GTIN

What the GTIN means

GTIN stands for Global Trade Item Number and means the globally unique identifier of a trade item. It is managed centrally, is the same across languages and systems and allows a product to be identified beyond doubt. Anyone listing a product at a marketplace states this number, and the marketplace can use it to match the item against catalogue data and other offers.

EAN, GTIN-13, GTIN-14: which applies when

The EAN is not a second number but an older name for the same thing. The most common form has thirteen digits and is therefore called GTIN-13, printed as a barcode on the packaging. For shipping units and cartons the GTIN-14 is used, which labels the content of an outer pack. An eight digit variant exists for small packaging.

Four parts make up the number. A country prefix at the start marking the issuing system, a company prefix for the business, a freely assigned item number and a check digit at the end. The country prefix says nothing about where an item was made, only where the number was issued. That gets misread often.

How the number is assigned

The numbers are not made up. A company applies to the issuing agency for a company prefix and receives a range from which it assigns item numbers itself. The check digit is calculated, not chosen, and is verified by point of sale systems.

Two rules apply. A number may be assigned only once and never reused, even when an item is delisted. And a variant needs its own number if it is sold individually. A t-shirt in three sizes therefore has three GTINs, not one.

Why it is essential in a shop

• Marketplaces: Amazon and others require it for a listing and match offers through it.
• Price comparison: without the number, an offer cannot be matched to the same product as a competitor's.
• Suppliers: orders and delivery notes run on the number, not on the product name.
• Customers: a spare part or accessory can be found unambiguously through the number.

Frequent questions

• May I use a manufacturer's number? Yes, when reselling their product unchanged. Own brands need their own.
• What does assignment cost? It is chargeable and runs through a membership with the issuing agency.
• What about products without a number? Some marketplaces allow an exception and the number is reported as absent. In the long run that is a disadvantage.