Professional Documents
Culture Documents
May 2004
Table of Contents
CHANGES TO THE 2005 EDITION ............................................................................................. 1
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 2
ELIMINATION OF CSPC NUMBERS .................................................................................................................... 2
INTERNET VIEWING .......................................................................................................................................... 2
GETTING STARTED .................................................................................................................... 4
If You are Already Marking Your Products with aGTIN ........................................................................... 4
If You Need a Company (Manufacturer) Number .................................................................................... 4
If You Need Information to Plan Your GTIN Program.............................................................................. 5
If You Need Additional Technical Information.......................................................................................... 5
STANDARDS FOR CONSUMER PACKAGES............................................................................ 6
ACCEPTED NUMBER FORMATS ......................................................................................................................... 6
STANDARDS FOR SCANNABILITY ....................................................................................................................... 6
CHANGE OF GTIN ........................................................................................................................................... 6
Change of Company (Manufacturer) Number ......................................................................................... 7
Item Number ............................................................................................................................................ 7
REUSE OF NUMBERS ....................................................................................................................................... 7
PRODUCT MARKING STANDARDS ...................................................................................................................... 8
Individual Bottles ...................................................................................................................................... 8
50 ml. Bottles ........................................................................................................................................... 8
Individual Cans......................................................................................................................................... 9
Cans in a Hi-Cone Pack Multi-pack ......................................................................................................... 9
Open Carrier Packs ................................................................................................................................. 9
Bottles or Cans in Closed Cartons or Boxes ........................................................................................... 9
Bottles in Permanent Outer Packages................................................................................................... 10
Bottles in Temporary Outer Packages................................................................................................... 10
Free Item Packs ..................................................................................................................................... 10
Vintages ................................................................................................................................................. 11
Non-beverage Products ......................................................................................................................... 11
STANDARDS FOR SHIPPING CONTAINERS .......................................................................... 12
HUMAN READABLE INFORMATION (CLOSED SHIPPING CONTAINERS ONLY) ......................................................... 13
DESCRIPTION OF PRODUCT ON SHIPPING CONTAINER ..................................................................................... 14
Free Item Packs ..................................................................................................................................... 14
STRUCTURE OF THE SHIPPING CONTAINER CODE (SCC-14)........................................................................... 16
Packaging Indicator “0” .......................................................................................................................... 16
BAR CODE FORMAT ....................................................................................................................................... 17
Interleaved 2 of 5 Symbol ...................................................................................................................... 17
UCC/EAN-128 Symbol........................................................................................................................... 19
Use of U.P.C. or EAN Symbol on Shipping Containers......................................................................... 20
POSITION OF THE BAR CODE SYMBOL............................................................................................................. 20
Symbol located on the end (shortest panel) of the case ....................................................................... 21
Symbol located on the side (longest panel) of the case ........................................................................ 21
Symbols on labels .................................................................................................................................. 21
Reduced height symbols........................................................................................................................ 22
Bar code symbol location on corked products....................................................................................... 23
LOCATION OF HUMAN READABLE BAR CODE NUMBER ..................................................................................... 23
WHEN THE SHIPPING CONTAINER IS ALSO THE RETAIL SELLING UNIT ............................................................... 24
TRAY PACKED PRODUCTS.............................................................................................................................. 24
STANDARDS FOR PALLETS.................................................................................................... 25
SERIAL SHIPPING CONTAINER CODE (SSCC-18) ............................................................................................ 25
Pallet Label Format ................................................................................................................................ 26
Pallet Label Location.............................................................................................................................. 26
APPENDICES............................................................................................................................. 27
APPENDIX A: GTIN CONCEPTS ...................................................................................................................... 27
U.P.C.-A ................................................................................................................................................. 27
Internet Viewing
The latest version of this manual may be viewed on-line in English and in
French via the Internet at http://www.lcbo.com and on the websites of
several other jurisdictions.
Introduction May 2004• 2
Introduction May 2004• 3
Getting Started
Readers who are not familiar with the basic structure and format of the
GTIN may wish to read “Appendix A” first.
Change of GTIN
Changes in the GTIN number can result from a change in either the
Company Number or the Item Number.
Item Number
Changes in price, package graphics or package format (e.g. glass bottle to
plastic bottle) do not require a change in GTIN number.
