Comparison / ITF-14 vs EAN-13
ITF-14 vs EAN-13
These are not alternatives — they operate at different packaging levels. ITF-14 identifies the case or carton; EAN-13 identifies the item a shopper buys.
The short answer
Print EAN-13 (or UPC-A) on the consumer unit. That is what the checkout scanner reads and what marketplaces list against.
Print ITF-14 on the outer case. It carries a GTIN-14 — an indicator digit describing the pack configuration, followed by your product GTIN — so the warehouse can receive a case without opening it.
A product shipped in cases needs both, and the two numbers are related but distinct. Reusing the retail EAN on the case breaks case-level receiving.
Side by side
| Criterion | ITF-14 | EAN-13 |
|---|---|---|
| Packaging level | Case, carton, pallet layer | Consumer unit |
| Digits | 14 | 13 |
| Scanned at | Warehouse, receiving dock | Retail checkout |
| Character set | Digits only | Digits only |
| Bearer bars | Recommended on corrugated | Not used |
| X-dimension | 0.495-1.016 mm | Fixed magnification 80-200% |
| Indicator digit | Yes — describes pack quantity | No |
| Substrate | Corrugated board, case labels | Printed packaging artwork |
Choose ITF-14 when
- You are labelling an outer case or shipper
- The code is scanned on a receiving dock
- You need to distinguish pack configurations of the same product
Choose EAN-13 when
- You are labelling the item a customer buys
- The code passes through a retail till
- You are listing the product on a marketplace
Generate either format
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