What is UPC-E?

A compressed form of UPC-A for small retail packages. UPC-E suppresses predictable zeroes from eligible UPC-A manufacturer and item-number patterns while preserving the same GTIN-12 identity.

How it is structured

Number system digit, six compressed data digits, and check digit. Parity patterns encode both the number system and check digit; scanners expand the result back to UPC-A.

Where it is used

Small North American retail products where a full UPC-A symbol is too wide.

Primary specification

See GS1 General Specifications for the authoritative specification or publisher record.

Related EPC encodings