Updated EAN/UPC Barcode Height Requirements for Retail POS Products

GS1 Australia has updated the EAN/UPC barcode height requirements for products scanned at retail point of sale.

What’s changing

The updated standard allows EAN/UPC barcodes used on eligible retail POS products to be reduced by up to 60% of the minimum symbol height when packaging constraints limit the available print area.

This change provides greater flexibility when designing packaging while maintaining the barcode scanning requirements for retail environments.

What barcode truncation means

Truncation reduces the height of a linear barcode relative to its width.

Although truncation is now permitted within the updated limits for eligible EAN/UPC symbols, reducing the height too much can affect scanning efficiency and checkout performance. GS1 Australia continues to recommend using full-height barcodes wherever practical.

Truncation should only be considered when limited packaging space makes it necessary.

Where the updated allowance applies

The updated allowance applies only to EAN/UPC barcodes on products scanned at retail POS.

Products that may also be scanned in warehouses, logistics operations or general distribution environments should continue to use full-height barcodes in line with existing GS1 guidelines.

These are often referred to as dual-purpose products. They are standalone items that move through the supply chain as a single unit rather than being packed within an outer carton. Truncation is not permitted when an item needs to be scanned outside a retail POS environment.

Barcode types not covered by the update

The change does not apply to other linear barcode types, including:

• GS1 DataBar

• ITF-14

• GS1-128

Existing requirements continue to apply to these barcode types.

Recommended approach for suppliers

Suppliers should continue designing packaging with full-height barcodes wherever possible to support effective omnidirectional scanning at retail checkout.

Where packaging space is limited, truncation may be used within the updated EAN/UPC requirements for eligible retail POS products.

Need more information?

For questions about barcode sizing or quality requirements, contact the GS1 Australia team at customer.service@gs1au.org or call 1300 BARCODE (1300 227 263) and select Option 4.