The UPC-A code is one of the most commonly used barcode types within the United States. Placed on a majority of products sold in retail, this type of barcode identifies the manufacturer and the specific product so that point of sale cash register systems can look up the price automatically and streamline the transaction.
This type of barcode encodes 12 numeric digits. The first digit identifies the numbering system being used, which can be decoded below:
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1: reserved
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2: random weight items marked at the store
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3: National Drug Code and National Health Related Items code
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4: no format restrictions, for in-store use on non-food items
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5: for use on coupons
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6: reserved
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7: regular UPC codes
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8: reserved
- 9: reserved
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0: regular UPC codes
The next group of five digits identifies the manufacturer. Manufacturer numbers are assigned by the Uniform Code Council. The following five digits identify the particular product and are assigned by the manufacturer. Finally, the last digit is a Modulo 10 checksum, which is calculated using a specific formula.