GTIN - Dun 14 - Ean 14 - Ucc 14

GTIN, Ean 14, Dun 14, Ucc 14 : Denominations that cause confusion...

The terms Ean 13, Ean 8, GS1 128 or Ean 128 unambiguously determine a type of barcode.

For the terms "Ean 14", "GTIN 12", "GTIN 13" or "GTIN 14", abbreviations of "Global Trade Item Number", these have a different meaning and are often misunderstood.

An "Ean 14" or "GTIN 12, 13 or 14" is not a bar code, it's a 14-digit number that can be barred in different ways.

This number uniquely identifies a product or set of products referenced by a manufacturer, for example :

• a consumer product
• a set of several products grouped together for the same final customer
• an overpack of several products, such as a carton
• an overpack of overpacks, such as a carton pallet

Designed for reception and warehousing services, it is presented on overpacks in the form of barcodes :

• GS1 128 / Ean 128
• ITF 14
• since 2010 but it remains to this day very exceptional, Databar
• in an even more uncertain future, Datamatrix

The GS1 128 / Ean 128 and ITF 14 barcodes should not normally appear on the products themselves, since the Databar barcodes have been specified for this purpose.

The choice of the ITF 14, Ean 128 or Databar barcode standards is the responsibility of the manufacturer of the products. Some technical considerations can nevertheless provide useful guidance.

When should we choose the ITF 14 barcode symbology ?

The ITF 14 barcode symbology is recommended when :

• the printing is realized directly on the carton, because it will often be a poor quality printing
• no other information than the EAN 14 number must be bar-coded on the overpack

Consult the ITF 14 Barcode TransBar offer

When should we choose the GS1 128 - Ean 128 barcode symbology ?

The GS1 128 - Ean 128 barcode symbology is recommended when :

• the printing of the barcodes is on labels, because it will often be a good quality printing
• other information must be “barcoded” on the overpack (ex: serialized shipping number, delivery note number, sales deadline, etc.)
• the overpack does not have its own EAN number 14 and it is desired to use the Ean number 14 of the overpackaged products.

Note that the message GS1 128 / Ean 128 is identical to the number Ean 14, except that it is preceded :

• either by an identifier 01 when the number Ean 14 is that of an overpack
• or by an identifier 02 when the number Ean 14 is that of the overpackaged products. This elementary message is then most often completed with a second message of identifier 37 "Quantity" of overpacked articles

Consult the GS1 128 / Ean 128 Barcode TransBar offer

When should we choose the Databar barcode symbology ?

The Databar barcode symbology is recommended when :

• we have the agreement of all potential recipients of products or over-packaging to code
• the products are not over-packed, or the space is missing on the over-pack
• the Ean 13 barcode is not sufficient because it does not carry the data identifier

Consult detailled informations about the Databar symbology

How to constitute a number Ean 14 ?

The creation of an Ean 14 number is the responsibility of the manufacturer of the overpacked product :

• the first digit, between zero and eight, is at the discretion of the manufacturer
• the following twelve are the first 12 digits of an Ean 13 code assigned to that manufacturer (or zero and then the first 11 digits of an Upc-A code assigned to that manufacturer)
• the fourteenth is a control character calculated in accordance with the interlaced Code 2/5 formula, such as the ITF 14. If the first digit is zero and the number "Ean 14" identifies a set or an overpack, the twelve digits theoretically, can not be those of one of the assembled products or over-packaged products, except in the case of overpacking of a unit quantity

In practice, the following rules are adopted :

• To obtain the number Ean 14 of a product already barcoded or its overpacking unit :
  • if the barcode of the product is a UPC-A code, 2 zeros are added before the 12 digits stored by the barcode. A "GTIN 12" number is thus obtained
  • if the barcode of the product is an Ean code 13, 1 zero is added to the 13 digits stored by the bar code. This gives a number "GTIN 13"
• To obtain the number Ean 14 of a non-unitary overpack, otherwise called "GTIN 14" :
  • in the case of the overpacking of several identical products: 1 to 8 + the first twelve digits of the symbol Ean 13 of the products + the control character ITF 14 calculated on the 13 digits thus obtained. This method makes it possible to define eight different overpacks
  • if we want to define more than eight overpacks of the same product or an overpack of several different products: 0 to 8 + the first twelve digits of an unallocated Ean 13 barcode + the ITF control character 14 calculated on the 13 figures thus obtained