EAN 13

EAN-13, based upon the UPC-A standard, was implemented by the International Article Numbering Association (EAN) in Europe. At present, the GS1 organization is responsible for the maintenance of bar code standards.

The EAN-13 bar code contains 13 digits, no letters or other characters. The first two or three digits represent the country. The leading zero actually signifies the USA, and UPC-A coding. The last digit is the "check digit", the checksum. The check digit is calculated using the first twelve figures when the bar code is constructed. So, for the correct EAN-13 code, you should specify only the first 12 digits.

The recommended dimensions are shown in the following image. The standard allows magnification up to 200%, and reduction of up to 80% of the recommended size.

There should be two quiet zones before and after the bar code. They provide reliable operation of the bar code scanner. The quiet zone recommended length is 3.63 mm for the left zone and 2.31 mm for the right zone.

The are no properties specific to the EAN 13 bar code type.