The encoding rules of product barcodes adopt the globally accepted EAN/UPC encoding system, which consists of numbers and bar symbols.

Each number has a special meaning, including brand manufacturer, product type, specific product, etc. The standardization of these coding rules helps industrial enterprises realize automated production and tracking and tracing of the entire product life cycle.

The length specified in the EAN/UPC encoding rules is 12 to 13 digits. The first 6 digits (or 7 digits) represent the manufacturer code of the product, the next 5 digits are the product code, and the last digit is the product code. bit is the check code.

These numbers form the unique identifier of the product. Among them, EAN coding is the European coding standard. It was co-founded by EAN International, the first printing house in Japan, and is widely used around the world. The UPC encoding is the American standard.

Principles for companies to code products

1. Principle of uniqueness: It is the basic principle of product coding. It means that the same products should be assigned the same product code, and products with the same basic characteristics are regarded as the same product; different products should be assigned different product codes.

Commodities with different basic characteristics are regarded as different commodities. Usually, the basic characteristics of goods include product names, trademarks, types, specifications, quantities, packaging types and other product characteristics.

2. Stability principle: Once a product identification code is assigned, it should remain unchanged as long as the basic characteristics of the product do not change. The same product must use the same product code regardless of long-term continuous production or intermittent production.

If the product ceases to be produced, it is recommended that the company, based on the characteristics of the industry, wait until it is confirmed that it is no longer circulating in the market before using the code on other products.