Today, the barcode is used in millions of products around the world. While this asset tracking system operates off virtually the same concept, there are some slight differences. In addition, for North American countries such as the United States and Canada, barcode or asset labels are called UPC or Universal Product Code. However, countries in Europe use the EAN system, otherwise known as, EAN or European Article Numbering. The following are some of the more commonly used barcodes for European countries.

1. EAN8 – This barcode is made up of eight digits, which consists of five for produce code, two for country code, and one for check digit. For occasions when space is an issue, EAN8 would be used rather than EAN13.
2. EAN13 – For these barcode labels, 13 digits are used. The breakdown in this case includes five being the manufacturer’s code, five for product code, two for country code, and one for check digit. For books, which use ISBN (International Standard Book Number), the EAN13 would begin with the numbers 978 or 979. For non-US publications using ISSN, the code would begin with 977.
3. Extensions – To indicate the number of magazines issued, an extension known as EXT2 is used. However, to indicate the recommended retail price for magazines and books, an extension called EXT5 would be used.