With UPC code dimensions, the width is more important than the height because the width influences the distance between the bars and how well the scanner’s laser can distinguish between them. UPC codes appear as lines (bars) of varying widths representing the series of numbers commonly shown below the bars. Barcode scanners read the bars and convert them back to the 12-digit UPC number that they represent. We recommend test-scanning any UPC code before getting your barcode labels and stickers printed. To obtain a UPC code, please visit GS1.org for more information.
Size guidelines for UPC codes:
| Nominal size | 1.469″ wide x 1.02″ high |
| Minimum recommended size | 80% of the nominal size or 1.175″ wide |
| Maximum recommended size | 200% of the nominal size or 2.938″ wide |
If you have a smaller product and limited label space, you may benefit from shorter code variations such as UPC-E. The UPC-E barcode is a variation of UPC-A (the most common type) which compresses out unnecessary zeros and allows for a more compact barcode that’s about half the size of UPC-A.