What is an ITF-14 barcode?

ITF-14 barcodes are also known as GTIN-14 or SCC-14 (Shipping Container Code) barcodes. They are 14-digit barcodes printed on the outside of a shipping carton or pallet, and they let a retailer's warehouse receive multi-unit shipments with a single scan as the goods arrive.

While 12-digit UPC codes identify individual products, ITF-14 / GTIN-14 codes identify containers of products.

Across retail the Shipping Container Code goes by several names: Master Carton Code, SCC, SCC-14, GTIN-14, ITF-14 or DUN-14. They all mean the same 14-digit number.

The four parts of a GTIN-14

The GTIN-14 / ITF-14 consists of four sections, as shown in the image above:

• Indicator digit: denotes the level of packaging for a particular carton. This one-digit prefix ranges from 0 to 8.
• Company prefix: the prefix that uniquely identifies the company behind the product's UPC (GTIN). Depending on how many items a company identifies, a prefix is 7 to 10 digits long. When you buy UPC codes from UPCs.com, the prefix is already part of your code.
• Item reference: the same product number used for the item-level GTIN (GTIN-8, GTIN-12 or GTIN-13) when a carton is made up of one item. Cartons that hold an assortment of items get a new product number.
• Check digit: the last digit of a GTIN-14 is a calculated check digit. Use the UPCs.com check digit calculator.

This symbology is also called the Shipping Container Code because it is used for fixed-content shipping containers. The 14-digit number has two representations: the GS1-128 (UCC/EAN 128) format, or the ITF-14 format based on Interleaved 2 of 5. The most widely used representation is GS1-128 with Application Identifier (AI) 01, pictured above. An SCC-14 consists of 14 digits, including a check digit calculated the same way as a UPC/EAN check digit. Read as data, an SCC-14 breaks down as:

• Digit 1: package indicator (PI)
• Digits 2 to 3: UPC numbering system / EAN country prefix
• Digits 4 to 8: manufacturer code
• Digits 9 to 13: item identification number
• Digit 14: check digit

Because an SCC-14 marks containers that hold products carrying UPC-A or EAN-13 barcodes, those codes are embedded in it: digits 2 to 13 are the UPC-A or EAN-13 of the products inside the case.

The package indicator depends on what is in the container. A PI of 0 marks a container of items that do not share the same UPC or EAN. PIs of 1 to 8 distinguish cases holding different quantities of the same item. A PI of 9 means the number of items per case varies and is not fixed.

Unlike a UPC or EAN, an SCC-14 does not need to be registered anywhere. It can be produced by following the rules above and created with barcode label software, or we can derive it for you from the codes you own.

Why do I need ITF-14 barcodes?

The ITF-14 / SCC-14 is the standard way a retailer scans your product shipments into inventory. You tell your retailer how many units of your product are in a standard shipping carton. That information goes into their inventory management system, and when your SCC-14 is scanned the system recognizes that a shipment of X individual units of your product has arrived from your company.

Is the Shipping Container Code the same as the UPC code?

No. The ITF-14 is used to receive shipments of multiple units at the warehouse in the back of the store. The UPC barcode is the 12-digit code for a single product that lets the retailer check out individual units at the register in the front of the store. In short, the ITF-14 is for cartons, while the UPC barcode is for individual products.

Here is an example of an ITF-14 on a carton of Milky Way candy bars:

And again, the layout of an ITF-14:

What if I have multiple items with different UPC codes in one box?

Say you pack 10 units of item A and 10 units of item B into a master carton. This is a mixed shipping container, usually called a mixed carton or mixed pallet. Mixed containers are a special case: they need a specific starting digit (the package level indicator) and their own unique base UPC code. You may not use the UPC of an item inside the box as the base for the shipping container code of a mixed container.

Can I buy an ITF-14 code without a UPC code?

No. The ITF-14 / SCC-14 identifies a shipment of multiple units of one product, so the product must have a UPC first. SCC-14 codes always belong with a UPC. You can buy your UPC and SCC-14 codes at the same time, or add the SCC-14 later.

How do I buy an ITF-14 / GTIN-14 / SCC-14 barcode?

You can buy SCC-14 codes directly at UPCs.com. If you already own UPCs from us, we derive the matching carton codes and barcode images for a small fee.