A Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) serves as a unique identifier for a product. These numbers, often referred to as ‘barcode numbers’, ‘EANs’ or ‘UPCs’ are commonly found beneath barcodes on products worldwide.
GTINs can be used to identify any item, online and offline, in a wide range of sectors, including medical devices and materials used in construction.
In the UK and Europe, GTINs typically consist of 13 digits, while in the US, they’re 12-digits long. Shorter 8-digit numbers are also part of the GTIN family and are used to identify smaller products. Different packaging levels, such as cases, can also be identified by GTIN-14s.
GTINs are licensed from GS1 organisations globally. Licencing numbers ensures their uniqueness and means they can be traced back to the brand owner. If GTINs are obtained from any other source, you may experience problems with your trading partners, major retailers and marketplaces such as Amazon.