How to check the bar code for authenticity

Practically every day we come across a procedure for reading the barcode, making purchases in the store. This attribute is the main element of the identification of goods and provides information about them in sufficient volume for the purchase.

So, with the help of a barcode reader, you can find out information about the country and the specific producer of the product, its distinctive features (article, color, size, name, etc.), and determine the authenticity of the information indicated on the label, comparing it with the information obtained . All this makes it possible to implement a barcode printed on consumer or shipping packaging. Check it for the authenticity of the goods is simple enough. In this article, we'll look at how this can be done, and we'll also go into the details of what this code represents, how to read it, and why it's useful to know its decoding.

Barcode: what it is and what data it contains

This code is a kind of trademark that allows you to identify the product by reading it with a special electronic device. The barcode is an image in the form of strips and figures, which is applied to the packaging of products and contains detailed information about it. In order to obtain it, you need to decipher the corresponding symbols. As a rule, there are thirteen or eight of them (the most common variants in our country).

A 13-digit barcode is called EAN-13 and refers to the European Association of Goods Numbering. In some cases, a code consisting of 8 digits, EAN-8, is used. It is applied to small packages. There are also systems designed for encoding settlement and payment documents, which are also compatible with EAN.

What information does the bar code contain? Check on it can be encrypted in numbers and strips data on:

• The country in which the code data bank is located;
• The country producing the goods;
• Product;
• Control number (more details about it below).

How to do it? Let's see.

We reveal the secret of the barcode

Coding of alphanumeric characters is carried out with the help of light and dark bands of different widths, alternating with each other - strokes and spaces. The unit of width of the stroke is the approved module - 0.33 mm (the narrowest stroke or space). Seven modules, grouped in two strokes and two spaces, encode one digit of the barcode. The width of each of them can be from one to a maximum of three modules. For example: the digit "4" will look like a sequence of the form "1011100". Each code symbol is represented in the same way. What are these figures talking about?

1. The first figures (two or three) contain information about the country producing the goods. Some countries have several options for combining numbers (due to large scales) that make up the barcode. Check them for a particular state can be in special directories or on numerous online resources. For Russia, these values range from 460 to 469, for China - 690, for Great Britain - 50, for Germany - from 400 to 440, and so on.
2. The following figures (five of them) indicate the specific enterprise that produced the goods. This code is assigned by the national authority of the country to which the organization belongs.
3. The following (also five) are the digits of the commodity code, they are determined either by the manufacturer or by the seller in the form of a registration number within the organization. What can be encrypted in these figures? Check by barcode product can be on such data as name, size and weight, color, grade and other characteristic information.
4. The last digit of the code is the check digit. It is necessary for the scanner to read the information contained in the barcode. This figure is calculated by a special algorithm, which we will consider later.

Check digit of the bar code: how to determine

You can check the barcode for authenticity by the last digit indicated in it. How to do it? It is necessary to make calculations according to the following algorithm:

1. Each digit except the last one is assigned a value from 1 to 12 in order.
2. Figures located at even places (2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12th) are added, and the value obtained is multiplied by 3.
3. Numbers are placed on odd places (1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11).
4. The results of the second and third paragraphs also add up. A number is obtained from two or three digits.
5. The final value is left only the last digit. It is subtracted from ten.

The resulting difference and will be the check digit that completes the barcode. You can check the truth of this algorithm yourself, by taking the digits of the code on any product available at your fingertips.

Strokes and spaces

Information is carried not only by numbers, but also by strokes, blanks, and also by their width and combination. The size of the standard EAN-13 code is 31.35 mm. In this case, around the barcode should be free space, which increases its nominal width to 37.29 mm. Also, there is an indication of the beginning and the end of the scan - the code strips that are lengthened along the edges. In the same strips, the numbers reflected on the bar code of the goods are encrypted. About how they are coded, it was said above.

Barcode check: how and what for

Everyone wants to buy genuine goods, and not good (or badly) disguised fakes. It is not always possible to determine in appearance whether the original is a copy or a copy. Especially often, such problems occur when buying clothes from well-known brands. In such a situation, you can check the bar code of the producing country and get information about the true origin of the goods. For these purposes, there are special online services. Entering the appropriate numbers in the data window, you will find out where and by whom the products with the specific barcode are made. Often on the label / tag adorns the inscription "Made in France" or "Made in the US", but in fact the thing is the usual Chinese consumer goods.

However, the inconsistency of information may be due to other reasons:

• The goods are manufactured at a subsidiary located in another country;
• The goods are produced in one country, but under the license of a company of another state;
• The founders of the enterprise are firms registered in different states;
• The company received the code in the country to which it was exported.

In these cases it is worth to learn more about the manufacturer and the features of his work. By the way, not so long ago there were special applications for smartphones that allow you to check the barcode of products right in the store to get complete information about them without outside help.

Barcodes of postal items

This opportunity is no longer a novelty for most citizens, from time to time ordering something on the Internet. Today, it is possible to check the parcel by the barcode and determine its location when it is still on the road. This code (which is assigned to all shipments) is also the mail identifier used to track mail. It is entered on special resources (on the site of the Russian Post or other "thematic" services) and allows you to get information about the main postal items passed and the status of the "processing" (it is formed, sent, delivered), its weight, type and so on.

In the barcode of the parcels there are some differences. They also consist of 13 digits (in the Russian Federation - 14), but their values are different:

• The first 6 digits are the recipient's index;
• 7, 8th digit - the month of departure;
• 9-13th digit - the parcel number;
• 14th is the reference value.

Thus, knowing the barcode, you can check whether your is a parcel, and also find out information about it when it is on the road.

Conclusion

The image that is applied to the packaging of any product produced and to be sold is called a barcode. Check with it you can find information about the product itself, its manufacturer and country of origin, as well as to identify the authenticity of the data indicated on the label / packaging. In addition, special barcodes of postal items are used for their identification and tracking during the delivery period. This attribute is the most important element of automated identification of goods all over the world.