The GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is the number under the barcode that identifies a product uniquely worldwide. EAN (European Article Number) is its earlier name: since 2009 GS1 has officially used the term GTIN, but in retail and on marketplaces the number is still often called the EAN. In both cases the same number is meant.
GTIN-8, GTIN-12, GTIN-13 and GTIN-14
| Format | Digits | Use | Known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| GTIN-13 | 13 | Standard in Germany and most countries | EAN, EAN-13 |
| GTIN-12 | 12 | mainly the USA and Canada | UPC |
| GTIN-8 | 8 | very small packages on which an EAN-13 barcode would take up more than a quarter of the front | EAN-8 |
| GTIN-14 | 14 | outer packaging and logistic units; mandatory for trade units with variable quantity | – |
GS1 Germany recommends providing 14-digit fields for the GTIN in software. Shorter numbers are padded with leading zeros there, and those zeros are not part of the number: 4012345678901 and 04012345678901 identify the same product. This matters when you reconcile lists from several channels. Excel strips leading zeros and displays long numbers in scientific notation, so set up EAN columns as text.
Structure: company prefix, item reference, check digit
A 13-digit GTIN consists of three parts:
- GS1 Company Prefix (7 to 9 digits): In Germany it is allocated by GS1 Germany. It begins with the prefix of the GS1 organisation; the prefixes 400 to 440 belong to GS1 Germany.
- Individual item reference (5 to 3 digits): The company assigns it itself. A 7-digit company prefix allows 100,000 numbers, an 8-digit one 10,000 and a 9-digit one 1,000.
- Check digit (1 digit): It is calculated from the other digits.
The prefix says nothing about the country of origin of the goods. As a rule it only shows which GS1 organisation allocated the company prefix; the product can be manufactured anywhere.
Calculating the check digit: a worked example
The check digit reveals many typing and reading errors: every single wrong digit, but not every transposition. The method is the same for GTIN-8, GTIN-13 and GTIN-14; only the number of digits changes.
Check digit = 10 − remainder of (weighted sum ÷ 10)
Weights from right to left 3, 1, 3, 1 …, starting with the digit before the check digit. If the remainder is 0, the check digit is 0.
Example with the first twelve digits of the sample number 4012345678901 that GS1 Germany itself uses:
- Multiply the digits alternately by 3 and 1 from right to left. The digit immediately before the check digit therefore gets the 3.
- Add up the results.
- Divide the sum by 10. The check digit is 10 minus the remainder; if there is no remainder, it is 0.
| Digit | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | × 1 | × 3 | × 1 | × 3 | × 1 | × 3 | × 1 | × 3 | × 1 | × 3 | × 1 | × 3 |
| Result | 4 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 5 | 18 | 7 | 24 | 9 | 0 |
Sum: 4 + 0 + 1 + 6 + 3 + 12 + 5 + 18 + 7 + 24 + 9 + 0 = 89. Divided by 10 this leaves a remainder of 9, so the check digit is 10 − 9 = 1. The complete GTIN is 4012345678901.
To verify, you calculate all 13 digits with the same weights and the check digit with 1: 89 + 1 = 90, remainder 0. If any other remainder is left, the number is wrong.
A matching check digit only shows that the number is formally correct. Whether it was allocated by GS1, and to which company, is shown by the Verified by GS1 service. eBay rejects numbers with an invalid check digit; Amazon additionally checks product IDs against the GS1 database.
Who allocates the GTIN
The number is allocated by whoever is responsible for the product: manufacturer, distributor or importer, usually the brand manufacturer. For this they need a GS1 Company Prefix, which in Germany they obtain from GS1 Germany; from it they form the numbers for their items themselves.
- Reselling branded goods: You use the manufacturer's EAN and do not overwrite it. A new number is only needed once the product is substantially changed.
