UPC-A — Barcode Format Guide & Generator
UPC-A is a one-dimensional linear symbology in the Retail family. US retail barcode encoding GTIN-12. You will find these codes on virtually every physical product sold through retail: groceries, books, cosmetics, electronics and their shipping cartons.
- Category
- Retail
- Symbol
- Linear (1D) bars
- Data
- Up to 11 digits; check digit auto-added
- Example
- 01234500005
Data format
Up to 11 digits; check digit auto-added. Invalid payloads are rejected with the encoder’s own message, so mistakes surface before you print.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Read by virtually every retail point-of-sale scanner worldwide.
- The standard check digit catches mis-keyed numbers before a bad label ships.
Limitations
- Numeric-only, fixed-length payload — no free text.
- No error correction — a scratched or badly printed symbol fails outright.
Generate one in QrDeco
- Open QrDeco and choose UPC-A from the format list.
- Type or paste your data — for example 01234500005.
- Adjust size, colours, quiet zone or human-readable text in the style panel if you need them.
- Export an SVG or PDF for print, or a PNG for screens — generated locally in your browser, nothing is uploaded.
Options
- Add-on gap: from 9 to 12 — set it to 0 to let the encoder choose automatically.
Scanning and printing tips
- Never invent a company prefix or reuse a GTIN across products — license numbers from GS1 and give every variant its own.
- Keep the left and right quiet zones clear; on retail symbols they are checked as strictly as the bars.
- Leave the quiet zones clear — blank space on both sides of the bars is part of the symbol.
- Print dark bars on a light background; red-only bars can vanish under red laser light.
- Keep the bars vertical to the scan direction and print at the symbol’s standard magnification.
Related formats
More from the Retail family, plus the family overview: