About EAN-14 / SCC-14 Barcodes
EAN-14 (also known as GS1 GTIN-14) is a 14-digit GS1 barcode used to identify trade units and outer cartons containing multiple individual retail items. It is the outer case equivalent of the retail EAN-13 barcode. For example, while an individual bottle of water will have an EAN-13 barcode, the outer cardboard case containing 24 bottles will be barcoded with an EAN-14 code to identify the bulk unit.
How EAN-14 / SCC-14 Encoding Works
EAN-14 encodes exactly 14 digits, prefixed with the (01) Application Identifier. The code consists of a packaging indicator digit (0-8, where 0 represents a single item and 1-8 indicate case configurations), a GS1 manufacturer prefix, a product identification code, and a final checksum. It can be represented visually using either the GS1-128 linear format (Code 128) or the Interleaved 2 of 5 shipping container format.
Common Applications and Industries
EAN-14 barcodes are used in wholesale supply chains, warehouse receiving docks, and shipping hubs. Warehouse workers scan EAN-14 barcodes on shipping cartons to manage wholesale inventory, automate case routing on sorting conveyors, and process incoming bulk orders. It is not used at consumer retail checkouts, where only individual item codes are scanned.
Advantages & Limitations
EAN-14 provides a standardized way to identify bulk packaging configurations, simplifying stock control and wholesale ordering. It can be printed in a robust format (like ITF-14) directly onto rough cardboard cartons. The main limitation is that it only identifies wholesale trade items, containing no dynamic logistics details like weight or batch numbers.