- A separate number for every variant: If items differ in size, colour, weight, flavour or packaging, for example, each variant gets its own GTIN. A T-shirt in nine colours and four sizes needs 36 numbers.
- No reuse: Since 1 January 2019, an allocated GTIN may no longer be assigned to another product, even if the old one is no longer sold. GS1 regulates a few exceptions.
- Numbers from third parties: Amazon advises obtaining product IDs directly from GS1 and not from providers that resell EAN licences. Incorrect or purchased codes can lead to the removal of selling privileges there. bol.com also recommends the direct route and advises checking the registration with GS1.
The role of the EAN on the marketplaces
When you create products and offers, the channels ask for the EAN with varying strictness (status of the help pages on 17 September 2026):
| Channel | What applies |
|---|---|
| Amazon | In most categories a product ID such as EAN or UPC is needed to create a product page or match to an existing one. The number of the product page is the ASIN, which Amazon assigns. |
| OTTO | OTTO names as a requirement that all products have an EAN and are new goods. |
| Kaufland | Products in the catalogue are identified by a unique EAN, and the offer is attached to this product data. A SKU that is linked to an EAN cannot be used for another EAN; the combination applies to all Kaufland countries. |
| eBay | In certain categories product identifiers are mandatory, and for listings with variants each variant needs its own GTIN. Without an identifier you select "Does not apply" (translated); for new items from certain brands eBay requires the GTIN anyway. |
| Shopify | You maintain barcodes per product or variant; the field accepts GTIN, EAN, UPC, ISBN and ASIN, among others. Shopify names scanning and product identification on online marketplaces as the purpose. |
| bol.com | An offer requires a valid, registered EAN/GTIN or ISBN, registered with GS1 for branded items. Identical items may not be offered under different EANs. |
GTIN exemption on Amazon: For products without a number you can apply for an exemption, for example for private-label or handmade products without a barcode, parts without a product ID, bundles and unbranded products. Excluded are products with a GS1 barcode or an existing GTIN and products that are already in the catalogue. The exemption applies per store and category.
EAN and SKU as the bridge between channels
Each channel keeps its own offer numbers, and Amazon additionally the ASIN. To track the same item across several channels you need a number that is the same everywhere. Two candidates come into question:
- The EAN: It is tied to the product, not to the channel, and most marketplaces require it anyway. If an item is sold with the same EAN on several channels, it can be matched by it.
- Your SKU: You assign it yourself. If you use the same SKU on all channels, it is the second bridge. It does not always stay fully uniform: on Amazon, several SKUs can be kept for one ASIN, for example for FBA and FBM, and on Kaufland the SKU must be fixed before the offer is created and is bound to the EAN.
Where matching reaches its limits:
- Bundles and sets carry, depending on the channel, their own EAN, none at all or, as eBay provides for, the EAN of the main item. Via the EAN they then end up with no individual item or with the wrong one.
- Different EANs: An item runs under a different number on one channel, for example because a new GTIN was allocated after a product change or the numbers are maintained differently per channel.
- Duplicate listings: The same item appears twice in the range, for example under two ASINs or after being re-created with a new SKU.
- Spreadsheet exports: Stripped leading zeros or numbers in scientific notation turn one number into two different ones.
A product list of your own helps: one row per item with your internal item number and the EAN, alongside the SKU and ASIN or offer number per channel. Then revenue, costs and contribution margin of an item can be placed side by side across all channels, even if the identifiers differ per channel.
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Sources (accessed 17 September 2026): GS1 Germany, EAN numbers (GTIN); GS1 Germany, GTIN; GS1 Germany, Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) in practice (PDF); GS1, prefixes; Verified by GS1; Amazon, product UPCs and GTINs; Amazon, listing products without a product ID; OTTO Market, checklist; Kaufland, product data; Kaufland, offer data; eBay, creating a listing; Shopify, product details; bol.com, ISBN of EAN-nummer; Microsoft, keeping leading zeros and large numbers in Excel.
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