EAN-8

EAN-8 is the compact, 8-digit counterpart to EAN-13, designed for small packages where a full-length symbol won't fit.

EAN-8 is the short version of EAN-13, the same as UPC-E is to UPC-A. While they look very similar, some differences exist. UPC-E does not explicitly encode the first digit (NS), while EAN-8 encodes all 8 digits. If you are using the Morovia UPC/EAN/Bookland font to draw an EAN-8 symbol, you must take note of this. That also means EAN-8 is not compatible with UPC-E from an encoding and decoding perspective. Moreover, though a UPC-E number can be converted back to UPC-A, this is not the case for EAN-8. There is no defined method for conversion between EAN-13 and EAN-8.

An EAN-8 number contains 7 digits of message plus 1 check digit. The first two or three digits identify the numbering authority; the remaining 4 or 5 digits identify the product. You must apply for the EAN-8 number separately from the numbering agency responsible for your country or region.

The EAN-8 check digit is calculated using the modulo 10 method. Here are the steps to calculate the EAN-8 check digit:

1. From right to left, starting with the odd position, assign the odd/even position to each digit.
2. Sum all digits in odd positions and multiply the result by 3.
3. Sum all digits in even positions.
4. Sum the results of step 3 and step 4.
5. Divide the result of step 4 by 10. The check digit is the number that, added to the remainder, equals 10.

The encoding of an EAN-8 symbol uses all three character sets. An EAN-8 symbol has the following structure:

1. Start guard bars, always with a pattern bar+space+bar.
2. Two number system characters, encoded with character set A.
3. The following two characters, encoded with character set A.
4. Center guard bars, with a pattern space+bar+space+bar+space.
5. Last three characters, encoded in character set C.
6. Stop guard bars, always with a pattern bar+space+bar.