ISBN-13
The ISBN alone identifies the book completely. Choose it outside the US and Canada, unless you use in-house add-on codes.
Create ISBN-13 ›Used by 700,000+ people
Free ISBN barcode generator.
Create the book barcode for your back cover from the International Standard Book Number. Enter an ISBN-13, or an ISBN-10 that the generator converts.
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How to create an ISBN barcode
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01
Enter your ISBN
Paste the ISBN-13, or an ISBN-10, with or without hyphens. Spaces give an error.
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02
Choose the module width
Set 240 dpi and a module width of 3 pixels (0.318 mm): the bars then reach GS1's minimum height. For offset-printed covers, the US Book Industry Study Group (BISG) sees no need to exceed 100% (0.330 mm).
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03
Add the ISBN line
The image shows bars and digits only. In your cover file, add "ISBN" and the hyphenated ISBN-13 above them, at 9 point or larger.
What is an ISBN barcode?
An ISBN barcode is an EAN-13 encoding a book's International Standard Book Number (ISBN), also printed above the bars after the letters "ISBN". GS1, the global organisation for product identification, allocated the prefixes 978 and 979 to the ISBN system. An ISBN-13 is therefore fully compatible with the GTIN-13 (Global Trade Item Number) of other goods.
Who prints and scans ISBN barcodes
Publishers and self-publishers print the barcode on physical editions: hardback, paperback, even an audiobook on CD. Each product form has its own ISBN, so a paperback edition gets a new barcode; an unchanged reprint keeps the old one.
Bookshops scan it at the till to record sales, track stock and reorder; many distributors scan it in their warehouses. In the US, strippable mass-market paperbacks repeat it inside the front cover for returns.
What retailers expect from a book barcode
Most US retailers refuse books without a barcode, BISG notes. Books are ordered and distributed mainly by ISBN, and sales figures are collected by it. Where the add-on carries the price, scanning it charges exactly the cover price.
For books, GS1 points to its retail checkout rules: print grade 1.5 or better, bars never cut short. BISG recommends black or dark blue bars on white, yellow or red, never the reverse.
Barcodes for a whole publishing list
Without an account, you create one ISBN-13 barcode at a time. After a free sign-in, a data sheet takes your title list as CSV and makes many barcodes at once. SVG, with a plan, scales without loss in cover artwork.
Barcode Studio imports an ISBN list from CSV and exports all symbols in one run; its Pro edition adds EPS, PDF and AI (Illustrator) files with CMYK. TBarCode SDK lets your software set the bar height in millimetres.
ISBN barcode at a glance
- Symbol
- EAN-13 (Bookland EAN), optional 5-digit add-on
- Module width X
- 0.264–0.660 mm; 0.330 mm at 100%
- Bar height
- 22.85 mm at 0.330 mm
- Quiet zones
- 11X left, 7X right; add-on: 7–12X gap, 5X after
ISBN-13 elements and the ISBN-10 conversion
| Element | Example | Identifies |
|---|---|---|
| Prefix | 978 | Books (978 or 979) |
| Registration group | 92 | Country, region or language (92: NGOs and EU organisations) |
| Registrant | 95055 | Publisher or imprint |
| Publication | 12 | Edition and format |
| Check digit | 4 | Modulus 10 |
Converting the Hong Kong ISBN agency's example ISBN-10, 988-97010-0-6:
- Drop the check character 6 and add 978: 978988970100.
- Weight the digits alternately 1 and 3 and add them: 130.
- Check digit: 10 minus the remainder of 130 ÷ 10; a remainder of 0 gives 0.
- Result: 978-988-97010-0-0.
The 5-digit price add-on
Checkouts need not read the add-on. Outside the US and Canada, the International ISBN Agency advises against prices in it but allows in-house codes 90000–98999, such as for returns. BISG's US codes (2025):
| Add-on | US meaning |
|---|---|
| 50001–59998 | US$0.01–99.98, such as 52495 for US$24.95 |
| 10000–49999 | US$100.00–499.99 |
| 90000 | No price encoded |
BISG asks publishers to consult trading partners before dropping the price.
Cover placement and print rules
- Position. Lower right of the back cover, near the spine; BISG (US) allows anywhere along the bottom, 1/4 inch above the edge.
- ISBN line. A sans serif such as OCR-B or Arial, at least as wide as the main symbol (BISG).
- Bar height. At least 69.24 modules: 22.85 mm at 0.330 mm; the generator has no height setting. With the digits shown, its bars reach this only at module widths below 0.330 mm, such as 3 pixels at 240 dpi (0.318 mm). At 4 pixels and 300 dpi (0.339 mm), they are 22.5 mm instead of 23.45 mm.
ISBN-13 or ISBN-13 + 5?
ISBN-13 + 5
Adds the 5-digit add-on (EAN-5). Choose it for the US and Canadian book trade, where it carries the price, or for in-house codes.
Create ISBN-13 + 5 ›Frequently asked questions
Learn more about ISBN.
Where do I get an ISBN?
From the national ISBN agency where the publisher is based, whatever the book's language or printing location. The International ISBN Agency issues none, except to multinational non-governmental organisations. In many countries, author-publishers can get single ISBNs; a self-publishing platform's own ISBN makes it the publisher.
Do I need to join GS1?
Not for the book itself: the International ISBN Agency confirms you need not join GS1 to print your ISBN as a barcode. A GTIN-14 built from the ISBN for cartons of one title, however, requires GS1 membership or a national publishers' agreement.
Does a price change need a new barcode?
Only if the add-on carries the price. A new price or cover keeps the ISBN, so a barcode without add-on, or with 90000, stays unchanged. A price add-on still encodes the old price: update it on the reprint to match the cover.
Can I still use my ISBN-10?
Only as an extra line: since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have 13 digits, and the line above the barcode shows the ISBN-13. The International ISBN Agency says 10-digit ISBNs should no longer be quoted, and a 979 ISBN has none.
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