EAN stands for “European Article Number” and represents the product designation for commercial goods.
Brief description
EAN/UPC symbology (is the basis for the following symbols: EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, UPC-E, as well as for 2- and 5-place additional symbols (Add on)), is a family of barcodes that can be read in an omni-directional manner (i.e., regardless of position). All units that should be read at the so-called Point of Sale in retail must be marked with these symbols.
EAN is essentially a number that, depending on the barcode format, includes between 8 and 13 digits. The system is administered centrally and is assigned to merchants upon request. The EAN code is generally printed in the form of a machine-readable barcode (Barcode) on packages of goods and decoded by a laser scanner when paying at the scanner checkout.
EAN is built from a country designation (prefix), a participant number (Germany: uniform company number within the federal states) and a product number. While the assignment of the national designation is the responsibility of the international EAN bureau, the national EAN bureaus are determined responsible for assigning participant numbers. The designation of a given item number is made by a specific participant. The essential idea of the EAN code lies in the effective circulation, routing and tracking of the goods In a closed commodity economy system.