EAN (European Article Number)
The 13-digit international barcode standard used across Europe and most of the world; a 13-digit form of GTIN (GTIN-13).
An EAN (European Article Number, now officially the International Article Number) is the 13-digit barcode used to identify retail products across Europe and most of the world. In GS1 terms an EAN is a GTIN-13 — a 13-digit form of the Global Trade Item Number. It is the international counterpart to the 12-digit North American UPC.
How an EAN is structured
A standard EAN-13 has 13 digits: a GS1 prefix (often a country/organization indicator), a manufacturer code, a product code, and a final check digit calculated from the rest to validate scans. A shorter EAN-8 exists for very small packaging.
EAN vs UPC vs GTIN
- EAN-13 — 13 digits, used internationally (GTIN-13).
- UPC-A — 12 digits, used mainly in North America (GTIN-12).
- GTIN — the umbrella standard both belong to; systems pad shorter codes to 14 digits internally.
Why EANs matter for ecommerce
Marketplaces and Google Shopping use the EAN to match your product to the global catalog and unlock rich results and ads. Selling internationally usually means supplying valid EANs. A wrong or missing EAN can suppress your listing.
Managing EANs in a PIM
A PIM keeps the EAN as a validated attribute on the canonical product record alongside UPC, GTIN, MPN, and your internal SKU. Apimio validates the EAN check digit, prevents duplicates across stores, and syndicates the correct barcode to each Shopify variant and marketplace feed — so the same product carries the right identifier in every region you sell.