Barcode Generator.

Yes, completely free. No account, no watermarks, no limits. Generate and download as many barcodes as you need.

For retail products sold globally, use EAN-13. For US/Canada retail, use UPC-A. For internal inventory or logistics, Code 128 is the most flexible choice as it accepts any text or numbers.

EAN-13 (European Article Number) is the global retail standard. It encodes exactly 13 digits where the last digit is a checksum. The first 2-3 digits represent the country code assigned by GS1.

EAN-13 is 13 digits and is the global standard. UPC-A is 12 digits and is predominantly used in the USA and Canada. A UPC-A code is technically an EAN-13 with a leading 0. Most modern scanners read both formats.

You need to purchase a GS1 Company Prefix from GS1 (the global standards body). In India, you can apply through GS1 India at gs1india.org. Once you have a prefix, you can assign numbers to your products and generate barcodes.

Code 128 is a high-density linear barcode that can encode the full ASCII character set including letters, numbers, and symbols. It is widely used in logistics, shipping labels, healthcare, and internal inventory systems.

For EAN-13, the standard minimum is 26.26mm × 37.29mm at 100% magnification. For general-purpose barcodes like Code 128, aim for at least 15mm tall with module width of at least 0.3mm. Always test scan at the intended print size.

Barcodes need high contrast to scan reliably. Always use a dark bar color on a light background. Black bars on white is the most reliable. Red bars are not recommended as laser scanners use red light and cannot read them.

A checksum digit is the final digit in EAN-13, EAN-8, and UPC-A codes. It is mathematically calculated from the preceding digits to verify the barcode was read correctly. HQCalc's generator automatically calculates and validates it.

ITF-14 (Interleaved Two of Five 14) is a barcode used on outer shipping cartons and multipack packaging. It encodes exactly 14 digits and is typically larger than EAN-13 because it's applied to corrugated cardboard.

Pharmacode (Pharmaceutical Binary Code) is a barcode used exclusively in pharmaceutical packaging. It encodes a 3-6 digit number and allows extremely small printing. It is not used in retail scanning systems.

ISBNs use EAN-13 encoding. Select EAN-13 and enter your 13-digit ISBN (without hyphens). The ISBN-13 format was specifically designed to be compatible with the EAN-13 retail standard.

Barcodes are exported as PNG files. PNG uses lossless compression which preserves the sharp edges critical for barcode scanning. For professional print use, we recommend exporting at the largest height available.

No limit. HQCalc generates barcodes entirely in your browser - there is no server call, so there is nothing to limit. Generate as many as you need.

1D (linear) barcodes like EAN-13 and Code 128 encode data in vertical bars and can only be scanned horizontally. 2D barcodes like QR codes encode data in a square matrix pattern and can be scanned from any angle, holding far more data.

Common causes: insufficient contrast (use black on white), barcode printed too small, bars not sharp (use PNG, not JPEG), scanner not compatible with the format, or invalid data for the format (e.g., wrong digit count for EAN-13).

MSI (Modified Plessey) is a linear barcode used primarily in warehouse shelving and inventory management. It encodes numeric data and is designed for use with older scanning hardware in storage environments.

No. HQCalc will generate a barcode from any number you provide. However, for retail products sold through major retailers, your EAN/UPC numbers must be officially registered with GS1 to be accepted at point of sale.

The generated barcode images themselves are yours to use commercially without restriction. However, for globally-traded retail products, always ensure your product numbers are properly registered with GS1 before use.

Yes. All barcode generation happens 100% in your browser using the open-source JsBarcode library. No product numbers, SKUs, or data of any kind is transmitted to any server.