A GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is the GS1 number that identifies a product uniquely worldwide; it is the digits inside the EAN-13 barcode on the packaging. In Türkiye, the first part of this number, the company prefix, is obtained from GS1 Türkiye. Once the prefix is allocated, numbering each product is the company's job. A number, once assigned, cannot be given to another product.
What does a GTIN identify?
A GTIN identifies a product type, not an individual unit. Every pack made of the same product carries the same GTIN. The 250 ml and 500 ml bottles of the same product, however, are two different products and get two different GTINs. Higher packaging levels such as cases and pallets can also have their own GTIN.
A serial number is added to the GTIN to tell individual units apart, and a batch number to tell batches apart. We explain these layers in our article on batch and serial numbers.
Does 869 show that a product is made in Türkiye?
No. GS1 has reserved the prefixes 868 and 869 for GS1 Türkiye, but as GS1 Türkiye itself states clearly, the prefix does not indicate the product's origin. An importer can number an imported product with an 869 prefix. A multinational manufacturing in Türkiye, on the other hand, can use a prefix it obtained abroad. Posts claiming that "869 means made in Türkiye" are therefore misleading.
Where do you get a barcode number?
GS1 Türkiye was founded in 1988 within TOBB, the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye, as the National Article Numbering Centre (Milli Mal Numaralandırma Merkezi). It took its current name in 2005 and has operated as a foundation since 2016. To obtain a company prefix, you apply for GS1 Türkiye System Membership. Applications are made through online.gs1tr.org; applying by post or in person is also possible but takes longer.
The applicant must be registered in the trade registry or the registry of tradespeople and craftsmen. The documents the organisation lists are:
- Certificate of activity (faaliyet belgesi): From the chamber of commerce, industry or tradespeople, with all pages in a single file.
- Notarised letter of undertaking: The company name, email and address must match the details in the system and on the certificate of activity.
- Tax return: Which return is required depends on the month of application.
- For newly established companies: The Trade Registry Gazette and the tax certificate (vergi levhası).
The membership fee is set according to turnover and prefix length. After the first year of membership, a system usage fee is paid every year. GS1 Türkiye also warns against fake payment and account change requests that use its name; payment should be made only through the online system or to the organisation's official account.
How many products can a prefix length number?
The longer the prefix, the fewer digits are left for products. The capacity given by GS1 Türkiye is:
| Prefix length | Products that can be numbered |
|---|---|
| 7 digits | 100,000 |
| 8 digits | 10,000 |
| 9 digits | 1,000 |
| 10 digits | 100 |
| 11 digits | 10 |
| 12 digits | 1 |
When choosing a prefix, base the decision not on today's product count but on variants, packaging levels and the product range of the coming years. A GTIN-8 for small packs and a variable measure number for products sold by weight can be requested separately.
How is a GTIN-13 built?
A GTIN-13 has three parts: the company prefix, the item reference and the check digit. GS1 Türkiye recommends assigning item references sequentially and not building meanings such as category into the number.
The check digit is calculated, not chosen. Starting from the right, the digits are multiplied alternately by 3 and 1, the results are added, and the total is rounded up to the next multiple of ten. In GS1 Türkiye's example, with the prefix 8691234 the first product is 869123400000. The weighted sum is 53, and the 7 needed to reach 60 is the check digit. The number becomes 8691234000007.
Numbers are activated with their basic data on GS1 Türkiye's Activate platform. This data is passed to the global GS1 registry platform. Buyers and marketplaces can look up who a number was allocated to with Verified by GS1, which replaced GEPIR in 2024.
When is a new GTIN needed?
Under GS1's GTIN Management Standard, a new GTIN is needed if the consumer or trading partner must be able to tell two products apart, if regulation requires it, or if the change significantly affects the supply chain. Rules from the standard that come up often:
- Net content: When the declared quantity changes, the consumer unit and all higher levels get a new GTIN.
- Dimensions and weight: If any dimension or the gross weight changes by more than 20 percent, a new GTIN is needed.
- Formulation and function: If the declared formulation or function changes, a new GTIN is needed.
- Certification mark: If a certification mark is added to or removed from the packaging, a new GTIN is needed.
- Primary brand: When the primary brand changes, a new GTIN is needed.
- Promotion: In time-limited promotions, only higher levels such as the case get a new GTIN; the consumer unit does not.
- Price printed on pack: Adding, changing or removing a price requires a new GTIN; the standard advises against printing prices on packaging.
Where local regulation is stricter than these rules, the regulation applies.
Common mistakes
- Buying numbers from a reseller: Under the GS1 General Specifications, a company prefix or individual GTINs cannot be sold, leased or given to another company. A purchased number shows the original licensee of the number in Verified by GS1.
- Reusing a number: The old 48-month waiting rule was abolished on 1 January 2019. A GTIN assigned to one product cannot be assigned to another.
- Different numbers in two carriers: If the packaging has both a linear barcode and a 2D code, both must carry the same GTIN.
- Meaningful numbering: Building category or colour codes into the item reference uses up numbers quickly.
Does a barcode show that a product is genuine?
No. A GTIN identifies a product type and is the same on every pack of that type. It is easy to print the same barcode on counterfeit packaging; the scanner reads the counterfeit pack as the genuine product too. A barcode does the work of identification and stock, not verification. We cover this distinction in detail in our article on tracking and verification.
What does Spectrace offer in this layer?
You build the GTIN yourself with the prefix you obtain from GS1 Türkiye; Spectrace does not issue this number and does not replace GS1 membership. Tagvex adds a copy-resistant code at batch or unit level on top of the GTIN, and a record of every change of hands from the line exit to the dealer. Grafex, with an invisible digital signature embedded in the existing packaging print, lets a phone verify whether the packaging itself is genuine.
