What a UPC lookup tells you
- Whether the number is real. The last digit of every UPC and EAN is a check digit. If it's wrong, the number was mistyped or made up, and we show the correct one.
- What the product is, when it's in Open Food Facts, Open Beauty Facts or Open Products Facts: name, brand, size and a photo.
- Where it was licensed. The first three digits show which GS1 office issued the company prefix. That's where the brand joined GS1, not where the product was made.
- What kind of number it is. In-store codes, coupons, books, magazines and cartons each work differently, and we say which you have.
Why some products aren't found
There is no free, public list of every barcode in the world. GS1 licenses numbers to companies, and each company decides what to share. The open databases we search are built by volunteers and are strongest on food, drink and cosmetics. If a product isn't listed:
- Verified by GS1 shows which company a licensed number belongs to.
- Searching the web for the number often finds the brand's own page or a retailer listing.
- Numbers starting with 2, 02 or 04 are in-store codes that only mean something inside one shop.
UPC, EAN, GTIN: the same number in different lengths
A 12-digit UPC-A is the same number as the 13-digit EAN-13 with a 0 in front, and as the 14-digit GTIN-14 with 00 in front. Type any of them. A GTIN-14 that starts with 1 to 8 usually means a case of the product, and we work out the item inside.
Privacy
The camera picture and any image you choose are read by code running in your browser. They're never uploaded. When the code is a product or book number, that number alone is sent to free open databases (Open Food Facts, Open Beauty Facts, Open Products Facts and Open Library) to find its name. See our privacy policy.
