What Is a GTIN? UPC, EAN, SKU & More, Explained Simply
GTIN, UPC, EAN, SKU, item number: these terms get mixed up all the time. Here’s what they mean and how they fit together.
A GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is a globally unique number that identifies a trade item. It’s the umbrella term for the product numbers printed as barcodes on packaging, which includes UPC and EAN. GTINs are based on company prefixes issued by GS1, the organization that runs the global standards system; in the US, that’s GS1 US.
GTIN is the umbrella term; UPC and EAN are versions of it
The confusion comes from the same number having several names. In North America, people talked about the UPC (Universal Product Code); in Europe, about the EAN (European Article Number). Both were later brought together under the GTIN umbrella. A 12-digit UPC is officially a GTIN-12 today, and a 13-digit EAN is a GTIN-13. So the barcode on your cereal box is both a UPC and a GTIN: just two names for the same thing.
| Term | Digits | Current name |
|---|---|---|
| EAN-13 | 13 | GTIN-13 |
| EAN-8 | 8 | GTIN-8 |
| UPC-A | 12 | GTIN-12 |
| ITF-14 | 14 | GTIN-14 |
The important difference: GTIN vs. SKU
This is the distinction that really matters. A GTIN is unique globally, across all manufacturers: the same yogurt has the same GTIN in every store in the world. A SKU (stock keeping unit) or internal item number, on the other hand, is only valid within your own business. You assign it yourself, using your own logic.
Example: a T-shirt has a GTIN from the manufacturer. In your store, it also gets the SKU “TS-BLUE-M” for blue in size M. The GTIN identifies the product worldwide; the SKU organizes your stock internally.
When do I need a GTIN?
If you want to sell products in retail, whether in a brick-and-mortar store, on Amazon or in your own online store, you’ll generally need GTINs. Marketplaces like Amazon require them to match products uniquely. You get your own GTINs by licensing a company prefix from GS1 US. If you only manage stock internally and don’t sell through marketplaces, your own SKUs and self-printed codes are often enough.
How GTINs, barcodes and scanning fit together
The GTIN is the number. The barcode (for example a UPC-A or EAN-13 symbol) is just the machine-readable representation of that number. When you scan a barcode, you read the GTIN. An app like Scan2List: Inventory Scanner captures exactly these numbers: you photograph a shelf, get a list of all GTINs as a CSV and can map them to your internal SKUs or compare them with your expected stock.
You’ll find more about the individual barcode formats in the barcode types comparison.
Capture GTINs from the shelf with a photo instead of by hand.
Keep reading: How EAN-13 and UPC are structured · SSCC: the shipping container code · FNSKU, ASIN and UPC compared