To view the GS1 US Data Hub Product Create Manage User Guide, click here >

For basic steps on how to create a product and UPC-A barcode, visit the Create a Barcode and Generate a UPC-A Barcode article.

To view the Data Hub Product Create Trouble Shooting Guide, click here > 

Q. My prefix is out of capacity. How can I obtain more barcodes?

A. It's not possible to “add capacity” - or add additional GTINs - to an existing prefix when you need more barcodes. If you exhaust the numbering capacity of your GS1 Company Prefix, you can obtain an additional Company Prefix. As your business grows, it may be worth investigating if the additional prefix that you are planning to acquire should have greater numbering capacity. This way, you won’t have to come back as frequently and you may be able to save money over time. If you only need a few more GTINs, another option is to license GS1 US GTINs. Learn more by visiting the GS1 US Get Started Guide.

Here is a brief summary of the Packaging Level options available in GS1 US Data Hub. It's based on a hierarchy, so you should enter the "Each" unit first, and then "Inner Pack," and so on, if you need to add these units as "children" into the higher level "parent" units. When viewing the product detail record for a single product, click the "Hierarchy" tab to view the relationships for this product. 

For more details, watch the Packaging Level module in the GS1 US University Learning Management System (sign in is required). More details are also available in the Product Create Manage User Guide.

Each		The lowest level of the item hierarchy intended or labeled for individual resale. Generally this is the consumer unit sold at check out or online. This item would be assigned a GTIN-12 (U.P.C.). Example: a jar of jam
Inner Pack		Intermediate package of multiples of the same trade item or a predefined assortment of trade items (representing a single GTIN). When you select Inner Pack, the box on the screen is UNCHECKED for “Can this item be purchased by the consumer?”.  In other words, this inner pack is NOT being sold to consumers. Optionally, you can check the box for this field if the inner pack is being sold to consumers. Example: four jars of jam for shipping/receiving only.
Case		A standard shipping unit that contains “eaches” (packaged either individually or grouped as an inner pack). All of the items in a case must have the same GTIN. Example: a case containing 8 jars of strawberry jam.
Mixed Case		Contains more than one type of “each,” and must contain more than one GTIN. The case can contain eaches or inner packs.​ Example: a case that holds 4 jars of strawberry jam and 4 jars of blueberry jam.
Pallet		A shipping unit that contains either cases, inner packs, or eaches. It must contain one GTIN regardless of the number of items in the grouping. Example: a pallet containing 18 cases of strawberry jam.
Mixed Pallet		A shipping unit that can contain any combination of cases, inner packs, and/or eaches and must contain more than one GTIN.​ Example: a pallet containing 9 cases of strawberry jam and 9 cases of blueberry jam.
Display Shipper		A shipping unit that is a self-contained display. It can contain a single type of “each” or multiple types of eaches.​ Example: a promotional display containing both strawberry jam and blueberry jam.
Case as Each		Designed for goods that are shipped as a case, but the contents of the case are NEVER offered for sale on their own. This is used by industries such as foodservice that need to designate the case as its lowest orderable unit. The contents inside are neither assigned GTINs, nor are they sold at checkout or online.​  Example: a 25 lb. pack of bulk mushrooms.

This instructional module is available on the GS1 US Learning Management System (sign in is required) and explains how:

• GS1 US Data Hub supports multiple packaging levels

• The GTIN-14 is generated

• ITF-14 and GS1-128 barcodes can be generated

The module is 7:48 minutes in duration. After you login to the Learning Management System, click the "GS1 US Data Hub & User Portal" Category to access this course, then "Help Resources." On the right, scroll down to the "Packaging Levels" module and click the "Launch" button.