EAN (GTIN) code
EAN · GTIN · barcode · EAN-13
The EAN code, now standardised as GTIN, is the unique commercial identifier of a trade item, carried by a barcode. It designates a product as it is sold — a brand, a reference, a pack size — independently of the vehicle it is meant for.
Director of publication : Florian Précigout
Its strength is the absence of ambiguity: an EAN is scanned, not deciphered. Where a supplier reference can be misread or typed with an extra dash, a legible barcode closes the question. That is why it is the best element to look for on a photo of packaging.
Its limitation is symmetrical: it has no notion of vehicle. An EAN says "this exact item", not "this item fits". It therefore serves to confirm an identification already made, or to re-find an item already sold, rather than to discover one.
On the logistics side it is the key to picking and goods-in control: it is the scanned EAN, not the retyped reference, that guarantees a parcel holds what the line claims.
The trap
Taking a pack's EAN for the part's. A kit, a twin-pack or a reconditioning box carries its own code: scanning the outer packaging can designate a different item from the part inside.
Frequently asked
Is an EAN enough to place an order?
To reorder an item already identified, yes — it is the safest route. For a first identification, no: an EAN carries no vehicle information at all.
What is the difference between EAN and GTIN?
GTIN is the standardised name of the identifier family; EAN-13 is its most common European format. In everyday trade usage the two words mean the same thing.