What do the numbers on barcodes mean?

Who has ever taken the time to decipher or even try to understand the famous barcodes scanned on supermarket products? But why are you smiling? Who knows, it may come in handy before going shopping. They are not there by chance. In addition to scanning our purchases at checkout, these numbered combinations are a mine of information about the origin of the products you consume. Come on, a little deciphering to try to understand them better.

What is the barcode used for on products?
Scan the barcode on a wine bottle
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Scanning the barcode on a wine bottle – Source: spm

A barcode usually comes in the form of a square or rectangle: if you look closely, you will notice that it displays a combination of thick vertical black lines, blank spaces and numbers that identify a specific product and provide relevant information about this item. Of course, seen like this, you will not be able to get much out of it. It is necessary to have some knowledge of the tool to be able to decipher it. Its great advantage: the barcode saves companies time and money, as it can be read by a scanner (either a handheld device or a device integrated into a cash register), thus avoiding the cashier manually entering product information. The computer connected to the scanner will be able to read the code and use the exact combination of bars,

Good to know: These days, barcodes are everywhere, from household items in supermarkets or retail stores, to licenses, rental cars, checked luggage and hospital bracelets. In each case, they identify the product and encode important details.

What are the different types of barcodes?
There are two basic types of barcodes.

Linear/1D
On the one hand, there are the linear or 1D barcodes that are more common in most stores. They contain numbers, letters and symbols. This combination is linked to a set of information in a large database where the name, type, size and color of the product are identified. This type of linear code is typically used on consumer goods, loyalty cards, shipping labels, and books.

Matrix/2D
And on the other hand, matrix or 2D barcodes store additional information, including quantity, images, and website URLs. Unlike the others, they have the ability to return this information without even connecting to a database. They are most commonly found in QR codes that direct users to a specific website or act as digital boarding passes. They are also spreading in the medical field: they are found, for example, on medical equipment and pharmaceutical products that require detailed tracking.

How to interpret and read the digits of a barcode?
Although there are different types of barcodes, to make things easier we stick to the ‘European Article Number’ (EAN) system, also known as ‘International Article Number’. And the most commonly used code is the “EAN13”, because it has 13 digits, each with its function.

EAN-13 code: what is it?
As Gemma, a quality expert in the food industry, explains, the EAN-13 code can be requested online, but you have to be careful, because not all sites that provide it are systematically reliable.

But, to tell the truth, it is not really relevant for the consumer. As it stores a lot of information, it saves companies time above all, in terms of logistics. Through it, everything that is bought and sold at retail is controlled, including sales and stock in each store.

What do the first digits of the barcode mean and which country do they indicate?
barcode label
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Barcode label – Source: spm

Now let’s see how to read the barcode. The first two or three digits are used to indicate the country that grants this code. However, this does not mean that it is exactly the country of origin of the product, as it refers above all to its marketing. The next four or five digits highlight the company code. Technically, they identify the owner of the brand. The next five digits correspond to the product code. In total, the combination adds up to 12 digits. The thirteenth refers to the check digit. As for the configuration of the bars, with thicknesses and blanks, it amounts to an automatic reading of the code. Of course, in case of problem, the numbers can be entered manually.

What is the difference between the 12-digit and 14-digit code?
While UPC (GTIN-12) is commonly used as an identifier for items read by a point-of-sale scanner, GTIN-14 data structures are used instead