The Global Language of Business

Get a Barcode

The Global Language of Business

What is a Supply Chain

GS1 US Data Hub Help Center

Create a Shipping Case and Generate a Barcode

After you add products in GS1 US Data Hub that are sold to consumers, you can create shipping/receiving cases. GS1 US Data Hub supports several packaging levels, but does not support SSCC labels.

Follow these steps to create a shipping/receiving case that is NOT expected to pass through point of sale. In these steps, GS1 US Data Hub generates a GTIN-14.

Click Product, then the Add New Product link, then follow the steps below.

New Productlink image

Note: before you start, make sure you have created the product that is contained in this case in GS1 US Data Hub.

  • Product Description
    One best practice is to use the product description of the item that is contained in the case, followed by the actual number contained in this case, such as "Case of 40". There is a 500-character limit.
Product Description
  • Language
    This is the language for the Product Description and Brand Name. The default is "en" - English." If this product’s primary target market uses a local language other than English, you can change it here.

    Note: Have an additional language to add? In Step 3 - Enhance Your GTIN Data, you can add an additional product description and brand name and indicate an additional language.
  • Brand Name
    Enter the name of the product line that is used with consumers. There is a 70-character limit.
  • Industry
    Select the primary industry where​ the product is sold. Here are definitions of two of the options:
    • CPG = Consumer Packaged Goods (groceries, personal care products, etc.);
    • General = General Merchandise (toys, flooring, appliances, etc.)
  • Packaging Level
    Select "Case" if this packaging contains quantities of just a single GTIN. If quantities of several different GTINs are going into this case, you need to select "Mixed Case." View the Packaging Level Definitions page for more.
  • SKU (optional)
    Enter the Stock Keeping Unit (SKU), which is assigned to the item by your company for inventory tracking purposes, and can be alphanumeric. There is a 70-character limit.
  • Purchasable by Consumer?
    Because you selected "Case" as the packaging level, "No" is selected. 
  • For Shipping Purposes?                                                                        Because you selected "Case" as the packaging level, “Yes” is selected. This ensures that the ITF-14  shipping/receiving barcode is available after you assign a GTIN.
  • Variable Measure?
    Leave this box unchecked. Trade items may be of variable measure either because the production process does not guarantee consistency in weight, size, or length (e.g., meat, whole cheeses) or because the items are created to meet a special order that states a quantity (e.g., textiles ordered by the foot, glass ordered by the square yard). Learn more.
  • Click the "Add Contents" link.
    The Add GTIN to Container window displays. Click the box for the product you want to add to this case. Then click the "Add to Container" button. The window closes and the child product displays on the screen.
  • Enter the Quantity
    In the Qty field, enter the quantity of this GTIN that is entered into the container. If you accidentally selected the wrong item, click the Remove link, then click Add Contents again to select a different item.  Note: Once you set the status to In Use, you cannot change the contents or the quantity.
Add Quantity
  • Click the Save and Continue button.

Now you're ready to assign the GTIN to this case. You have three options:

Let Us Assign Your GTIN
When you select this option, and "Yes" was selected for For Shipping Purposes Only?, GS1 US Data Hub automatically assign a GTIN-14 to the case which is used for shipping and receiving items.

Note: The GTIN-14 is also assigned if you select Inner Pack, Pallet or Display Shipper and ONLY select a single product to go into the container. 

To learn more about the GTIN-14, read An Introduction to the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN).

Note: The GTIN-14 uses the same “Item Reference" as the product you added to this shipping and receiving item. Item References are what determine the number of GTINs that you can assign (also known as your "GTIN capacity"). So when the GTIN-14 is assigned, the number of "Available" GTINs for your Company Prefix is not reduced. You can see the number of "Available" GTINs on the GS1 US Data Hub home page. 

The GTIN-14 structure includes an indicator digit as the first digit, with the value of 1 to 8 (the value 9 is reserved for variable measure trade items). This means GS1 US Data Hub can generate up to eight unique GTIN-14s related to one child GTIN. For example, you could create up to eight GTIN-14s to identify shipping and receiving items that have different quantities of the same "Each" item.

Keep in mind that if you select the "Mixed Case" packaging level, the GTIN-14 is NOT assigned, as there are two or more unique GTINs contained in a Mixed Case, and a single Item Reference can't be applied. So the Mixed Case GTIN does use an Item Reference, and this does reduce your GTIN capacity.


Choose a Specific GTIN
This option allows you to type the desired GTIN yourself and assign it to a specific product;

Assign GTIN from Reserved
This option allows you to specify a GTIN from GTINs that you have already reserved GTINs for this product or group of products.


After you assign the GTIN, the item moves from Draft to PreMarket status. You can now click Preview Barcode to generate a “For Placement Only” (FPO) barcode. This is a watermark barcode that is used for product and packaging design purposes.

You can now set the status to In Use, to make this product active - and so you can generate the final, scannable barcode:

- The GTIN is permanently assigned to the product, and
- The product and quantity cannot be changed. If the product and/or quantity for this case changes in the future, you will need to create a new case and assign a new GTIN.

Here are three questions to consider before taking this step:

- Are the product attributes and packaging final?
- Are the “Child” item and Quantity in the case final?
- Are you ready to share this information with trading partners?

If the answer to these questions is “yes”, click the Set Status to In Use button.

Note: You can only set the upper-level package to In Use when the child GTIN(s) is In Use.

  •  Click the View Barcode button to view the barcode.

Because you have selected "Case" and "Yes" for Shipping Purposes Only, the barcode type is ITF-14.

  • Click Preview Barcode

View and download your barcode symbol in either EPS or PNG file format. 

Note:  EPS files can only be opened with specialist design software, and will retain resolution regardless of scale. A PNG is a standard image file format that is compatible with most applications.  

To understand how a current product is used in different packaging configurations (inner pack, case, etc.), click the Product Hierarchy link.

See instructions below.

  • From the My Products page, click the GTIN link for the product you want to view. The Product Detail page displays. Scroll down to view the hierarchy. 

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