UPC (Universal Product Code)

A UPC (Universal Product Code) is a 12-digit barcode standard used throughout North America for retail products. The first digit is a number system (0 = standard, 2 = weighted items like meat, 5 = coupons), the next 5-6 digits identify the manufacturer (assigned by GS1), the next 5-6 digits identify the specific product, and the last digit is a check digit.

On receipts, the UPC is sometimes printed below the line item (Walmart, Costco) and sometimes hidden inside the SKU column (most other retailers). The barcode itself is rarely printed at the bottom of a receipt — that’s usually a different code (Code 128 or a 2D code) used for return lookups.

UPC was invented at IBM in 1973 and first scanned at a Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio in 1974 (the first item scanned: a 10-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum, now in the Smithsonian).

Internationally, the UPC has been folded into the EAN-13 standard — a UPC-A is just an EAN-13 with a leading zero.