GTIN vs. EAN: The Difference Between a Product Number and a Barcode

GTIN and EAN are often used interchangeably, including in ERP systems, product data files, and conversations with printers. In day-to-day work this rarely bothers anyone, because in most cases both terms refer to the same string of thirteen digits.

The difference only shows up in integrations, product feeds, and 2D codes. That is when it becomes clear that the GTIN is the number and the EAN is the way it is printed. These are two separate layers that can be combined in several ways.

The short answer: GTIN is the number, EAN is the barcode

A GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) identifies a trade item. It is data that goes into your product database, product feed, and business documents.

An EAN (European Article Number) is a barcode symbology, the graphic representation of that number as a set of bars. A scanner does not read the EAN as a separate identifier. It reads the GTIN from it.

That gives a simple rule: the GTIN answers the question what product is this, and the EAN answers the question how should a machine read that from the packaging.

What is a GTIN

GTINs are built on a GS1 Company Prefix that a manufacturer or brand owner licenses from a GS1 Member Organization. The number consists of the company prefix, an item reference assigned by the company, and a check digit calculated by an algorithm.

The check digit protects against scanning errors and typos during manual entry. If the last digit does not match the rest of the number, the system should reject it instead of saving it to the database.

A GTIN comes in four lengths:

• GTIN-8 for very small packages that cannot fit a full-size barcode,
• GTIN-12 used mainly in North America, known as the UPC,
• GTIN-13 the standard outside North America, in practice the same number that is printed as an EAN-13,
• GTIN-14 for cases and logistic units, not intended for retail point of sale.

Databases often store all variants in a single 14-character field, padding shorter numbers with leading zeros. This is convenient for integrations, but keep in mind that the leading zero is part of the stored value.

One important rule: once a number is assigned to a product, it identifies that product. The GTIN Management Standard does not allow a released number to be reassigned to a different item, because data about the old product remains in trading partners' systems long after it is discontinued.

What is an EAN and why it gets confused with the GTIN

EAN is the name of a symbology, a specific pattern of bars that a scanner can read. In retail you will encounter two variants:

• EAN-13 for most consumer products,
• EAN-8 for packages that cannot fit a full 13-digit barcode.

The confusion comes from the fact that EAN-13 and GTIN-13 describe the same string of digits seen from two sides. Today GS1 refers to the whole family of symbologies as EAN/UPC, and consistently calls the number encoded in them a GTIN.

The trouble starts when someone treats the EAN as the only possible carrier of the number. Then a proposal to add a 2D code to the packaging sounds like a change to the product identifier, when it is only a different way of encoding the same GTIN.

This is also a good moment to clear up a second myth. The first digits of a GTIN show which GS1 Member Organization allocated the number, not where the product was made. A number starting with 590 comes from GS1 Poland, and one starting with 400 to 440 from GS1 Germany, regardless of where the goods were manufactured.

The same GTIN in different barcodes

A GTIN is not permanently tied to a single symbology. The right format depends on who will scan the code and with what device.

For a detailed comparison of the 2D codes themselves, see our article on which 2D code to choose.

GTIN and EAN in everyday work

The same number plays a different role depending on where it appears.

Store checkout. The cashier scans the EAN-13 on the package, the POS system reads the GTIN from it and matches it to a record in the product database. The price, tax rate, and stock level come from the system, not from the barcode.

E-commerce and comparison sites. The GTIN is the key platforms use to match your offer to a specific product. Google Merchant Center uses the gtin attribute, while some marketplaces label the same field EAN or UPC. A missing or incorrect number usually leads to a rejected offer or to your listing being attached to someone else's product page.

Logistics. A case carries a GTIN-14 encoded in ITF-14, or in GS1-128 together with the batch number and best-before date. This lets the warehouse receive goods without retyping data by hand.

Business documents. A GTIN on an invoice or advance shipping notice links each line item unambiguously to a product record on both sides of the transaction.

The practical takeaway is to map the EAN field in your systems as an alias of the GTIN field, not as a separate attribute. Two independent fields will drift apart sooner or later, and then it is hard to tell which one is correct.

How to get your own GTIN and what to avoid

If you sell products under your own brand, you need your own numbers.

1. License a GS1 Company Prefix from your local GS1 Member Organization, such as GS1 US. The prefix length depends on how many products you plan to number.
2. Use the prefix to assign item references to your products and calculate the check digit.
3. Assign a separate number to every variant. A different color, size, formulation, or pack count always means a separate GTIN.
4. Enter the number in your product record and product feed, whether the field is called GTIN, EAN, or UPC.
5. Decide which symbology the number will be printed in, and check that the barcode scans reliably on the finished packaging.

What to avoid: numbers resold by brokers outside the GS1 system, sharing one number across several variants, and numbers made up for testing that later end up in production. Each of these shortcuts ends in a data conflict at a trading partner, usually at the worst possible moment.

Which term to use: a cheat sheet

What changes when the GTIN leads to a product page

As long as the number exists only as an EAN-13, its only audience is the scanner at checkout. GS1 Digital Link changes that by writing the same GTIN as a web address. A 2D code carrying that address handles both product identification and access to product information.

In practice, this means several things:

• a consumer who scans the code with a phone reaches ingredients, instructions, certificates, or recycling information,
• the content behind the same code can be updated without reprinting the packaging,
• one number serves a wine e-label, a product page, and a Digital Product Passport,
• every scan leaves data about what customers are looking for.

The EAN-13 is not going away. Both codes will coexist on packaging for years to come, while retailers gradually prepare their checkouts to read the GTIN from 2D codes. For the rules on positioning both codes, see our guide on where to place GS1 Digital Link on packaging.

Frequently asked questions

Summary

The GTIN is the number, the EAN is its barcode. When talking about systems, data, and integrations, use the word GTIN, because it covers every format. When talking about packaging, EAN comes up naturally, because that is the symbol printed under the bars.

Keeping the two concepts separate in your systems pays off the moment the same number has to serve the checkout, the product feed, and a 2D code that leads to product information. You do not change the identifier, you simply add another way of encoding it.

Want to see what your GTIN looks like in a GS1 Digital Link structure? Try our 2D code generator or schedule a free consultation.

Official GS1 resources

• GTIN at GS1
• What is the difference between a GS1 GTIN, a barcode, an EAN and a UPC?
• GS1 General Specifications
• GS1 Digital Link standard