Barcode Types Explained: EAN, UPC, Code 128, and ITF-14
Not all barcodes are the same. Here's which symbology to use for retail, cartons, and internal labels — and how to generate any of them for free.
Editorial disclosure: Pyalm publishes and maintains the products and free tools discussed on this site. Regulatory statements are linked to primary sources where applicable. No independent professional review is claimed unless a reviewer is explicitly named.
Different jobs, different barcodes
Choosing the right barcode symbology avoids scanning problems down the line. The free Barcode Generator supports the main types and downloads a print-ready PNG.
The common types
- EAN-13 — the standard retail product barcode worldwide (12–13 digits).
- EAN-8 — a shorter version for small packages.
- UPC-A — the North American retail standard (11–12 digits).
- ITF-14 — for outer cartons and cases, built on a 14-digit GTIN.
- Code 128 — flexible, encodes letters and numbers; common for shipping and internal labels.
- Code 39 — an older industrial format.
Retail vs internal use
For products scanned at a retail till you'll need a GTIN licensed from GS1 and an EAN-13 or UPC-A barcode. For internal stock, asset, and shipping labels, Code 128 paired with your own SKU codes is usually the right choice.
Pharma and serialization
Regulated products often need a 2D GS1 DataMatrix instead — for UAE Tatmeen, use the Tatmeen DataMatrix Generator.