Group CZEN

Free tool

EAN code checker

Paste one code or a whole column from Excel. The tool verifies the check digit using the GS1 method and, for invalid codes, shows which digit belongs there. It calculates in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.

Try it How to use it

Check your codes

GTIN-8, GTIN-12 (UPC-A), GTIN-13 (EAN-13) and GTIN-14. Up to 5,000 codes at once.

Mode

Code including the last digit: 8, 12, 13 or 14 digits.

One code per line, or separated by commas, semicolons or tabs.

Calculated only in your browser. The codes are not sent or stored anywhere.

Result

Nothing checked yet. Paste your codes or click “Try an example”.

Need the codes on labels?

We print and apply EAN and QR codes to bags, bottles and cartons in our packing division in Kuřim.

Labeling

GS1-128 pallet labels

The SSCC code on a pallet label has a check digit calculated the same way. This tool, however, only checks GTINs.

GS1-128 labeling

How to use the tool

  1. 01

    Paste the codes

    One code per line, or separated by commas, semicolons or tabs. You can copy a whole column from Excel. Spaces and hyphens inside a code are fine.

  2. 02

    Choose a mode

    “Verify full codes” checks the last digit. “Calculate check digit” adds it to a code that is missing it.

  3. 03

    Review the table

    For each code you see the type, the result, the correct check digit and the GS1 prefix. The “Errors only” switch leaves just what needs fixing.

  4. 04

    Download CSV

    Save the result as a CSV for Excel or for importing stock items. The file is created in your browser.

How the tool calculates the check digit

The last digit of every GTIN is the check digit. This applies to GTIN-8 (EAN-8), GTIN-12 (UPC-A), GTIN-13 (EAN-13) and GTIN-14. It is calculated from the other digits using the same method described by GS1.

Method: take the code without the check digit. Multiply the digits from the right alternately by 3 and 1; the first digit from the right is multiplied by 3. Add up the results. The check digit is the difference between the sum and the nearest equal or higher multiple of ten.

Example from GS1: the code 629104150021 gives a sum of 57. The nearest higher multiple of ten is 60, so the check digit is 60 − 57 = 3 and the full code is 6291041500213.

What the check digit detects: every single-digit error and most swaps of two adjacent digits. It does not detect a swap of two digits that differ by 5 (for example 1 and 6), or two errors that happen to cancel each other out.

What it does not detect at all: whether the code has been assigned and who owns it. A correct check digit only means the code is correctly composed. You can check the owner of a number in the Verified by GS1 service.

The tool reads the GS1 prefix from the first three digits of a GTIN-13. For GTIN-12, GS1 assumes a leading zero; for GTIN-14, the prefix is read from the second digit. Prefix 859 belongs to GS1 Czech, 858 to GS1 Slovakia. The prefix tells you which GS1 organization issued the number, not the product’s country of origin. The ranges 020–029, 040–049 and 200–299 are for restricted circulation numbers (e.g. internal codes), 977 for serial publications (ISSN) and 978–979 for books (ISBN). The prefix is not evaluated for GTIN-8.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What is the EAN check digit?
The last digit of an EAN (GTIN) code. It is calculated from the other digits, so a checkout, scanner or system can catch most errors when a code is read or retyped. The method is the same for all GTIN lengths.
If the tool shows OK, is the code valid and registered?
No. OK only means the code is correctly composed. Whether the number has been assigned and who owns it, you can check in the Verified by GS1 service. Codes for retail sale are assigned to companies by GS1; in the Czech Republic by GS1 Czech Republic.
The code starts with 859. Is the product from the Czech Republic?
Not necessarily. Prefix 859 means the number was issued by GS1 Czech. GS1 explicitly states that the prefix does not determine the product’s country of origin, because companies manufacture anywhere in the world.
Are my codes sent anywhere?
No. The tool calculates only in your browser. It does not store, send or track anything. The CSV file is also created in your browser.
Can the EAN check run automatically when creating stock items?
Yes. We can build the same check into the import from your e-shop or into creating stock items in your accounting software, so an invalid code does not make it onto a label or to your customer. We start with a free 30-minute audit.

Barcodes in the warehouse without retyping

EAN codes from GS1 and your own internal codes, location, pallet and box labels, scanners connected to your warehouse. On top of POHODA, Money and ABRA.

Warehouse automation Free 30-minute audit

Want this done automatically?

Tell us what you are dealing with. We start with a free 30-minute audit.