A change in package format may affect recycling charges and
advance notice of the change should be provided to the
jurisdictions affected.
The GTIN number must be changed if:
the volume of product in the package changes (e.g. 700 ml.
to 750 ml.);
or, the number of units in the consumer unit changes (e.g.
six pack to eight pack);
or, if a change in alcohol strength results in a tax or duty rate
change under Customs and Excise regulations.
Suppliers may change a GTIN number for other reasons but, as this may
disrupt the flow of goods to the consumer, GTIN changes should only be
made when absolutely necessary.
Reuse of Numbers
A GTIN number must not be reused by a supplier within four years of its
last shipment unless it is for the reintroduction of the same item.
50 ml. Bottles
A symbol is required.
The symbol should be oriented in ladder format.
Because of its small size, it may be necessary to truncate the bar height to
accommodate the symbol.
Reduction to the minimum magnification (80%) should be considered,
particularly, if truncation is necessary.
Suppliers may wish to use an eight digit EAN/UCC-8 (U.P.C. Version E or
EAN-8) symbol, if possible, on these packages.
Non-beverage Products
Non-beverage products must have individual GTIN symbols that conform
to the standards for general merchandise and apparel.
There are special rules for the human readable information on shipping
containers that are also retail selling units and for products packed in
trays. They are described on page 20.
Use of the bottle symbol
The bottle symbol must only be used when the bottle has a cork closure and the supplier
recommends that it be stored in the “corks down” position. It should indicate the
orientation of the bottles in the case. Screw cap bottles should not have a bottle symbol.
The preferred orientation of the bar code on the side of the case is with the eye readable
characters easily readable in the recommended storage position. As this may not be
possible for some labeling equipment, inverted symbols will be accepted.
The font used must be at least 30 points 10.6mm. (0.42 inches high).
The description must be located on the same end of the case as the bar
code.
The left most digit of the SCC-14 is a Packaging Indicator. This digit is
used to differentiate between containers with different quantities of the
same item. In this way, a supplier could offer a case of six or a case of
twelve; only the packaging indicator and check digit would change.
The packaging indicator can also be used to differentiate changes in the
consumer package, such as a temporary gift box, an on-pack promotion or
glass versus plastic packaging. This allows different types of warehouse
inventory to be easily identified by both the supplier and the retailer.
The digits, one through eight can be used as the packaging indicator.
(Nine is reserved for other purposes and cannot be used.) Therefore, up
to eight different container configurations can be accommodated.
The digits in positions three through thirteen of the EAN/UCC-14 (SCC-14)
correspond to the first eleven digits of the product’s UCC-12 (U.P.C.)
number. For a EAN/UCC-13 format number, the digits in positions two
through thirteen would correspond to the first twelve digits of the product’s
EAN number.
The final digit is a check digit but, because it is calculated on the
preceding thirteen digits including the packaging indicator, it will be
different from the check digit of the GTIN.
Interleaved 2 of 5 Symbol
The Interleaved 2 of 5 bar code may be preprinted on the shipping
container. It may also be printed on the shipping container at the time of
filling. It is suitable for direct printing, flexography or ink jet printing. 1
1Complete specifications for the symbol are available from the Electronic Commerce Council of Canada
or the Uniform Code Council in the publication Application Standard for Shipping Container Codes.
1 00 12345 67890 2
The human readable characters are printed below the symbol in the
Interleaved 2 of 5 format.
The border around the symbol is called a bearer bar. It is designed to
ensure even pressure when printing the symbol and also helps to prevent
misreads during scanning.
The bearer bars must touch the top and bottom of the vertical bars. There
can be no space between the bearer bars and vertical bars.
The thickness of the bearer bar depends on the type of printing process
used and the size of the symbol.
Heavier bars are required if the symbol is printed directly on the shipping
container using a plate printing process. Narrower bearer bars may be
used if the symbol is printed onto a label or is ink jet printed onto the
shipping container.
1 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 2
Vertical bearer bars are only required when the symbol is produced by
printing directly on the container using a plate printing process. They are
optional when using other printing techniques, such as ink jet printing.
When vertical bearer bars are used, the quiet zones are inside the bearer
bars.
