UPC (Universal Product Code)
Also known as: universal product code, upc-a
The 12-digit retail barcode standard used in the US and Canada, encoding a GTIN.
A UPC (Universal Product Code) is the 12-digit barcode standard scanned at retail checkouts in the United States and Canada. The number it encodes is a GTIN, and the barcode itself is usually printed in the UPC-A symbology.
If you plan to sell physical products through US retailers or major marketplaces, you generally need a genuine UPC based on a GS1-issued company prefix. The number must be unique to your product to work correctly across every retailer's system.
Outside North America, the equivalent standard is the 13-digit EAN. Both are GTINs, and both are rendered as scannable barcodes by the same tools.
Put it into practice
Related terms
- GTIN (Global Trade Item Number)A globally unique product identifier (the number behind UPC and EAN barcodes) issued via GS1.
- BarcodeA machine-readable pattern that encodes a number or text so an item can be scanned quickly.
- SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)A unique internal code that identifies one specific product variant so you can track and reorder it.
Run it in one system
VNDLY tracks stock, orders, and suppliers together so terms like this stop being theory and start being automatic.