Overview [1]#
GS1 Company Prefix is an Unique Identifier for the Producer component of the GS1 Global Trade Item Number where the the first three digits of the EAN-13 usually identify the GS1 Country Code(s) which the manufacturer has joined. (not necessarily where the product is actually made).Note that EAN-13 codes beginning with 0 are actually 12-digit UPC codes with prepended 0 digit.
Some products sold by retailers outside United States and Canada have been using EAN-13 codes beginning with 0, since they were generated by GS1-US.
The 020-029 GS1 Company Prefix are worth a special mention. GS1 defines this as being available for retailer internal use (or internal use by other types of business). Some retailers use this for proprietary (own brand or unbranded) products, although many retailers obtain their own GS1 Manufacturer Code for their own brands. Other retailers use at least part of this prefix for products which are packaged in store, for example, items weighed and served over a counter for a customer. In these cases, the barcode may encode a price, quantity or weight along with a product identifier - in a retailer defined way. The product identifier may be one assigned by the Produce Electronic Identification Board (PEIB) or may be retailer assigned.
Retailers who have historically used UPC barcodes tend to use GS1 Company Prefix starting with "02" for store-packaged products.
The EAN "country code" 978 (and later 979) has been allocated since the 1980s to reserve a Unique Country Code (UCC) for International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
Reserved GS1 Company Prefix#
| Prefix | Classification |
|---|---|
| 20 - 29 | In-store numbers |
| 977 | Periodicals International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) |
| 978 - 979 | Books International Standard Book Number (ISBN) |
| 980 | Refund receipts |
| 981 - 982 | Common currency coupons |
| 99 | Coupons |
More Information#
There might be more information for this subject on one of the following:- European Article Number
- GS1 Country Code
- GS1 Manufacturer Code
- GS1 Product Code
- Global Trade Item Number
- International Standard Book Number
- International Standard Serial Number
- [#1] - International_Article_Number
- based on information obtained 2017-10-28-
- [#2] - GS1 Company Prefix - based on information obtained 2018-10-02-