A quiet zone is still required at each end of the symbol even when vertical
bearer bars are not used.
UCC/EAN-128 Symbol
The UCC/EAN 128 symbology may also be used to produce the Shipping
Container Code-14.
At least
19 mm
At least
32 mm 1 00 12345 67890 2 32 mm
+/- 3 mm
If the vertical bars of the symbol are at least 25 mm. (1.0”) high the symbol
may be located with bottom of the bars up to 76 mm. (3.0”) from the
bottom of the case. While placement in the range of 32 to 76 mm. (1.25” to
3.0”) is acceptable under the CALJ standards, it may not be acceptable to
customers outside Canada.
Symbols on labels
The symbol may be applied on a label. Some rotation of the symbol is
acceptable.
The effective height must never be less than 13 mm. (0.5”).
Effective
Height
This may result in the symbol being near the top of the case if the product
is stored with bottles in the “corks down” position.
The eye readable markings on the end of the case should be oriented so
that they are easily readable in the normal storage position. It is the
supplier’s choice as to whether product should be stored with “corks up” or
“corks down”. (See also page 10.)
3. UCC/EAN-128 bar codes have some unique properties as compared to standard Code 128. Complete
specifications are available from the ECCC or the UCC in the manual Application Standard for Shipping
Container Codes
The symbol bars must be at least 38 mm. (1.5”) high. The human readable
digits must be at least 5 mm. (0.2”) high
Suppliers may include other information including other bar codes on the label
for their own internal use.
The label should be applied to a carton on the load. If necessary, the label
may obscure some of the data on the case to which it is applied but not the
EAN/UCC-14 (SCC-14).
Pallets should be loaded on trucks with the labels facing the doors.
4 The use of eight digit Company Identification Numbers is a recent change. Companies who are given
eight digit numbers are limited to 999 item numbers.
5The Company Identification Number on a product may be controlled by a manufacturer, a marketing
company who contracts out its manufacturing, or an agent. Generally, it should indicate the company
who owns the brand. In this document, the term supplier is used to represent all three.
May 2004• 27
other format is discouraged. All twelve digits must be shown in human
readable characters.
0 123455 8
EAN Numbers
Following its introduction in North America, a version of the U.P.C. was
adopted by a number of countries who formed the European Article
Number Association (EAN).
It contains one extra digit at the beginning of the number. (The U.P.C. is
effectively a subset of the EAN.) In virtually all other respects, the EAN is
identical to the U.P.C. This format is referred to as EAN/UCC-13 (EAN-
13).
6AllCompany Numbers ending in zeroes have been issued. The only way to get one is to buy it from the
current owner.
5012 3452
Unlike the U.P.C.-E this is an eight digit number and does not expand to
thirteen digits. EAN-8 numbers are assigned individually to companies by
their local EAN International affiliate.
Symbol Quality
Several technical measures are used to evaluate symbol quality.
Complying with the print quality standards is primarily the responsibility of
the package designer and the printer. Confirming compliance to the
standards, should be a normal check before packaging materials leave the
printer.
While the standards are quite complex and require sophisticated testing
equipment for actual measurement, the principles are relatively simple.
The scanner must be able to distinguish the dark bars from the lighter
background and it must be able to determine the relative width of the bars
and spaces.
Information on package design and printing is available in the manual
Barcoding for Designers, Printers and Packagers. Technical details of the
GTIN standards are available in the manual Quality Specification for the
U.P.C. Printed Symbol. Both manuals are available from the Electronic
Commerce Council of Canada or, in the United States, from the Uniform
Code Council.
7Some suppliers have attempted to give the Item Number meaning in their own system by using various
digits to indicate the type of product, package type or package format. Unless the company has a very
limited number of products, these systems can be difficult to maintain. Over time, as new products are
acquired or introduced, the structure usually starts to break down.
Symbol Size
The retail unit GTIN symbol can be produced in a range of sizes. The
nominal or 100 % symbol is 25.9 mm. (1.020”) high X 37.3 mm. (1.469”)
wide. This size includes a quiet zone or clear space that is required by the
scanner at each end of the symbol.
7 12345 12345 9
Truncation
Truncation can reduce the scanner’s ability to read the symbol.
