Understanding GTIN-13
How the 13-digit product identifier is structured and what it does and does not tell you.
Thirteen digits, one identity
A GTIN-13 identifies a specific trade item. The number itself normally contains neither product name nor price or description.
Understanding GS1 prefixes
The first digits relate to the GS1 allocation structure. They are not a reliable statement about the country where the product was manufactured.
The final digit
The last digit is a check digit calculated from the preceding digits. It detects many typing and scanning errors before a lookup is attempted.
Product data comes separately
Titles, descriptions, images, offers and prices are not stored inside the GTIN. ean.bz connects the identifier with separately supplied product and offer data.