Barcode country codes: the complete GS1 prefix list

By mise · Updated September 30, 2026

Quick answer: the first three digits of a barcode are the GS1 prefix of the country where the company registered the number: 000–139 United States and Canada (12-digit UPCs, the 0 implied), 500–509 United Kingdom, 400–440 Germany, 300–379 France, 690–699 China, 888 Singapore, 893 Vietnam, 899 Indonesia, 955 Malaysia, 590 Poland. It shows where the code was issued, not where the product was made. Codes starting with 2 are in-store labels with no country.

People read the first digits of a barcode as "made in". They aren't — and once you know what they do mean, the table below answers every "barcode starting with…" question in one look. Check a code first, if you like:

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Source: GS1 prefix allocations (gs1.org/standards/id-keys/company-prefix). Quick filter:

How to read the prefix

Look at the first three digits of a 13-digit EAN. A 12-digit UPC has no visible prefix: add a 0 in front and it lands in the 000–139 block — GS1 US. The prefix is the GS1 member organisation that licensed the number to the company; the next digits are the company and the item; the last one is the check digit. Two, three or four countries can share a block (Belgium and Luxembourg, Italy with San Marino and the Vatican) and a few blocks are not countries at all: 2 is in-store, 977 is a magazine, 978 a book, 98–99 coupons.

Barcodes starting with 0: United States and Canada — plus in-store codes, drugs and coupons

A code that starts with 0, or a 12-digit UPC with no visible country digit at all, was registered with GS1 US (or GS1 Canada). It does not mean "made in USA": a US brand bottling in Mexico keeps its 0-prefix, and an importer selling Chinese-made goods under a US brand uses the brand's 0-prefix too. Within the 0 range, 02 is the store's own scale or shelf label, 03 means the UPC carries a National Drug Code, and 05 is a coupon, not a product.

Barcodes starting with 1: United States

GS1 US opened 100–139 in 2005 when the old ranges filled up. Same rules as 0: registered in the US, not necessarily made there.

Barcodes starting with 2: In-store and restricted codes — no country

Barcodes starting with 2 are printed by the retailer's own system: weighed meat, cheese and produce, bakery labels, reduced-to-clear stickers, some loyalty and gift cards. The number is only meaningful inside that chain, which is why no public database can resolve it.

Barcodes starting with 3: France, Monaco and the Balkans

Almost everything starting with 3 is French (300–379). The 380s are Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Kosovo.

Barcodes starting with 4: Germany, Japan, Russia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the former Soviet republics

400–440 is Germany, the biggest single block. 450–459 and 490–499 are Japan, 460–469 Russia, 471 Taiwan, 489 Hong Kong. Note that a 12-digit UPC starting with 4 is a US store-internal code, not Germany — count the digits first.

Barcodes starting with 5: United Kingdom, Ireland, Benelux, Portugal, Scandinavia and Central Europe

500–509 is GS1 UK — the familiar "50" barcode. But 5 is also Greece (520–521), Cyprus (529), Malta (535), Ireland (539), Belgium and Luxembourg (540–549), Portugal (560), Iceland (569), Denmark (570–579), Poland (590), Romania (594) and Hungary (599). "50" does not mean made in Britain: it means the brand licensed its numbers from GS1 UK.

Barcodes starting with 6: Africa, the Middle East, Finland and China

600–601 is South Africa, 611 Morocco, 619 Tunisia, 621–630 the Middle East (622 Egypt, 628 Saudi Arabia, 629 UAE), 640–649 Finland and 680–699 China — which is where most "barcode starting with 6" questions come from.

Barcodes starting with 7: Norway, Sweden, Israel, Switzerland, Mexico, Canada and Latin America

700–709 Norway, 729 Israel, 730–739 Sweden, 740–746 Central America, 750 Mexico, 754–755 Canada, 760–769 Switzerland, 770–771 Colombia, 775 Peru, 778–779 Argentina, 780 Chile, 789–790 Brazil.

