partners.

GTINs reduce data silos by giving every supply chain partner a common, globally unique identifier for the same product. When manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and marketplaces use the same GTIN, product data can be more easily matched and shared across systems, improving data consistency and reducing duplicate records.

Authentic GTINs help establish brand credibility by providing a globally unique product identifier that can be verified by retailers and marketplaces. GTINs sourced from unauthorized third parties may already be associated with another company or product, leading to acceptance and data quality issues. Using authentic GTINs helps ensure accurate product identification and supports confidence in the product information shared across the supply chain.