How To Apply for a UPC Code

UPC Labels

HOW TO APPLY FOR A UNIVERSAL PRODUCT CODE NUMBER
(UPC RETAIL BAR CODE NUMBER)


1

Call, write or e-mail the Uniform Code Council, Inc. and ask for an application for an UPC Number.

Uniform Code Council, Inc. (UCC)
7887 Washington Village Drive, Suite 300
Dayton, OH 45459
Phone: (937) 435-3870
Fax: (937) 435-7317
Or visit on-line at: http://www.uc-council.org

2

The Minimum fee is $750.00, which is the initial application fee for a nine digit manufacturer number that will be assigned to your company. When your application is sent, information on fees and other valuable information will be mailed to you.

3

After receiving you manufacturer number, your next step is to assign a three or five digit number (depending on the number of digits provided to you by the UCC) to each different product in your line.


These numbers can be assigned in any manner you choose; however, the numbers must be numeric no alpha characters are allowed. Each item must carry a different product number, anything that differentiates one item from another, i.e. weight, color, size etc. must have its own unique product number.


Your product number, used in conjunction with the numbers assigned by the Uniform Code Council, will yield your eleven-digit number. The last and most important number is called a check digit. The check digit is a mathematicaly calculation of your first eleven numbers and becomes the 12th and final digit that makes up the UPC Bar Code Symbology. All twelve digits should be printed in human readable form below the bar code.

4

At this point, it will be necessary to have the actual bar code symbology made for each product. This is where A Bar Code Business, Inc. can be of service to you. We can provide you with:

  1. Free Check Digit Calculations with all orders
  2. Express Service, for over night delivery
  3. Pre-Printed and Verified Bar Code Labels (Shipped Within 1 to 3 Business Days)
  4. Required Equipment and Labeling Media For In-house Printing
  5. Technical Assistance and Support

More Information You May Like

Glossary of Bar Code Terms

By Lisa Renshaw • May 19, 2025

Bar Code Symbologies (types)

By Lisa Renshaw • May 3, 2025
Bar code symbologies differ in the amount of data that can be encoded. Some symbologies (such as UPC) are fixed in length; other symbologies can encode truly variable data. Some bar code symbologies also contain various characteristics to minimize errors, such as self-checking characters, start and stop characters, check digits and error correction characters.

Benefits of Bar Coding

By Lisa Renshaw • May 3, 2025
Bar codes offer the simplest, most accurate, cost-effective method of data entry and collection. Compared to manual entry methods which possess an error rate of one in every 300 characters entered bar coding is virtually error-free. With less than one error per one million characters entered, bar coding offers numerous advantages over traditional, manual methods of data entry. Bar codes can be printed at a low cost with a wide variety of printing techniques. Symbols can be scaled to suit particular requirements, can be printed at very high speeds, and can be read by a variety of readily available reading/scanning equipment. Bar codes offer exceptional security, minimize errors and offer highly successful first-time read rates. Scanning a bar code brings speed and productivity improvements, and real-time data interchange (via radio frequency scanning equipment) allows timely information to be accessed almost instantly while the data is still current. Bar codes are frequently printed with human-readable text, which allows for simultaneous automatic and human decoding. Additionally, reduced labor costs, improved organizational productivity and profitability can be realized with the implementation and use of a bar coding system. Any process or procedure that involves manual entry can be made faster and more accurate by using bar codes. Summary: Accurate data collection Faster data entry Real-time collection and dissemination of data More effective use of human and physical resources Elimination of manual data entry/retrieval systems Bar codes typically employ a parallel arrangement of varying-width bars and spaces, arranged in a particular pattern to incorporate data. Both the black bars and white spaces in bar code symbols are used to enter and decode data. While some bar codes use the bar height and/or diameter to incorporate data, linear symbologies are the most common form of bar codes in use today. Linear bar code symbols use a single row of parallel bars and spaces to encode information. The term “Symbology” is a set of rules describing how the data is incorporated into the various arrangements of bars. Symbology refers to the bar code language. Each language has different capabilities, rules and characteristics, much like human language. Scanners are typically programmed to decode one or more different symbologies, and communication cannot occur unless the reading and printing equipment use compatible symbologies (i.e., a scanner programmed to decode Code 39 will not be able to decode Code 128). Bar code symbologies differ in the amount of data that can be encoded. Some symbologies (such as UPC) are fixed in length; other symbologies can encode truly variable data. Some bar code symbologies also contain various characteristics to minimize errors, such as self-checking characters, start and stop characters, check digits and error correction characters. 

History of Bar Coding

By Lisa Renshaw • May 2, 2025
Bar Coding is an automatic identification (Auto ID) technology that streamlines identification and data collection. With some of its first concepts developed in the mid 1930s, bar coding has since grown into a $3.3-billion worldwide, multi-industry technology that is forecasted to grow annually by as much as 20% through the end of the century. Let's take a look at the history.