Barcodes · GS1 US · UPC-A

UPC barcodes for small product makers

Almost every big-box retailer scans products at checkout, which means every item you ship needs its own barcode number. In the United States those numbers come from GS1 US. Here is what you buy, what it costs, and how the digits work.

What you are actually buying

A UPC barcode encodes a number called a GTIN (Global Trade Item Number). GS1 — the international organization that assigns the digits used in both UPC and EAN barcodes — licenses those numbers to brand owners. GS1 US says its barcodes identify your company as the brand owner, which is information retailers look for. The bars themselves are just a printed rendering of the number; what matters is that the number is licensed to you.

Step one: count your variations

GS1 US’s rule is simple: each variation of each product you sell needs a unique barcode. Its own example is a product sold in 3 sizes and 3 colors, which needs 9 barcodes. Multiply again for different styles or pack counts. A maker with two scents of candle in two sizes, plus a gift set, already needs five numbers.

Step two: single GTIN or company prefix

GS1 US sells two options. A single GS1 US GTIN costs a $30 initial fee with no annual renewal, and includes lifetime access to its Data Hub tool for creating the barcode and managing product data. It is not available for pharmaceuticals, variable-measure products, mixed cases or coupons. A GS1 Company Prefix lets you create a block of numbers and also identify cases, pallets, locations and mixed cases — the higher packaging levels that distribution centers handle.

GS1 US prices as published in October 2026. GS1 US says prices and licensing terms may change, and prefix holders must renew yearly to keep product data linked to their company.

Rough break-even arithmetic from that table: at $30 each, ten single GTINs cost $300 once, against $250 plus $50 a year for a 10-number prefix. If you expect to ship master cases to a distribution center, or to add products later, the prefix is the more flexible choice, because single GTINs can’t identify those higher packaging levels.

How a UPC-A number is built

The common retail barcode, UPC-A, has 12 digits. The first is a number-system digit, the next five traditionally identify the manufacturer, the next five the product, and the last is a check digit that lets the scanner catch misreads. UPC data structures are part of the wider GTIN family.

The check digit is calculated like this:

1. Add the digits in the odd positions (1st, 3rd, 5th … 11th) and multiply that sum by 3.
2. Add the digits in the even positions (2nd, 4th … 10th).
3. Add the two results and take the remainder after dividing by 10.
4. If the remainder is 0, the check digit is 0; otherwise it is 10 minus the remainder.

Try 03600029145: the odd-position digits sum to 0+6+0+2+1+5 = 14, times 3 is 42; the even-position digits sum to 3+0+0+9+4 = 16; 42 + 16 = 58, remainder 8, so the check digit is 2.

A little history

The first UPC-marked item scanned at a retail checkout was a 10-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum at a Marsh supermarket in Troy, Ohio, on June 26, 1974. The symbol chosen by the industry’s selection committee was designed by George J. Laurer of IBM.

Barcode checklist before you pitch

• Every size, color, scent and pack count has its own GTIN — no reuse across variations.
• The numbers are licensed to your company, so your business appears as the brand owner.
• You know whether you will ship cases or pallets that need their own identifiers (a prefix covers these).
• You have a renewal reminder if you chose a prefix.
• Your product data (descriptions, dimensions, images) is ready — retailer portals such as Lowe’s supplier registration ask for product information up front.