What Is a GTIN? The Number Behind Every Barcode

Pick up any product in your house and look at the barcode. Underneath those black lines, there's a number. That number is a GTIN (Global Trade Item Number), and it's how the entire global supply chain identifies your product.

If you're preparing for the Sunrise 2027 transition, your GTIN is the starting point. It's the number that goes into your new QR code.

GTINs in plain English

A GTIN is a unique number assigned to a product so that anyone in the world can identify it. Think of it like a Social Security number, but for products. No two products share the same GTIN.

When a cashier scans your product at checkout, the scanner reads the barcode, extracts the GTIN, and looks it up in the store's database to find the price and product name. That's it. The barcode is just a way to carry the number.

The different GTIN formats

GTINs come in four lengths. The format depends on where and how the product is sold:

They're all GTINs. The number just has different lengths depending on the use case. In practice, any shorter GTIN can be converted to a 14-digit format by adding leading zeros. For example, a 12-digit UPC 012345678905 becomes the 14-digit GTIN 00012345678905.

What's inside a GTIN?

A GTIN has three parts:

1. GS1 Company Prefix — A number assigned to your company by GS1. This is the first 6 to 12 digits (the length varies depending on how many product numbers you need).

2. Item Reference — A number you assign to each specific product. Combined with your company prefix, this makes the GTIN unique.

3. Check Digit — The last digit. It's calculated from the other digits using a formula, and it exists so scanners can verify they read the number correctly. If even one digit is wrong, the check digit won't match and the scanner will reject it.

For example, in the UPC 012345678905:

Where GTINs come from

You can't just make up a GTIN. They're managed by GS1, the global standards organization that also maintains barcode standards. To get GTINs for your products:

1. Register with your local GS1 office (in the US, that's GS1 US)
2. Receive a GS1 Company Prefix
3. Assign item reference numbers to each of your products
4. Calculate the check digit for each GTIN

We cover this process in detail in our guide to getting a GS1 Company Prefix.

One product, one GTIN

Every distinct product needs its own GTIN. "Distinct" means any variation a customer or retailer would consider a different product:

• Different sizes (12oz vs 16oz)
• Different flavors or scents
• Different colors
• Different pack counts (single vs 6-pack)
• Different formulations

The same product in the same packaging keeps the same GTIN, even if the recipe changes slightly or you update the label design. The rule is: if a retailer or consumer would consider it a different product on the shelf, it needs a different GTIN.

GTINs and the new QR codes

With Sunrise 2027, your GTIN doesn't change. What changes is how it's carried on your packaging. Instead of encoding the GTIN in a traditional barcode (those parallel lines), you'll encode it in a GS1 Digital Link QR code that contains a URL:

https://id.sunriseqr.com/01/00012345678905

The /01/ part tells systems "what follows is a GTIN," and the 14-digit number is your GTIN (zero-padded to 14 digits). The GTIN is the same number you've always used. The carrier is what's changing.

This is why your GTIN is the starting point for the transition. If you already have GTINs assigned to your products, you're further along than you might think.

What if I already have UPC barcodes?

Then you already have GTINs. The number printed below your barcode is your GTIN. You can use that same number to generate a GS1 Digital Link QR code.

Try entering your GTIN on our homepage to see it in action.

Want to understand the difference between traditional barcodes and the new QR codes? Read GS1 Digital Link vs Traditional Barcode.