UPC

Universal Product Code (UPC)

Standard bar code used to identify grocery and other retail merchandise. In the UPC system, the five digits on the left are assigned to a particular manufacturer or maker and the five digits on the right are used by that manufacturer to identify a specific type or make of product.

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UPC

(Universal Product Code) The standard bar code printed on retail merchandise. The UPC is read by scanning the bar code at checkout counters in supermarkets and retail stores. Handheld UPC scanners are used to inventory merchandise stocked on shelves.

Global Trade Item Number (GTIN)
The UPC falls under the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) identification system, which is administered by GS1 US, Brussels, Belgium and Lawrenceville, NJ (www.gs1.org). The common 12-digit UPC-A code includes a vendor number assigned by GS1 US along with the vendor's product number and a check digit. For tiny packages, a compressed six-digit UPC-E code can be used that is equivalent to the 12-digit code. GTIN categories include numeric bar codes with 8, 13 and 14 digits and also support alphanumeric (ASCII) characters.

Unlike the EPC code in an RFID system, the UPC does not include a unique serial number and cannot be used for individual item tracking. See EPC and RFID.

UPC scanning systems were introduced in the early 1970s. In the mid-1980s, UPCs were added to shipping containers, and mandates from retailers such as Walmart and K-Mart caused them to be widely adopted. See bar code and bar code scanner.

UPC Codes Everywhere

One can hardly find a retail package without the numeric UPC bar code label.

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UPC

Abbr. for “Uniform Plumbing Code.”