Barcodes for Alcohol

Almost all alcohol products in Australia (and worldwide) have barcodes on their labels. Barcodes are required so that retailers can easily keep track of their inventory and simplify the sales process. We have been selling barcodes to customers in Australia and worldwide for many years. Many of our customers are Distilleries, Liquor distributors, and companies that specialise in various Liquor products.

Barcodes for Liquor products can be purchased below. If you purchase barcodes below, you will receive EAN-13 barcodes. They are suitable for use on all food and beverage products (including Liquors) in Australia and worldwide. For more information about barcodes for alcohol, please see the FAQ at the bottom of this page.

FAQs about Barcode for Alcohol

 

What type of barcode do I need for alcohol products?

Liquor bottles and products in Australia (and most parts of the world) usually have a 13 digit “EAN-13” barcode on them. You can purchase this type of barcode above and receive it by email instantly.

The EAN-13 barcodes we sell are globally unique barcodes that comply with the standardised retail barcoding system used in Australia and worldwide. Our barcodes are compliant with all retail barcoding software and barcode scanners, both in Australia and worldwide. They are also compatible with Container Deposit Schemes.

How many barcodes do I need for my products?

You need a unique barcode number for each different retail product (this includes different product variations – e.g. various flavours or sizes). If your product is for sale both individually (e.g. individual bottles) and in a multi-unit set, you’ll need one barcode for the individual bottle and a different barcode for the set. For example if you have beer in two brews say IPA and stout, and each comes in two sizes (330ml and a 6 pack) then you need 2 flavours x 2 sizes = 6 barcodes.

What type of barcode do I need for the outer delivery case packaging?

You may need to put an ITF-14 barcode (a 14-digit Shipping Code) onto the delivery boxes that contain your beers, wines or spirits. Please discuss this with your retailers to find out if they require this. ITF-14 barcodes are 14 digits long and are based on the 13-digit EAN barcode on the product. Carton codes are scanned when each delivery carton enters inwards goods so that your retailers know how many cases or different products are in each box. This helps them to keep track of the remaining stock that’s in their warehouse and to know when they’re running low on a particular product and need to order more. Usually, you’ll need one ITF-14 barcode for each EAN-13 barcode that you have. You can purchase an ITF-14 barcode here if you need one.

Do we need to give you any product information?

No, you don’t. All you need to do is buy the barcodes you need below on our website and pay by credit card. You will receive your barcodes automatically by email as soon as we receive your payment. The barcodes will be a globally unique sequence of 13 digits encoded into a barcode image (the vertical black bars and white spaces). No product information will be encoded into the barcodes – your barcodes and products will only be linked together once you give them to your retailers, and they enter the information into their inventory system (after that, when the barcode is scanned, the product/price information will appear on the retailer’s checkout screen).

How do we use our barcodes?

For information about how to use your barcodes, please see this page. We also have a short Barcode Buyer Document PDF that explains how to use your barcode.

Do we need to register the barcodes in a database? 

No, you don’t. You can allocate the barcodes to your products, get them printed onto the labels, and then start using the barcodes immediately. There is no compulsory (or comprehensive) barcode database for alcohol products – or any other retail product – in Australia or worldwide.

There are several general barcode databases online (where all types of retail products – food, beverages, clothes etc. – can be listed), but none of these databases is complete. One of the best ones is the International Barcodes Database. If you purchase “EAN-13 Barcode Packages” (above), you’ll be able to register your barcodes for free on that database. Registration is an optional service. It is not compulsory. For more information about barcode, registration click here.

Can we purchase a roll of adhesive barcode labels from you? 

Yes, you can. We can send you a roll of barcode labels (via courier) for you to stick onto your existing Liquor labels. This could be a good option if your labels were printed before you got a barcode (or if the barcode printed on the labels is not scanning correctly for some reason). You can purchase barcode labels here.