14digit

The term 14digit refers in industry practice to the 14-digit Global Trade Item Number (GTIN-14), a standard used to identify trade items in the GS1 system. It is sometimes called EAN-14 or UCC-14 in historical contexts. The 14digit code is primarily used to identify items at various packaging levels within supply chains, such as consumer units, cartons, and pallets, enabling automated tracking and data synchronization.

A GTIN-14 number is composed of four parts: an indicator digit, the GS1 company prefix, the item reference, and a check digit. The indicator digit (the first digit) signals the packaging level or type, while the remaining digits are allocated based on the GS1 prefix assigned to a company and the item reference they create. The final digit is the check digit used to verify the code’s integrity.

The check digit is calculated using the standard modulo-10 algorithm employed across GTIN formats. All digits except the check digit are summed with alternating weights of 3 and 1 from right to left; the resulting sum is used to determine the check digit as (10 minus (sum mod 10)) mod 10. This ensures that most transcription errors are detected when the barcode is scanned or the number is entered.

GTIN-14 codes are commonly encoded in GS1-128 barcodes and are used for outer packaging, cases, and pallets in retail and logistics. They are governed by GS1 standards and relate to other GTIN formats such as GTIN-12/13 (UPC/EAN) through their shared check-digit methodology and prefix structures.