How to Create a Barcode for Your Product (Free, No Software)

Not all barcodes are interchangeable — a format built for retail checkout won't necessarily work for shipping or internal inventory, so picking the right one matters before you print anything.

Common barcode formats and what they're for

UPC-A — the standard 12-digit barcode on retail products sold in the US and Canada.
EAN-13 / EAN-8 — the international equivalent of UPC, used on retail products in most of the world outside North America.
CODE128 — a flexible, high-density format that can encode letters and numbers, commonly used for shipping, logistics and internal tracking.
CODE39 — an older, simpler alphanumeric format still used in some internal/inventory systems.
ITF-14 — used on shipping cartons and outer packaging, encoding a 14-digit case code.

How to choose the right format

If you're selling a physical product at retail, you generally need UPC-A or EAN-13, and the specific number is usually assigned through a barcode registration authority (like GS1) rather than picked arbitrarily — retailers' point-of-sale systems expect a properly registered code. For internal inventory, asset tracking, or anything not going through a retail checkout, CODE128 or CODE39 give you the flexibility to encode your own values without registration.

How to generate a barcode

Open the Barcode Generator and choose a format.
Enter a value that matches the format's rules (the tool validates as you type and shows a hint if the value doesn't fit).
Download the barcode as a PNG or SVG file to print or embed.

A print tip

Barcodes need to be printed at a large enough size and with good contrast for scanners to read reliably — test-scan a printed sample with the device you'll actually use (a retail scanner, a phone app) before printing in bulk, the same way you'd test a QR code.

FAQ

Can I make up my own UPC or EAN number? Technically you can generate one that's valid in format, but for actual retail sale, product barcodes need to be properly registered (typically through GS1) so they're globally unique and recognized by retailers' systems.

Which format should I use for internal inventory only? CODE128 is a good general-purpose choice — it's dense, supports letters and numbers, and doesn't require external registration since you're not selling through retail checkout systems.

Can I download the barcode as a vector file, not just an image? Yes — download as SVG for a scalable vector version, useful if you need to resize it without any loss of sharpness (for print, for example).

Generate a barcode now

Try the free Barcode Generator — 6 common formats, download as PNG or SVG. See more QR & Barcode tools.