Thousands of happy British customers | 3m+ Barcodes in circulation | 10,000+ scans each day
Which barcode do I need?
Barcodes can be confusing at first. Hence we have put together this table to help you determine which type of barcode you need.
Most products use EAN-13 barcodes.
Published works such as books by an author, magazines by journalists or music written by a composer use a different numbering system.
Please check our table below for specific information.
| Product | Which barcode do I need? |
| Alcohol | EAN barcodes |
| Art books (includes illustrated books with a title page and/or text or captions) | ISBN |
| Asset tracking | Code 39 or code 128 barcodes |
| Artwork | EAN barcodes |
| Atlases | ISBN |
| Audiobooks | ISBN |
| Board games, jigsaws | EAN barcodes |
| Book – published (includes Braille, hardback, paperback, e-book) | ISBN |
| Book – non-published (includes colouring books, crossword, sudoku) | EAN barcodes |
| Brochures and pamphlets | ISBN |
| Calendars | EAN barcodes |
| Compact discs (CDs) | EAN barcodes ISBN barcode if the CD is prose or educational |
| Clothing & Footwear | EAN barcodes |
| Comic books | ISBN |
| Cosmetics | EAN barcodes |
| Coupons | EAN barcodes – check with the retailer |
| DVDs | EAN barcodes ISBN barcode if they are educational |
| Electronics | EAN barcodes |
| Electronic newsletters/e-zines | ISSN |
| Flashcards | EAN barcodes |
| Food | EAN barcodes |
| Garden products | EAN barcodes |
| Graphic novels | ISBN |
| Greeting cards | EAN barcodes |
| Historical documents | ISBN |
| Homewares | EAN barcodes |
| Journals and diaries | Non-published use EAN barcodes Historical or published diaries use ISBN barcode |
| Library systems | Code 39 or code 128 barcodes |
| Magazines | ISSN |
| Maps | ISBN |
| Medicines | EAN barcodes |
| Music (tracks or albums, not sheet music) | EAN barcodes |
| Pamphlets | ISBN |
| Pictures and photographs | EAN barcodes |
| Postcards | EAN barcodes |
| Posters and art prints | EAN barcodes |
| Serials (magazines, periodicals, etc.) | ISSN |
| Serial annual publications (e.g. yearbooks and directories), monographs-in-series (publications with an individual title and a common title that links them together in a series). | ISSN barcodes |
| Sheet music | ISMN barcode |
| Software | EAN barcodes |
| Stationery items | EAN barcodes |
| Supplements & Vitamins | EAN barcodes |
| Tools | EAN barcodes |
| Toys, including stuffed animals | EAN barcodes |