EAN Lookup & Validator
Validate EAN-13 and EAN-8 codes, verify the check digit and decode the GS1 country prefix. Lookup results depend on available product data.
Result
Enter an EAN and press Validate. We'll verify the check digit and show the structure breakdown.
About EAN lookup data
There is no single official global database of EAN codes. Public catalogs vary in coverage — especially for private-label, regional or older items. ReadBarcode's validator works 100% offline in your browser, with no API key required. The product-name integration is on the roadmap.
EAN-13 vs EAN-8
Both are valid retail barcodes, but they're issued and used differently. This validator checks the structure and check digit for each and decodes the GS1 country prefix where one applies.
- 13 digits — the global retail standard outside North America.
- Structure: GS1 prefix + manufacturer + product + check digit.
- A US/Canada UPC-A is the same code with a leading zero (EAN-13 0xxxxxxxxxxxx).
- 8 digits, assigned by GS1 for genuinely small packages.
- Not a compressed EAN-13 — it is a separate, independently issued number.
- Use only when an EAN-13 physically won't fit; capacity is limited.
About this EAN lookup tool
This EAN lookup tool validates EAN-13 and EAN-8 barcodes — the global retail identifier you'll see on almost every packaged product outside North America (and on many inside it). It verifies the GS1 mod-10 check digit, splits the code into its country prefix, manufacturer and item parts, and shows the equivalent UPC-A when applicable.
All validation runs locally in your browser. A real product database integration is on the roadmap; for now, validated codes can be sent to external catalog searches with one click.
When to use it
- Verifying an EAN-13 before printing labels for a new product run.
- Catching a mistyped digit in a supplier's product feed.
- Confirming a code is EAN-8 (small package) versus EAN-13.
- Decoding the GS1 country prefix to spot grey-market or in-store ranges.
- Converting an EAN-13 starting with 0 to its UPC-A equivalent for US catalogs.
How it works
- Paste the EAN
Type or paste the digits. Spaces and dashes are ignored automatically.
- Auto-detect length
We treat 13-digit input as EAN-13 and 8-digit input as EAN-8.
- Validate the check digit
GS1 mod-10 algorithm; mismatched codes show the expected check digit.
- Decode the structure
GS1 country prefix, manufacturer/item body, and check digit are shown separately.
- Look up externally
Send the validated code to public catalogs in a new tab if you need product info.
What to avoid
- Trusting a code that fails the check-digit test — it's almost certainly wrong.
- Assuming the country prefix tells you where the product was manufactured.
- Mixing up EAN-13 (13 digits) and EAN-8 (8 digits) when copy-pasting from spreadsheets.
- Paying for third-party product lookup before validating the code is structurally correct.
- Expecting in-store codes (20–29 / 40–49 prefixes) to map to anything outside a single retailer.
Tips & tricks
- Strip spaces, dashes and any leading apostrophes Excel adds before validating.
- If your EAN-13 starts with 0, it is a UPC-A — both forms are equivalent.
- Codes starting with 977 are serial publications (ISSN); 978 and 979 are books (ISBN).
- For book lookups, use the ISBN reader instead — it handles ISBN-10 too.
- Save validated codes to a spreadsheet before sending them to a label printer.
EAN-13 country prefix reference
The first three digits identify the GS1 Member Organisation that issued the manufacturer prefix. This is not the country of manufacture — only of registration. Full table: GS1 prefix list.
| Prefix range | Issuing GS1 Member |
|---|---|
| 000–139 | United States & Canada (includes UPC-A as EAN-13 with leading 0) |
| 200–299 | In-store / restricted distribution (not for retail) |
| 300–379 | France & Monaco |
| 400–440 | Germany |
| 450–459 / 490–499 | Japan |
| 500–509 | United Kingdom |
| 690–699 | China |
| 754–755 | Canada |
| 760–769 | Switzerland & Liechtenstein |
| 800–839 | Italy, San Marino & Vatican City |
| 840–849 | Spain & Andorra |
| 870–879 | Netherlands |
| 977 | Serial publications (ISSN) |
| 978–979 | Books (ISBN) |
| 981–984 / 990–999 | GS1 coupon identification |