These barcodes are typically used for trade items orstandard groupings of items passing through retail checkouts

EAN/UPC is widely used for identifying items at the point of sale, due its simplicity and because it is designed for the high volume scanning environment.

EAN/UPC barcodes can only contain numerical characters. Maximum number of digits is 13.

EAN/UPC barcodes are used on grocery products all over the world. Depending on the variant used, EAN/UPC barcodes contain 8, 12 or 13 digits. They must obey certain parameters in terms of structure, colour, size and placement.

The sizes and colours used in product barcodes are defined by GS1. For more information, ask your local GS1 organisation.

Barcode placement must observe marketing requirements while also enabling convenient and hassle-free operation of the various scanner types.
Ideally, barcode placement should entail minimum product handling by checkout personnel.