Symbologies

EAN-8 barcode generator

An 8-digit GTIN with a valid check digit becomes an EAN-8 image address.

Updated 2026-10-10 · 3 min read

An EAN-8 is the retail barcode for an 8-digit GTIN, used on packs too small for an EAN-13. Beepable draws one only when the check digit matches. Eight digits are an assigned GTIN, not a shortened SKU, so a short internal code will never be drawn as an EAN-8 just because it is short.

How do I generate an EAN-8?

Use the 8-digit GTIN you were assigned, including the check digit. 96385074 is an EAN-8.
Try it on the barcode form with auto, which picks EAN-8 for any valid 8-digit GTIN.
For a column, put the code in A2, your picture key in Z1, and this formula in B2:
```
=IMAGE("https://beepable.app/i/ean8.png?v="&ENCODEURL(A2)&"&k="&$Z$1)
```

For the digits under the bars, use:

=IMAGE("https://beepable.app/i/ean8.png?v="&ENCODEURL(A2)&"&hrt=1&k="&$Z$1)

Place the picture with its white margins intact. On a small pack, cropping the margin is the usual reason a barcode fails.

What if the value is not an EAN-8?

You have	What happens	Use instead
13 digits	With ean8 in the formula, a card. With auto, an EAN-13.	The EAN-13 guide
12 digits	With auto, a UPC-A.	The UPC-A guide
14 digits	With auto, an ITF-14 for a case.	The ITF-14 guide
A 6-digit code or a SKU	A card that says a retail barcode needs 8, 12, 13, or 14 digits.	The Code 128 guide

Writing ean8 in the formula is deliberate: a column that must hold EAN-8 codes shows a card for anything else instead of drawing a different barcode.

What if the cell shows a card?

The cell shows	Why	What to do
Check digit is invalid for this GTIN. Name code128 to encode it anyway.	The last digit does not match the other digits.	Copy the code again from its source. Beepable never makes up a check digit.
EAN-8 needs 8 digits. This has 13.	The formula says ean8, but the code is longer.	Use auto, or the guide for that length.
This barcode needs an API key.	Z1 is empty, or the formula does not point at it.	Paste your picture key in Z1, and keep both dollar signs in $Z$1.
This API key has been revoked.	The key was revoked on the Account page.	Create a new picture key and paste it in Z1.

What does the picture contain?

Black bars on white, with the quiet zone already included. With hrt=1, the 8 digits are printed underneath. The same digits always give the same picture, and a barcode drawn once is saved for a year, so a purchase order that repeats the same code costs nothing extra.

In a CSV upload, put 96385074 in the value column and leave symbology empty, or set it to ean8. In a batch request, send the digits as a string, like every other GTIN.

How do I check the file before it ships?

Scan the printed EAN-8, not the screen. Then test the rule: put a 7-digit value in the next row and check that it shows the length card, and put a 13-digit code in a row with ean8 in the formula and check that it does not draw. Leave more margin than you think a small pack can spare.