EAN (European Article Number)

What is the EAN (European Article Number)?

The EAN (European Article Number) is a standard used in international trade to identify a specific unit or package from a specific manufacturer.

The term International Article Number (IAN) is sometimes used to refer to the EAN.

EAN variants

The EAN standard has materialized in several EAN variants. These variants are usually named after the number of digits they have. Here are a few examples:

• EAN8, made of 8 digits and usually used in small items.
• EAN13, made of 13 digits and mainly used in retail.
• EAN14, made of 14 digits.
• EAN128, also known as G1-128 and mainly used in logistics.

Some EAN variants have sub variants. For example, the EAN8 has a sub variant called EAN8 P5 while the EAN13 has a sub variant called EAN13 P2. These sub variants supplement additional digits to the original variant. For example, the EAN8 P5 supplements 5 additional digits to the EAN8 while the EAN13 supplements 2 additional digits to the EAN13. Sub variants are usually used to identify specific product types like magazines or paperbacks.

What is the EAN13?

The EAN13 is the most common variant of the EAN standard.

As its name suggests, the EAN13 is composed of 13 digits. So-called EAN13 barcodes use the EAN13 in combination with a barcode and a check digit.

What is the difference between the EAN and the EAN code?

As already mentioned, the EAN is a standard used to identify products and materialized in a chain of digits whose length may vary depending on the concrete EAN variant used.

EAN codes, on the other hand, are barcodes that incorporate a EAN number. This means that, in addition to a EAN number (for example, a EAN8 or a EAN 13), the EAN code contains a barcode. This barcode is usually placed over the EAN number.