UPC symbology is the most recognizable family of barcodes in the GS1 System. UPC symbology includes the UPC-A, UPC-E barcodes. These barcodes were initially developed for grocery stores to speed up the checkout process, reduce errors, and improve inventory management. Due to their success, the adoption of the GS1 System quickly spread to other retail products.

UPC symbology is specifically used for retail point-of-sale (POS). These barcodes are especially suited to be scanned by the typical “flat bed” scanners that are commonly found at your local grocery store.

Marking your products with UPC barcodes ensures they are properly identified at retail point-of-sale terminals on a worldwide basis, speeds data collection, and improves inventory data for retailers by eliminating errors. The improved inventory data drives collaboration between you and your trading partners, making your value chain more visible, secure, and sustainable.

Did you know? Today, barcodes that use UPC symbology are the only barcodes allowed for trade items scanned at point-of-sale.

UPC-A

UPC-E