If you look in yourrefrigeratoror pantry , you ’ll discover that just about every package you see has a uniqueUPC code , or Universal Product Code . In fact , all item deal by major retailers , including grocery storage , department stores , and online retailer have Universal Product Codes .
But where do these UPC codes come from , and what do their numerical digits mean ? In this article , we ’ll discuss the UPC code and how it works .
What Is a UPC Code and a Bar Code?
It ’s first helpful to start out delimit the UPC barcode . A legal profession computer code is made up of bars and spaces of varying width ground on bundle of products sell everywhere . ginmill codes are read by opthalmic bar codification scanners at stores . The most common bar code is the UPC code ( aka UPC - A ) .
UPC barcodes were originallycreated in the other 1970sto key out product and help grocery stores speed up the checkout process and keep better path of inventory , but the UPC code system of rules enamour on quickly in other retail areas because it was so successful . The first UPC code appear on a mob of Wrigley’sgumsold in in Troy , Ohio , in June 1974 .
UPC code are most ordinarily used for retailers in the United States , while the European clause Number code or EAN code is used internationally . Today , though , most spot will bear both UPC codes and EAN code .
What is a Global Trade Item Number?
A UPC code is a bar code symbolic representation with a 12 - digit number visit a GTIN-12 . GTIN bear for Global Trade Item Number or Global Trade Identification Number . It is the UPC data derive from the Uniform Code Council ( UCC ) , a nonprofit administration that represents the market for supply chain codification .
The GTIN-12 number is the UPC information that comes from a UPC Company Prefix and Item Reference Numbers ( more on that below ) . The most vulgar type for retail stores is the UPC - A , which is for products sold at a retail point of sales agreement . Today all retail products have their own unique UPC computer code , which is used for inventory management and easiness of sales .
How Bar Codes Work
Bar codes are technical , but they ’re not that hard to understand when you violate the process down in afew steps .
What Is a UPC Company Prefix?
One of the most important parts of the UPC code data is the UPC fellowship prefix . Its sole use is to assign the company a unequalled company prefix for designation .
A UPC company prefix is a unique six to nine fingerbreadth numeral set apart by GS1 US to a company . company with a bombastic issue of detail and UPC need get a UPC companionship prefix with few dactyl to take into account for more product designation naming .
Buying UPC Codes
UPC codes are not free . As we mentioned , GS1 US assigns them so it ’s best to file straight with the nonprofit . There are third - company resellers where companies can buy UPC code in bulk , but it breaks the chain of authority , so it ’s best to register in the GS1 US database . Here ’s how do do that .
UPC Codes for Amazon
Amazon usesbar computer code to key and track inventory through the fulfillment appendage . That mean sellers on the Amazon marketplace must have a production computer code on all items they are trade online .
ButAmazonuses three kinds of bar code for this purpose :
Amazon use the UPC to do inventory . When more than one trafficker has stock list with the same UPC computer code , Amazon fills orders that are close to the customer for faster livery .
When products do n’t have UPC codes , they must have Amazon UPC codes . Sellers can printAmazon bar code from their vender accounts and affix the bar code to their software program .
UPC: A Barcode That’s Sticking Around
UPC barcodes have revolutionize the retail and armoury management industries by providing a fast , dependable , and standardized method acting for tracking product worldwide . By encode vital data about a product into a compact , simple machine - readable format , UPC codes streamline the checkout process , heighten inventory trailing , and facilitate the effective distribution of goods .
As technology evolves , the underlying principle of UPC codes — meliorate truth and efficiency in product recognition — continues to underpin newer organisation , ensuring that UPC code remain a foundational element of modernistic mercantilism for years to come up .
This clause was updated in conjunction with AI engineering , then fact - hold back and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor .
