The prefix is not the origin
GS1, the standards body behind retail barcodes, answers the question directly in its support portal: “No, the GS1 Prefix does not show the country of origin.” A company joins GS1 in one country and gets numbers from that office, wherever it manufactures. For origin, read the “Made in” line on the pack.
Common prefixes
| Prefix (first 3 digits) | Issued by GS1 in |
|---|---|
| 000–019, 030–039, 060–139 | United States |
| 500–509 | United Kingdom |
| 400–440 | Germany |
| 300–379 | France |
| 450–459, 490–499 | Japan |
| 680–681, 690–699 | China |
| 880–881 | South Korea |
| 471 | Taiwan |
| 893 | Vietnam |
From GS1’s prefix list. A 12-digit UPC-A code is the same as an EAN-13 with a leading 0, which is why US codes fall in the low ranges.
Prefixes that aren’t countries
| Prefix | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 978, 979 | Books (ISBN). See book barcodes |
| 977 | Serial publications (ISSN) |
| 200–299 | Restricted circulation, e.g. weigh-and-price labels from the store’s own scale |
| 020–029, 040–049 | Restricted circulation within a region or a company |
| 99, 981–983 | Coupons |
So when a deli label barcode finds nothing online, that’s normal. It only means something inside that store.
Working out the check digit
The last digit of an EAN-13 is computed from the first twelve. Using 8801043046411 as an example:
- Add the digits in odd positions (1st, 3rd … 11th): 8+0+0+3+4+4 = 19
- Add the digits in even positions (2nd … 12th) and multiply by 3: (8+1+4+0+6+1) × 3 = 60
- Total 79. You need 1 more to reach a multiple of 10, so the check digit is 1
Copy one digit wrong and the check fails, so the register refuses it. That’s why barcode generators add the check digit for you.
Reading it in the app
Scan a product barcode
Scan it on the Scan or Image tab and the type shows as Product, with the code and a Registered in line. It says “registered in”, not “made in”, for the reason above. The app only fills this in for the major prefixes it knows and leaves it blank otherwise.
Search for the product
Search product runs a web search for the number. Books (978 and 979) are filed as Book instead and get a Book details button that opens a Google Books search.
FAQ
Does 00 or 01 mean made in the USA?
It means the company got its number from GS1 US. The product could be made anywhere. Check the origin label.
Can I get the product name from the number?
The number itself carries no name. You can only find it if the brand listed it somewhere searchable, and in-store numbers (200–299) won’t show up at all.
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