Barcode lookup UK: type the 13 digits, see the product
By mise · Updated September 30, 2026
Type the 13 digits under the bars. Free, no sign-up. If we don't know it, our AI finds it and emails you.
Saved. As soon as we identify this code, we'll email you the product.
Free, no sign-up, no daily cap. The result is curated: name, brand, category, size and photo. Codes we don't recognise are researched by the AI within minutes.
Related tools: barcode lookup · UPC lookup · EAN lookup · barcode lookup UK · country codes · UPC vs EAN vs GTIN
Quick answer: to look up a barcode in the UK, type the 13-digit EAN into a lookup tool such as the free box on this page; it returns the product name, brand, category, size and photo. A code starting with 50 was registered with GS1 UK (it does not mean made in Britain), a code starting with 2 is a supermarket's own label and won't be in any public database. If mise doesn't know the code yet, its AI finds the product and emails you the answer.
A barcode from a delivery note, a cellar shelf or a car-boot find, and you want the product behind it. The box above does that; the rest of the page covers the UK specifics — the 50 prefix, supermarket 2-codes, and why some numbers come back empty — before showing how to scan the same codes straight into a stock take.
Anatomy of a UK EAN-13
| Part | Digits | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| GS1 prefix | 500–509 | Issued by GS1 UK — the "50" every UK-registered brand carries |
| Company prefix | next 4–7 | The brand owner's number |
| Item reference | next 2–5 | The product, size and variant |
| Check digit | last | Proves the number was read correctly |
Plenty of what's on a UK shelf doesn't start with 50 at all: 544 (Coca-Cola, registered in Belgium), 40–44 (German brands and discounter own-label), 87 (Dutch), 30–37 (French), 80–83 (Italian), 84 (Spanish), 0 with 12 digits (American imports). The prefix tells you where the company licensed its numbers — the full table is on barcode country codes.
50 does not mean made in Britain
A British brand that manufactures in Poland keeps its 50. A Cornish producer that buys a cheap "resold" code from a US reseller ends up with a 0-prefix. Origin is on the label ("Produced in", "Packed in"); the barcode only tells you who owns the number.
Supermarket in-store codes: the 2-prefix
Codes beginning with 2 (200–299) are generated by the shop's own system: weighed meat, fish and cheese, bakery items, reduced-to-clear stickers, some own-label loose produce. Every big UK chain uses them. The middle digits typically carry the price or the weight, the code only exists inside that chain, and no public database will ever resolve it — the answer is on the label itself. If a "not found" code starts with 2, that is why.
Why nothing was found
- In-store code. Codes starting with 2 (02 on a 12-digit UPC) are printed by the store's scale or label printer for weighed items, deli, bakery and reduced-price stickers. They only exist inside that chain.
- Case code. 14-digit codes (GTIN-14, ITF-14, "DUN-14") identify the shipping case, not the unit. The unit code is usually inside: drop the first digit, drop the last, recalculate the check digit.
- Small or local brand. The code is valid but the product was never listed in a public catalogue. This is the case our AI is built for — leave the code in the box and it goes looking.
- Misread number. One wrong digit produces a code that doesn't exist. The check digit catches it (see below).
- Leading zero. A 12-digit UPC may be stored with a 0 in front as 13 digits, or the other way round. Our lookup tries both; some databases don't.
Check the number before you search again
Number the first twelve digits from the left. Add the odd positions; add the even positions and multiply by 3; add both; the check digit is whatever takes you to the next multiple of 10.
How to look up a barcode for free in the UK with mise
- The box at the top of this page — the mise AI looks the code up and, if it doesn't know the product yet, researches it and emails you the answer. No sign-up, no daily cap.
- Type all 13 digits — or 8 on a small pack. The box checks the last digit first, so a typo is flagged before it turns into a "not found".
- Starts with 2? It's an in-store label — read the price or weight on the sticker itself; no lookup will resolve it.
- Leave your email if you like — when the AI is still researching a code, the answer goes to your inbox as soon as the product is identified, so you can close the tab.
- Scan instead of typing — in the mise app the camera reads the EAN and the same database answers, with no limit on how many you look up.
Scan it straight into your stock take
Typing is how most "not found" results happen. mise reads the code with the phone camera, returns the product complete — name, brand, category, size, photo and a reference price — and drops it straight into your stock take with the quantity you type: by area, part bottles in tenths, GP at the end. No spreadsheet, no product set-up. 7 days free, no card, then £26 a month.
Point the camera and the product comes up complete: name, brand, category, size and photo — the mise AI finds it from the barcode or a photo. 7 days free, no card, then £26 a month.
Start free
More on the counting side: stock take app, pub stock take, drinks GP calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free UK barcode database?
Yes — the box on this page uses the mise AI to find the product from the barcode, free of charge, with no account and no daily cap, and it researches the codes it doesn't know yet, then emails you the answer.
Does 50 mean made in the UK?
No. 500–509 means the company licensed its barcode numbers from GS1 UK. Where the product was manufactured is on the label, not in the number.
How do I look up an EAN number?
Type the 13 digits into the box at the top of this page and press Look up. You get the product name, brand, category, size and photo; if the code is unknown, the AI researches it and the page refreshes itself. You can also search by product name to find the barcode.
Why does a supermarket label start with 2?
Because it is an in-store code printed by the shop's own scales and label printers for weighed items, bakery and reduced-price stickers. It is valid only inside that chain and carries the price or weight in its middle digits, so no public lookup can resolve it.
Can I find the price from a barcode?
Not from the number itself. What mise can give you is a reference price for the product; the app shows one next to it. Actual shelf prices vary by chain and promotion.
Can I look up a barcode by product name?
Yes. Switch the box to "By product name", type the name or brand, and pick the product from the list to see its EAN, brand and photo.