EAN

Business & Finance abbreviation · Logistics, Supply Chain & Trade

EAN
Stands forEuropean Article Number
CategoriesBusiness & Finance

EAN stands for European Article Number, a logistics, supply chain & trade abbreviation.

Thirteen-digit product barcode standard (EAN-13) used on retail goods across most of the world outside North America, now officially called the International Article Number. Its first digits identify the GS1 member organization that issued the prefix.

Example: Our European distributor requires an EAN on each pack of tea.

Usage notes

Introduced in 1977 as a superset of the UPC: adding a leading zero turns a UPC into a valid EAN-13. Books carry EAN-13 codes beginning with 978 or 979, which are also their ISBNs. A shorter EAN-8 exists for small packages. The EAN Association and the US Uniform Code Council merged under the GS1 name in 2005.

More logistics, supply chain & trade abbreviations

  • DDU – Delivered Duty Unpaid
  • DG – Dangerous goods
  • DIM – Dimensional weight
  • DOH – Days on hand
  • DPU – Delivered at Place Unloaded
  • DSD – Direct store delivery
  • EDI – Electronic data interchange
  • EEI – Electronic Export Information
  • EOQ – Economic order quantity
  • EORI – Economic Operators Registration and Identification number
  • ETD – Estimated time of departure
  • EXW – Ex Works

See all 106 logistics, supply chain & trade abbreviations →