Most scanners read a symbol by projecting a dot of red light in a sweeping
pattern onto the symbol and then recording the light reflected back.8
To read successfully, the dot must travel from one end of the symbol to
the other without running off the top or bottom of the symbol. The shorter
the height of the bars, relative to the width of the symbol, the more difficult
it will be to scan the symbol. This is particularly true for flat-bed or
presentation scanners that are installed at the checkout counter. This type
of scanner broadcasts the light in many different directions, in a usually
successful effort, to find and read a symbol. Unlike a hand held scanner,
the operator does not aim the scanner.
On very small packages, truncation (reducing the height of the bars) may
be the only way to fit a GTIN symbol onto the product. If truncation is used
for aesthetic reasons, product may be rejected and/or compliance charges
may be assessed.
If truncation must be used, then it must be used with the minimum
practical magnification size to reduce the width of the symbol.
8The light is often generated by a helium-neon laser that is bounced off a moving mirror. The movement
of the mirror causes the light dot to move so quickly that it appears as a solid line to the human eye.
Symbol Curvature
When a symbol is placed with the human readable characters at the
bottom, the curvature of small diameter packages, such as bottles or cans,
may distort the distance between lines for the scanner. For example, the
maximum magnification for a symbol on a bottle with a 64 mm. (2.5”)
diameter is 106 %. Any symbol larger than this may not scan because of
the distortion introduced by the curvature.9 This distortion can be
eliminated by rotating the symbol 90 degrees so that the bars appear as a
ladder (parallel to the bottom) rather than in the normal picket fence style
(at right angles to the bottom).
9Detailed information including maximum magnification factors for various diameters is available in the
GTIN Guidelines Manual available from the Electronic Commerce Council of Canada or, in the United
States, from the Uniform Code Council.
10 This practice recognizes that most free items are applied after the original product has been produced
when a GTIN change would be more difficult and expensive. In some cases, the free item is applied to
in-store inventory.
Step 1: Starting from position 2 add up the value of the even numbered positions.
5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 4 + 2 + 0 + 0 = 31
Note that the application identifiers (00) or (01) that are used with
UCC/EAN 128 bar codes are not included in the check digit calculation.
Step 2: Multiply the result of Step 1 by 3.
31 X 3 = 93
Step 3: Starting from position 3 add up all the odd numbered positions. Position 1
is not included because it is the check digit.
Position 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
SSCC-18 0 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 8
5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 3 + 1 + 0 = 29
Step 4: Add the results of Steps 2 and 3.
93 + 29 = 122
Step 5: The check character is the smallest number which when added to the
result of Step 4 gives a number that is a multiple of 10.
122 + X = 130 X=8
“8” is the smallest number that when added to 122 results in a multiple of
10. Therefore, the check digit in this example is “8”.
Minimum Score
(ANSI spec.)
Symbol Type Numeric Alpha Aperture Size
GTIN (U.P.C./EAN) on 1.5 C 6 mils
selling unit
All Interleaved 2 of 5 0.5 D 20 mils
UCC/EAN-128 1.5 C 10 mils
or GTIN (U.P.C./EAN) on
shipping container
These results are based on the use of a verifier using light with a
wavelength of 670nm +/- 10.
The numeric scores are based on the average of ten scans taken at
different locations on the symbol. For averaging, the following weights are
used: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1 and F=0.
These standards specify the symbol quality at point of use. It is
recommended that suppliers achieve a quality level at least one grade
higher at the point of production to allow for normal wear and tear during
handling.
Several companies offer verification services at a nominal fee
(approximately $30 per symbol). A list of these service providers is
available from the ECCC. A number of EAN affiliated organizations also
offer verification services to their members.
11 Vertical bars less than specified height. Truncation will be accepted on very small products where it
can be shown that the space available on the product and the label did not allow for a full height
symbol.
May 2002
1. References to the CSPC, the previous national product number, have
been removed as that number has been replaced by the U.P.C.
2. Additional reminders that advance notice must be given for changes to
the U.P.C./EAN or SCC-14 were inserted in several places within the
document.
3. Reference were added to note that new Company Identification
Numbers may be either six digits allowing a five digit number or eight
digits allowing a three digit item number.
May 2004
1. A statement was added to remind suppliers that they are no longer
required to include the CSPC number on any retail or shipping
container.
