Upc code how does it work

The UPC-A barcode symbol contains 12 numeric digits. The basis of the GTIN identification system works of unique company identifiers assigned to each company.

GS1 global is a standards organization that oversees the numbering and guidelines for product identification. There are local GS1 offices in over countries whose primary role is to license GS1 Company Prefixes to companies within their country. The uniqueness of brand-specific GS1 Company Prefix allows products to be accepted and recognized across the globe. Each country establishes its own pricing rules for licensing GS1 Prefixes, which are normally based on the total number of products a company needs to identify.

Retailers and marketplaces mandate that their suppliers have a GS1 Company Prefix licensed to their brand. Since correct and unique production identification is critical to retail supply chains, major retailers and online marketplaces will not accept UPC barcodes without correctly licensed prefixes. The GS1 Prefix licenses provide denominations in;, ,,,,, For exact pricing for US company, please click here.

Each individual product that you are planning on selling will need its own unique UPC Code. Each variant of product will require a unique UPC so products of different size and colors will each be unique represented with an individual UPC. Order History Label Archive. New Accounts Create An Account with us today! Get an Instant Quote. What is a UPC barcode? That price is created by the retailer and inputted into the POS system prior to the product being put on the shelf.

This way, a retailer can set their own prices. The retailer can input any information they want with the UPC, such as store warranty, product color, shape, etc. For instance, a two-ounce cup of chocolate ice cream, a ounce tub of chocolate ice cream and a ounce tub of vanilla ice cream all have different UPC codes, even if they are all made by the same company.

Another option for internal barcodes is to use another type of barcode symbology aka class of barcode. UPCs have a fixed length code that must be exactly digits long and contain only numbers. There are other types of barcode symbols like Code 39 or Code that can handle both letters and numbers and can be as long or short as you need. If you sell to a separate Internet retailer, that retailer may require a barcode. The first digit of the manufacturer's identification number is special. It is called the number system character.

The following data shows you what different number system characters mean:. Here is an example of a pharmaceutical bar code number system character 3 , this one from a 4-ounce bottle of Selsun Blue dandruff shampoo:.

The coupon code is interesting number system character 5. If you have ever wondered how the scanner can read a coupon and reject it if you haven't bought the product, here's your explanation. If you look at the coupon code, you can see that the coupon's bar code starts with a 5 to indicate that it is a coupon. The is Post's manufacturer ID. The next three digits are called the family code.

The next two digits 70 are a value code. The family code and value code are set up arbitrarily by the UPC coordinator for the manufacturer. It must be done that way because a coupon will often be usable for a whole family of products. For example, a coupon might be good for four different kinds of soap made by the same manufacturer.

In the same way, the value code represents the value of the coupon arbitrarily. The manufacturer sends the retailer the data that tells the retailer's computer exactly which products fit the family code, and exactly how much to take off. When the coupon is scanned, the POS computer:. The next time you go to the store, pick up a product -- any product. Look at its UPC code: Now you know what it means! So let's say you would like to decode the actual bars in the bar code and map them to numbers. This is something that will make you cross-eyed, but it can be done.

First of all, look at any digit bar code. It is made up of black bars and white spaces between the bars. Assume that the thinnest bar or space that you see for example, the first bar on the left can be called "one unit wide.

If you look at any bar code you can see examples of these four widths. The start of any bar code is " Following the start code, the digits are encoded like this:. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close.

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