The GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is the foundation for the EAN.UCC System for uniquely identifying trade items (products and services) sold, delivered, warehoused, and billed throughout the retail and commercial distribution channels. It provides an accurate, efficient and economical means of controlling the flow of products and information through the use of an all-numeric identification system. The Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) is the globally unique EAN.UCC System
identification number for trade items, which encompasses both products and services. GTINs provide the capability to deliver unique identification worldwide.
GTINs are encountered everyday because that is what is encoded in U.P.C. and EAN-13 symbols. GTINs are a key component of e-commerce transactions. Users can be confident that a GTIN, when used correctly, will uniquely identify their products as they pass along the global supply chain to the ultimate end user. This global
identification system ensures that the corresponding electronic communications will contain information unique to their company and products.

Key Benefits

• Facilitates the global flow of trade items (products and services) and associated information along the supply chain.
• Identifies uniquely trade items at all levels of packaging (item, case, and pallet).
• Allows accurate machine read (scanning) identification of trade items when encoded in bar codes and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags of the EPCglobal Network™.
• Delivers trade item data in a consistent format and structure.
• Simplifies supply chain management.
• Employs the globally accepted and utilized EAN.UCC System whose language is understood by the global marketplace.

Why Standards?

Open, global standards:

• Allow system-to-system interaction
• Speed processes by enabling end-to-end automation
• Lower costs, while reducing errors
• Reduce the risk of system incompatibility
• Protect technology investments by removing the limitations of closed, proprietary systems and solutions
• Enable the optimization of supply chain management practices
• Eliminate supply chain roadblocks and bottlenecks

In today’s competitive global marketplace, speed and efficiency is critical to success and survival. Producing a good product is no longer enough to keep a
company competitive. Managing the physical flow of product with the electronic flow of business data is a major challenge in today’s intensely competitive
environment. The same time, attention, and detail that goes into designing and producing a quality product must also be evident in the transmission of that
product’s business data through the supply chain. A system built with standardized processes and a common business language is needed to monitor
and manage the movement of product and information through every component along the supply chain.

Definition

The Global Trade Item Number is the globally unique EAN.UCC System identification number, or key, used for trade items (products and services). It is
used for uniquely identifying trade items (products and services) sold, delivered, warehoused, and billed throughout the retail and commercial distribution
channels. A GTIN is a numeric data structure containing 8 digits, 12 digits, 13 digits, or 14-digits. It is recommended that GTINs are represented in software
applications as 14-digits by right justifying and zero filling left, as appropriate. The term trade item refers to any product or service upon which there is a need
to retrieve pre-defined information; this product or service may be priced, ordered, or invoiced at any point in the supply chain. This includes individual
items as well as all of their different packaging configurations.

There are four data structures for the GTIN; each provides unique numbers when right justified in a 14-digit database field:

UCC-12 (Twelve Digits)

• Six digits representing the UCC Company Prefix
• Five digits representing the Item Reference number
• One digit representing the Check Digit

Or

• Seven digits representing the UCC Company Prefix
• Four digits representing the Item Reference number
• One digit representing the Check Digit

Or

• Eight digits representing the UCC Company Prefix
• Three digits representing the Item Reference number
• One digit representing the Check Digit

Or

• Nine digits representing the UCC Company Prefix
• Two digits representing the Item Reference number
• One digit representing the Check Digit

EAN/UCC-13 (Thirteen Digits)

• Twelve digits containing the EAN.UCC Company Prefix and Item Reference number
• One digit representing the Check Digit

EAN/UCC-14 (Fourteen Digits)

• One digit representing the Indicator digit to indicate packaging level
• Twelve digits containing the EAN.UCC Company Prefix and Item Reference number
• One digit representing the Check Digit

EAN/UCC-8 (Eight Digits)

• Seven digits containing a EAN.UCC Company Prefix and Item Reference number
• One digit representing the Check Digit

UCC Company Prefix

The number assigned to a company by the UCC. The inclusion of the UCC Company Prefix ensures uniqueness throughout the world.
The UCC Company Prefix is assigned to companies in varying lengths. Note: A UCC Company Prefix is converted to an EAN.UCC Company Prefix by adding a
leading zero, e.g., UCC Company Prefix 614141 becomes 0614141.

EAN.UCC Company Prefix

The number assigned to a company by either an EAN Member Organization or by the UCC. The inclusion of the EAN.UCC Company Prefix ensures uniqueness throughout the world. The EAN.UCC Company Prefix is assigned to companies in varying lengths.

Item Reference

The number assigned by the holder of the EAN.UCC Company Prefix to uniquely identify a trade item within the company. The Item Reference varies in length as a function of the Company Prefix length.

Check Digit

A calculated one-digit number used to ensure data integrity. To understand how this digit is calculated; visit the UCC at http://www.uccouncil.org/checkdig.htm.