How Do I Get a Barcode for My Product?
Getting a barcode takes about five minutes. Here’s exactly what happens and what you’ll have at the end.
First: how many do you need?
You need one barcode per product variant. That means not one per product line, and not one per unit you make. Each version a customer can buy separately needs its own number.
If you sell one jar of jam in one size, that’s one barcode. If you sell it in 250ml and 500ml, that’s two. Three flavours in two sizes is six. A T-shirt in four sizes and three colours is twelve.
Your barcodes never expire, so you can use them whenever you’re ready. Many people buy a few spares for products they haven’t launched yet.
Step 1: Choose your package
Choose the package that covers the number of products you’re selling. Packages start at one barcode for £26, and the price per barcode drops as quantity increases. See packages and prices.
Step 2: Complete your order
Credit or debit card: Pay securely at checkout, and we’ll email your barcodes within minutes.
Bank transfer: Choose Direct Bank Transfer at checkout, then click Pay. We’ll automatically email you our bank details and your invoice. We release your barcodes as soon as your payment reaches us (Monday to Friday), usually within one business day of it clearing.
Step 3: Check your email
Once your payment has gone through, we’ll email your barcodes. You’ll receive:
- your unique barcode number, in both EAN-13 and UPC-A versions
- print-ready images in 3 formats (PNG, PDF and SVG)
- a guarantee certificate confirming the number is registered to you
- free registration on the International Barcodes Database
- a short guide to using your barcode
You get both EAN and UPC at no extra cost
EAN-13 is the format used in the UK, across Europe and in most of the rest of the world. Retailers in the USA and Canada ask for UPC-A. They aren’t two different barcodes. It’s the same number, with a leading zero added for the EAN-13 version.
Modern scanners read either version worldwide. For your packaging, use the EAN-13 image if you’re selling in the UK or Europe, or the UPC-A image if you’re selling mainly in the USA or Canada.
We supply both with every barcode, so you don’t have to choose up front, and you’re ready if you start selling somewhere new.
Step 4: Put it on your packaging
Send the image file to your designer or printer. The SVG and PDF versions can be resized without losing quality. Keep the barcode at the standard size where you can, and leave clear white space around it so scanners can read it. Full size and print specifications.
Step 5: Give it to your retailer
When a retailer first receives your product, they scan the barcode and enter your product details into their system. From then on, your product name and price appear automatically at the till. You don’t need to do anything else.
Common questions
Do I need an EAN or a UPC?
You don’t need to choose, because you get both. It’s the same number in two formats, included with every barcode.
Do I own the barcode?
Yes. You pay once, and it’s yours permanently, with no renewals and no annual fees.
Will it work outside the UK?
Yes. Our numbers come from the same original system as GS1 barcode numbers and are recognised internationally.
Do they expire?
No.
Selling on Amazon?
See our Amazon barcode requirements.
Shipping cases to a retailer?
You’ll probably need an ITF-14 carton barcode as well, created from your retail number. See carton barcodes.
Ready to start? Buy barcodes. Delivered within minutes.