How is an ISSN used in a GS1 barcode?

Modified on Wed, 28 Aug at 7:33 PM

The ISSN is an 8-digit number. In order to represent it in a GTIN-13 compatible structure, we need to do the following:The last digit is a check digit, which for the purpose of the transformation into the GTIN-13 compatible structure, should be omitted, so that 7 digits remain.

Precede the 7 ISSN digits with a GS1 prefix reserved for this application: '977'

In the rightmost position, include two more digits that may indicate publication variations or by the double zero '00'

Recalculate the check digit based on the GS1 Check Digit Algorithm.

Example: ISSN number 0174736X represented as a GTIN-13:

GS1 Prefix: 977

ISSN (without ISSN check digit) plus two-digits: 0 1 7 4 7 3 6 0 0

Check Digit: 5