Barcodes starting with 8: Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Türkiye, Korea and South-East Asia

800–839 Italy, 840–849 Spain, 868–869 Türkiye, 870–879 Netherlands, 880–881 South Korea, 885 Thailand, 888 Singapore, 890 India, 893 Vietnam, 899 Indonesia. There is no "barcode 8 country" on its own: an 8-digit code (EAN-8 or UPC-E) is a short format, and its first digits follow the same table.

Barcodes starting with 9: Austria, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, books, magazines and coupons

900–919 Austria, 930–939 Australia, 940–949 New Zealand, 955 Malaysia, 958 Macau. 977 is a magazine (ISSN), 978–979 a book (ISBN) and 980–999 refund receipts and coupons.

Registered in, not made in

A British company manufacturing in Poland keeps its 50. A US brand bottling in Mexico keeps its 0-prefixed UPC. A Vietnamese factory producing for a German brand ships with the brand's 40. A multinational may register the same product in several countries and choose one code for a market. So the prefix tells you which GS1 office issued the number — handy for choosing which catalogue to search, meaningless as a certificate of origin. For origin, read the label: "Product of", "Made in", "Packed in".

Special prefixes worth knowing

• 2 (200–299, or 02 on a UPC): in-store and random-weight items. Deli, butcher and bakery labels printed by the shop's scale, and reduced-price stickers, often carry the price or weight in the middle digits. They exist only in that chain and no public lookup resolves them.
• 3 on a 12-digit UPC (030–039): a drug or health product; the UPC embeds the US National Drug Code. On a 13-digit EAN, 3 is France.
• 4 on a 12-digit UPC: store-internal. On a 13-digit EAN, 400–440 is Germany. Count the digits.
• 977: magazines and newspapers — the code is the ISSN.
• 978 and 979: books; the EAN is the ISBN. 979-0 is printed music (ISMN).
• 980: refund receipts. 981–984 and 990–999: coupons.
• UPC company prefix: the 6–10 digits after the country prefix identify the company. To see the product behind the full number, type it into the barcode lookup: mise returns the product, and its AI finds the ones it doesn't know yet.

Look up the product, not just the country

The prefix is the easy part; the product name, size and photo need a database. Paste any code in the box at the top of this page, or use the dedicated tools: barcode lookup, UPC lookup (12 digits, US), EAN lookup (13 digits) and barcode lookup UK.

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Frequently asked questions

Barcode starting with 5 — which country?

Usually the United Kingdom (500–509), but the 5 block also covers Greece (520–521), Cyprus (529), Malta (535), Ireland (539), Belgium and Luxembourg (540–549), Portugal (560), Iceland (569), Denmark (570–579), Poland (590), Romania (594) and Hungary (599). Check all three digits.

What country is barcode 50? 690? 893? 899? 888? 955?

50 (500–509) is the United Kingdom; 690–699 is China; 893 is Vietnam; 899 is Indonesia; 888 is Singapore; 955 is Malaysia. In every case it is where the company registered the number, not where the product was made.

Does the barcode show the country of origin?

No. It shows the GS1 office that issued the company its numbers. A brand can register in one country and manufacture in another, and importers often sell foreign-made goods under their own prefix. Origin is on the label.

What is a UPC company prefix and how do I look it up?

It is the block of 6 to 10 digits that GS1 assigns to one company; every product that company sells starts with it. To see what a code is, type the full barcode into the mise lookup: it returns the product and brand, and its AI finds the codes it doesn't know yet.

What is barcode country code 8?

There is no single "8" country. 800–839 is Italy, 840–849 Spain, 850 Cuba, 858–860 Slovakia, Czechia and Serbia, 868–869 Türkiye, 870–879 Netherlands, 880–881 South Korea, 885 Thailand, 888 Singapore, 890 India, 893 Vietnam, 899 Indonesia. If you mean an 8-digit barcode (EAN-8 or UPC-E), its first digits follow the same table.

What does a barcode starting with 0 mean?

On a 13-digit EAN, 000–139 is GS1 US and Canada; a 12-digit UPC is the same number with the 0 left off. It means the company registered in North America, not that the product was made there.