Barcodes for retail, inventory and shipping labels
QR codes get the attention, but the classic linear barcode still runs warehouses, checkout lanes and shipping docks: every laser scanner reads it, any label printer can print it and no phone is needed. With this tool you can create barcodes in the most common formats, choose bar width, height and colors, and download them as high-resolution PNG or vector SVG for professional printing.
Which format to choose
| Format | What it encodes | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| UPC-A | 12 digits | Retail products sold in the US and Canada. The barcode you see on almost every grocery item. |
| Code 128 | Letters, numbers and symbols | Internal SKUs, shipping labels, packing slips, asset tags. The most versatile and compact option. |
| EAN-13 | 13 digits | Retail products sold internationally. US scanners read it too. |
| EAN-8 | 8 digits | Very small products where a full code won’t fit. |
| ITF-14 | 14 digits | Outer cases and shipping cartons (not individual retail units). |
| Code 39 | Uppercase letters, numbers, some symbols | Older industrial, automotive and government systems; ID badges. |
| Codabar | Numbers and some symbols | Libraries, blood banks and older logistics systems. |
If you don’t have a specific requirement, use Code 128: it takes any alphanumeric SKU and produces the shortest barcode for the same content.
UPC and EAN: the tool calculates the check digit
The last digit of a UPC, EAN or ITF-14 isn’t part of the product number: it’s a check digit that lets the scanner catch reading errors. It’s calculated by multiplying the digits alternately by 3 and 1 (starting from the right), adding them up and seeing how much is needed to reach the next multiple of ten. You don’t need to do it by hand: type the first 11 digits of a UPC-A and the tool adds the 12th; type all 12 and it checks that the last one is correct and tells you what it should be if it isn’t.
Important: retail UPCs can’t be made up
You can generate any technically valid UPC here, but to sell a product through major retailers, grocery chains or marketplaces like Amazon you need a number officially assigned to you. In the US, these come from GS1 US, which sells individual GTINs (the number behind a UPC) and company prefixes for larger product lines. Using a number that doesn’t belong to you can make your product collide with another company’s in a retailer’s system, or get your listing rejected. Be cautious with cheap “resold” UPCs from third parties: many retailers verify ownership against the GS1 database.
That’s why this generator is ideal when you already have your numbers and just need the image, or for internal use: inventory labels, spare parts, school library books, lab samples or warehouse packages with Code 128.
Tips for a first-time scan
- Contrast: dark bars on a light background. Laser scanners use red light, so red bars on white, or black bars on red, won’t scan.
- Margins: leave white space on the left and right. Without that quiet zone the scanner can’t tell where the code starts.
- Size: a UPC-A at 100% magnification is about 1.47 × 1.02 in (37.3 × 25.9 mm) and can generally be printed from 80% to 200%. Cutting the height (truncating) makes it harder to scan at checkout.
- Don’t stretch it: if you need another size, use the SVG and scale it proportionally.
- Thermal printers: on 203 dpi label printers (common for shipping labels), use a whole-number bar width (2 or 3) so each bar lines up with the printer’s dots.
Like every tool on this site, the barcode is drawn in your browser: the values you type are never sent to a server.