EAN 13

EAN ( European Article Numbering ) is a total system intended for the univocal identification of objects.

Number EAN identifies articles or logistic units in way unique.
In the form of bar codes, the number can be read by a scanner optique.
Number EAN constitutes the base of control of the flow of the goods, of the manufacturer in Taiwan to the ultimate consumer with Paris.
Or the reverse.

The codes EAN 13 ( European Article Numbering with 13 digits) are used in the bar codes of labelling of the products, and are most usually used in the world for the products of large consommation.
They are composed of 13 digits whose significance varies according to the type of the product.

both or three first correspond to the country of consignment of the product, or with a standardized class of products,
the 4 or 5 following are the number of member of the company taking part in system EAN,
the 5 following is the number of article of the product thus marked and
the thirteenth one is a Clé of control of the twelve precedents.

The exact structure of the bars of a bar code EAN 13 is described in the article on the bar codes EAN.
There exist codes EAN made up of 8 named digits EAN 8.

For the books , bar code EAN 13 takes again the structure of ISBN to the indents ready, obligatory for codes ISBN-13 but uncoded in the EAN-13.
For all the publications in 2006 or former, they start with 978, followed code ISBN to 9 digits (amputee of its key of control), and finished by the key of control EAN. (it is also called Bookland EAN )
Since January 2007, all codes ISBN of the new publications are compatible with standards EAN 13. The old codes are converted into using the group still prefixes 978 (used for the majority of the new publications), but certain editors receive codes ISBN with 13 digits in group 979 (these codes do not have not of equivalent to 10 digits).

For the publications in series (periodic such as newspapers, magazines and bulletins),
the editors integrate their number ISSN standardized into 8 digits in a code EAN with 13 digits, by prefixing code ISSN with 7 digits (thus truncated its key of control) by a group of 3 digits 977 , followed by two digits with provision of the editors and used often like code price or to codify the inserts and complements attached to the series, and finished key figure of control EAN.
Contrary to codes ISBN with 10 digits, there does not exist at the present time of standard allowing the automatic conversion of codes ISSN 8 digits into codes EAN with 13 digits. If such a standard is adopted, it will have to use a group EAN different from 977 to avoid the collisions with codes EAN-13 already used, or to control the use of the last two digits preceding the key figure by control EAN.

Calculation of the key of control

The calculation of the key of control strongly approaches that of ISBN even if there exist rather notable differences.

Let us calculate the key of control of the bar code derived from the sequence 471-9512-00288- X (where X is the key of control which one seeks), by the use of the following table:

The coefficient being alternatively 1 and 3.

It is then necessary to calculate the sum of the results: 4+21+1+27+5+3+2+0+0+6+8+24 = 101

One withdraws from 10 the remainder of division by 10 of the sum previously calculated: 10 - (101% 10) = 10 - 1 = 9

The key of control is thus 9. Caution: If the result is 10 then the key 0 are worth.

Complete code EAN 13 is then 471-9512-00288-9 (the indents do not form part of the bar code and are added to help with the reading).

See too

Code-bars EAN

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