A GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is the GS1 family of product identifiers used to uniquely identify trade items worldwide. GTINs are encoded in barcodes (EAN-13, UPC-A, GS1-128, GS1 DataMatrix) and increasingly in 2D codes.
In e-invoicing, GTINs are referenced on invoice line items to identify the exact product being billed. This allows buyers to automatically match invoice lines to purchase order lines or goods receipts in their ERP system — a key step in 3-way matching.
GTIN formats:
| Format | Digits | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| GTIN-8 | 8 | Small items, EAN-8 |
| GTIN-12 | 12 | North America, UPC-A |
| GTIN-13 | 13 | Global retail, EAN-13 |
| GTIN-14 | 14 | Trade/logistics units |
Key facts
- Issued by: GS1 (via national member organisations)
- In UBL:
<Item><SellersItemIdentification>or<StandardItemIdentification schemeID="0160"> - In CII:
<SpecifiedTradeProduct><GlobalID schemeID="0160"> - GS1 scheme ID for GTIN in PEPPOL:
0160