GTIN vs UPC: What Is the Difference?
Check any code with the free GTIN lookup or UPC lookup.
Free daily lookups · UPC, EAN, GTIN, ISBN & ASIN · 1.6B+ products
The difference in one sentence: a UPC is one specific type of GTIN. GTIN is the family name for all GS1 product codes, and the 12-digit UPC on North American products is the family member called GTIN-12. So every UPC is a GTIN, but a GTIN can also be a 13-digit EAN or an 8 or 14 digit code. If a form asks for your GTIN, the UPC on your product is the correct answer.
TL;DR
- •GTIN is the umbrella term. UPC, EAN, and ISBN barcodes are all GTINs.
- •UPC means the 12-digit North American retail code, also called GTIN-12.
- •Nothing needs converting: your existing UPC already is a GTIN.
- •Amazon and Google both ask for a GTIN, and both accept your UPC or EAN.
The two terms, defined
GTIN stands for Global Trade Item Number, the GS1 standard that covers every retail product code worldwide. UPC stands for Universal Product Code, the 12-digit barcode used across North America since the 1970s. When GS1 unified its numbering systems, the UPC became the 12-digit member of the GTIN family. The names describe the same system at different levels: GTIN is the family, UPC is one sibling.
GTIN vs UPC comparison table
Every UPC is a GTIN, but GTIN covers more formats than UPC alone:
| GTIN | UPC | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Family name for all GS1 product codes | One specific format inside that family |
| Length | 8, 12, 13, or 14 digits | Always 12 digits |
| Also known as | Covers UPC, EAN, EAN-8, case codes | GTIN-12, UPC-A |
| Printed on products? | As one of its formats | Yes, under the barcode in North America |
| Who issues it | GS1, through licensed company prefixes | GS1 US, same system |
| When forms ask for it | Enter whichever code your product carries | Enter the 12 digits under your barcode |
Where the EAN fits in
The 13-digit EAN is the third name people meet, and it is simply the GTIN-13, the standard retail code outside the US. A US product often lives as a 12-digit UPC at home and the same code with a leading zero abroad. The three-way comparison lives in our EAN vs UPC vs GTIN explainer, and you can check any 13-digit code with the EAN lookup.
What Amazon wants
When you create a listing, Amazon asks for a product ID and lists GTIN, UPC, and EAN as options. They are not three different requirements, they are one requirement named three ways: enter the code your product carries. Products that genuinely have no code need a GTIN exemption from inside Seller Central rather than an invented number, because Amazon checks codes against the GS1 registry.
What Google wants
Google Merchant Center requires a GTIN for most new products that have one assigned, and Shopping listings without it lose eligibility. Again, your UPC or EAN is that GTIN. The details, including the identifier_exists attribute for genuinely code-less products, are in our Google Shopping GTIN requirements guide.
Which code goes in which field
Marketplace forms use different labels for the same underlying code:
| Platform field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Amazon: Product ID | The UPC or EAN on your product, with the matching type selected |
| Google Merchant Center: gtin | The same digits, Google calls every length a GTIN |
| Shopify: Barcode (ISBN, UPC, GTIN) | The code for that exact variant |
| Warehouse systems: case code | The 14-digit GTIN-14 from the carton, not the unit code |
| Internal inventory: SKU | Your own code, never a substitute for a GTIN in the fields above |
How to check a code, either kind
Have 12 digits? Run them through the UPC lookup and see the product registered to the code.
Have 8, 13, or 14 digits, or just unsure? The GTIN lookup accepts every length and validates the check digit as it searches.
Have a whole catalog to verify? The bulk barcode lookup checks the entire file in one pass.
A worked example
Take the code 036000291452. Ask what it is and all these answers are simultaneously true: it is a UPC, because it has 12 digits in the North American format. It is a GTIN, specifically a GTIN-12, because UPC is a member of that family. Stored in a global database it may appear as 0036000291452, thirteen digits, which is the same code written as a GTIN-13. One product, one number, three labels depending on who is asking. That is the whole confusion, resolved.
The mistakes this page exists to prevent
- Buying a separate GTIN because a form asked for one. You almost certainly already have it, it is your UPC.
- Entering a SKU where a GTIN belongs. Internal codes mean nothing to marketplace catalogs.
- Reusing one code across sizes or colors. Each sellable variation needs its own GTIN.
- Borrowing a code from a similar product. Marketplaces match codes to catalogs, and a borrowed code attaches your listing to someone else's product.
Check a code now
Paste whatever code your product carries into the GTIN lookup and confirm what it is registered to. Free, 10 checks a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a GTIN the same as a UPC?
A UPC is one type of GTIN. GTIN is the family covering GTIN-8, GTIN-12 (the UPC), GTIN-13 (the EAN), and GTIN-14. Every UPC is a GTIN, but a GTIN can also be an EAN.
Do I need to convert my UPC to a GTIN?
No. Your UPC already is a GTIN, specifically GTIN-12. Enter it wherever a form asks for a GTIN.
Which do I need for Amazon, GTIN, UPC, or EAN?
Whichever code your product carries. Amazon lists all three names for the same product ID field. Products with no code need a GTIN exemption, not an invented number.
What is the difference between EAN and UPC?
Length and home region. The EAN has 13 digits and is standard outside the US, the UPC has 12 and is standard in North America. Both are GTINs from the same GS1 system.
Where do I get a GTIN for a new product?
From GS1, by licensing a company prefix. That is the only official source, and marketplaces check codes against the GS1 registry.