Indian Retail & FMCG Standard

EAN-13 Barcode Generator (India)

Generate scan-accurate 13-digit EAN-13 barcodes for products sold in Indian supermarkets, kirana stores, and e-commerce platforms. Features official 890 GS1 India prefix validation.

EAN-13 Barcode Settings

Valid GS1 India 890 EAN-13 barcode.

Precision vector output suitable for offset, flexo, and rotogravure printing.

Complete Guide to EAN-13 Barcodes in India: The 890 Prefix & Retail Standards

The EAN-13 (European Article Number, now known internationally as the Global Trade Item Number or GTIN-13) is the mandatory barcode standard for retail products sold across India, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. In India's fast-growing retail economy—spanning modern supermarket chains, quick-commerce apps (Blinkit, Zepto, Instamart), and traditional neighborhood kirana stores—products must carry an accurate, high-contrast EAN-13 barcode to be accepted into distributor warehouses and scanned at checkout.

Anatomy of an Indian EAN-13 Barcode

Every EAN-13 barcode encodes 13 digits broken down into four essential blocks:

  • Country Prefix (First 3 Digits): Identifies the national GS1 Member Organization that licensed the prefix. In India, official prefixes begin with 890.
  • Company Prefix (Next 4 to 6 Digits): A unique manufacturer license number issued to a registered enterprise by GS1 India.
  • Product Reference (Next 3 to 5 Digits): Assigned by the manufacturer to uniquely designate each SKU, variant, size, and packaging format.
  • Modulo-10 Check Digit (13th Digit): A mathematical check digit that validates the preceding 12 digits.

Step-by-Step EAN-13 Check Digit Calculation

Unlike UPC-A (where odd positions are multiplied by 3), the EAN-13 formula multiplies digits in even positions by 3:

  1. Number the first 12 digits from left to right (positions 1 through 12).
  2. Sum the digits in the odd positions (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11) with a weight of 1.
  3. Sum the digits in the even positions (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12) and multiply that sum by 3.
  4. Add both numbers together to find the grand total.
  5. Divide the grand total by 10. If the remainder is 0, the check digit is 0. Otherwise, subtract the remainder from 10.
Official GS1 India Notice: Barcodes Generator produces scan-tested vector and raster image files from the numbers you supply. We do not issue, assign, or sell official 890 barcode numbers. If you are launching new products in Indian retail stores, you must register your company with GS1 India to obtain an authentic, authorized prefix.

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Frequently Asked Questions About EAN-13 India Barcodes

The prefix '890' is the country code allocated by GS1 Global to GS1 India. Any product featuring an 890 barcode indicates that the barcode number was issued to a company registered with GS1 India.
Yes. Modern retail chains in India—including Reliance Retail, DMart (Avenue Supermarts), Nature's Basket, Spencer's, Blinkit, and Zepto—mandate genuine GS1 India registered EAN-13 barcodes to onboard products into their electronic point-of-sale (EPOS) and automated warehouse systems.
No. Barcodes Generator produces scan-accurate digital vector and raster graphics from numbers you input. To legally license an official 890 prefix for your brand, you must register directly with GS1 India (gs1india.org).
Our engine immediately runs the official modulo-10 algorithm and calculates the correct 13th check digit, rendering the complete scan-ready barcode automatically.
The nominal size (100% scale) for EAN-13 is 37.29 mm wide by 25.91 mm high (1.469 x 1.020 in). GS1 standards allow reduction down to 80% (29.83 mm wide) for small packaging, but anything smaller risks retail laser scanner rejection.
Guard bars are the slightly longer bars at the left, center, and right of the symbol that extend below the data bars. They frame the left and right 6-digit data blocks and provide scanner synchronization points.