GS1 Barcodes
GS1 application-identifier barcodes for supply chains. Choose a format below to generate one for free — no sign-up required.
About gs1 barcodes
GS1 barcodes are less a symbology than a grammar. GS1-128 is Code 128 and GS1 DataMatrix is Data Matrix — the same shapes as elsewhere on this site — but the data inside follows the GS1 application identifier standard, so the receiving system knows what each part of it means rather than having to be told.
Application identifiers are the numbers in parentheses: (01) introduces a GTIN, (10) a batch or lot, (17) an expiry date, (21) a serial number, (00) an SSCC identifying a logistics unit. One symbol can carry several in sequence, which is how a single scan at goods-in captures the product, the batch and the expiry together. Fixed-length fields run on directly; variable-length ones are closed with a separator, and getting that wrong is the usual cause of a symbol that scans but decodes into nonsense.
The GTIN inside has to come from a GS1 company prefix issued to your business. That prefix is what makes the number unique worldwide, and it is issued by the GS1 member organisation for your country — not by any barcode generator, this one included. Generating the symbol is free and takes a moment; the number behind it is the part that takes an application.
GS1 Barcodes — frequently asked questions
It is the block of digits GS1 issues to your business, forming the start of every GTIN you create. You need one for anything scanned in retail or exchanged in a supply chain that expects GS1 numbers. You do not need one to generate a symbol for internal use, or to test how your labels print.