2. Terminology was changed to reflect the global move towards GTIN
nomenclature
3. A clarification was added to the section on vintage wines to indicate
that annual changes to the GTIN are undesirable and should only be
used for specialty wines under particular conditions.
C
D
7 12345 12345 9
UCC-12 (U.P.C.-A)
In millimeters
Magnification A B C D
80% 25.08 29.83 18.29 20.73
90% 28.22 33.56 20.57 23.32
100% 31.35 37.29 22.86 25.91
120% 37.62 44.75 27.43 31.09
160% 50.16 59.66 36.58 41.45
200% 62.70 74.58 45.72 51.82
In inches
Magnification A B C D
80% 0.988 1.175 0.720 0.816
90% 1.112 1.322 0.810 0.918
100% 1.235 1.469 0.900 1.020
120% 1.482 1.763 1.080 1.224
160% 1.976 2.350 1.440 1.632
200% 2.470 2.938 1.800 2.040
B
A
C
D
0 123455 8
In millimeters
Magnification A B C D
80% 13.46 17.69 18.29 20.73
90% 15.15 19.90 20.57 23.32
100% 16.83 22.11 22.86 25.91
120% 20.20 26.53 27.43 31.09
160% 26.93 35.38 36.58 41.45
200% 33.66 44.22 45.72 51.82
In inches
Magnification A B C D
80% 0.530 0.697 0.720 0.816
90% 0.597 0.784 0.810 0.918
100% 0.663 0.871 0.900 1.020
120% 0.796 1.045 1.080 1.224
160% 1.061 1.694 1.440 1.632
200% 1.326 1.742 1.800 2.040
C
D
5 012345 678900
In millimeters
Magnification A B C D
80% 25.08 29.83 18.29 20.73
90% 28.22 33.56 20.57 23.32
100% 31.35 37.29 22.86 25.91
120% 37.62 44.75 27.43 31.09
160% 50.16 59.66 36.58 41.45
200% 62.70 74.58 45.72 51.82
EAN-8
B
A
C
D
5012 3452
In millimeters
Magnification A B C D
80% 17.69 21.38 14.58 17.05
90% 19.90 24.06 16.41 19.18
100% 22.11 26.73 18.23 21.21
120% 26.53 32.08 21.88 25.57
160% 35.38 42.77 29.17 34.10
200% 44.22 53.46 36.46 42.62
B
A
E
C 0 00 12345 67890 5 D
In inches
Magnification X dimension A B C D E
70% 0.028 3.374 4.314 0.280 0.190 0.880
80% 0.032 3.856 4.876 0.320 0.190 1.000
90% 0.036 4.338 5.438 0.360 0.190 1.130
100% 0.040 4.820 6.000 0.400 0.190 1.250
110% 0.044 5.302 6.652 0.440 0.190 1.380
In millimeters
Magnification X dimension A B C D E
70% 0.711 85.728 109.58 7.100 4.826 22.350
80% 0.813 97.998 123.850 8.100 4.826 25.400
90% 0.914 110.278 138.120 9.100 4.826 28.700
100% 1.016 122.348 152.400 10.200 4.826 31.750
110% 1.118 134.618 166.670 11.200 4.826 35.050
The vertical bearer bars are required when printing directly on corrugate
using a plate based printing process. When other processes such as ink
jet printing or labels are used the vertical bearer bars may be omitted and
the width of the horizontal bearer bars may be reduced to twice the X
dimension.
The human readable characters must be at least 5.1 mm (0.20”).
In millimeters
Magnification X dimension A B C D
50.8% 0.508 68.072 80.772 6.350 31.750
63.5% 0.635 85.090 97.790 6.350 31.750
76.2% 0.762 102.108 117.348 7.620 31.750
In inches
Magnification X dimension A B C D
50.8% 0.020 2.680 3.180 0.250 1.250
63.5% 0.025 3.350 3.850 0.250 1.250
76.2% 0.030 4.020 4.620 0.300 1.250
A
B
In millimeters
Magnification X dimension A B C D
@ 76.2% 0.762 118.872 134.112 7.620 38.1
In inches
Magnification X dimension A B C D
@ 76.2% 0.030 4.680 5.280 0.300 1.5