UPC-A (US retail barcode)
Use for: retail products in the US. Many US companies are issued GTIN-12/UPC identifiers and use UPC-A on-pack. UPC and EAN are part of the same GS1 system and are globally accepted.
What does this barcode do?
UPC-A (also UPC-12 or GTIN-12) encodes a 12-digit product identifier. It's the dominant retail barcode in North America. US companies typically get 12-digit UPCs from GS1 and print them as UPC-A for on-pack labels so products scan at checkout.
UPC-A and EAN-13 share the same GS1 system; many scanners read both. The choice is driven by your identifier format (12 vs 13 digits) and retailer expectations, not scanning capability.
Safe print sizes
- •Recommended: 37 × 26 mm
- •Minimum (risky): 31 × 22 mm
- •Large: 50 × 35 mm
Quiet zone (blank margin)
Similar to EAN-13: 3–4 mm left and right, 2 mm top/bottom.
Tip
Same sizing as EAN-13. The choice between UPC-A and EAN-13 is about your identifier format and retailer requirements, not capability.
GTINs Explained — when to use EAN-13, UPC-A, ITF-14 and more.