EAN-8 Checksum Validator

EAN-8: the short retail barcode for small packages

EAN-8 (also called GTIN-8) is the 8-digit member of the GS1 barcode family, created for products too small to carry the full 13-digit EAN-13 — think gum, lip balm, single confectionery or cosmetics. It is administered by GS1, and unlike a truncated EAN-13 it is a distinct, separately allocated number. The validator on this page checks the 8-digit structure and the check digit.

The checksum is the standard GS1 mod-10: take the first seven digits, weight them alternately by 3 and 1 (the leftmost digit gets weight 3), sum, and the check digit is (10 − (sum mod 10)) mod 10.

Structure of an EAN-8

• GS1 prefix (2–3 digits): the number-system / country bank that allocated the code (e.g. 40–44 Germany, 789–790 Brazil).
• Item reference: the remaining digits, assigned by GS1 to the specific product — there is no separate company field in EAN-8.
• Check digit (last): the mod-10 digit above.

EAN-8 vs EAN-13

• Not a shortened EAN-13: EAN-8 numbers are drawn from a separate pool; you can't derive one from the other.
• Allocation is scarce: GS1 grants EAN-8 only when EAN-13 genuinely won't fit, because the 8-digit space is small.
• Same scanner: POS readers decode both; internally both are zero-padded to a 14-digit GTIN-14.

Gotchas

• GTIN-14 padding: when stored in databases, an EAN-8 is often left-padded with zeros to 14 digits — strip them before display.
• Restricted-circulation codes: prefixes 02 and 20–29 are for in-store use (variable-weight items) and aren't globally unique.
• Valid checksum ≠ registered product: the algorithm only proves the number is well-formed.
• Leading zeros matter: store as a string; an integer drops them and breaks the checksum.

FAQ

How is the EAN-8 check digit computed? Weights 3,1,3,1,3,1,3 over the first seven digits; check = (10 − sum mod 10) mod 10 — the same mod-10 used by EAN-13 and UPC.

Can I convert EAN-8 to EAN-13? No. They are independent allocations. For internal systems you pad to GTIN-14, but that's zero-padding, not conversion.

Why use EAN-8 at all? Physical space: the 13-digit symbol is too wide for very small packaging, so GS1 issues a compact 8-digit code instead.