Which country is this barcode? The prefix says who registered the number — the open database says what the product is.
The most common barcode question in shops: "629 means made in the UAE?". The answer: it means the company registered its number with GS1 UAE, and it may manufacture in China or Egypt. Type the number or scan it with the phone camera to see the issuing organisation, check the check digit, and look the product itself up in the open database: its name, brand, size and photo. Iraq has no prefix of its own in the list.
What the thirteen digits mean
The prefix (2–3 digits) identifies the issuing GS1 member; then the company number; then the item number the company picks per product and pack; and the last digit is a check digit computed from the twelve before it, which catches misreads. Prefixes 20–29 are the in-store numbers a shop makes for itself.
What is the product? From a database people fill in
Open Food Facts and its sister databases are open and free; people add products with their photos. So they know most branded goods — water, drinks, biscuits, cleaning products — and miss many local products and shop-packed items. When the number is not found, the barcode is not wrong; nobody has added it yet.
The camera instead of typing
On an Android phone in Chrome a "Camera" button appears: point it at the barcode and the number is read by itself. Browsers that cannot read barcodes do not show the button, and typing remains. The picture never leaves your device — the reading happens in the browser, and only the number is sent to the database.
Common questions
Is there an Iraqi barcode prefix?
No prefix for Iraq in the GS1 list as of this page; Iraqi companies that want a global number usually register through a neighbouring member.
Why does the tool not find my product?
Because nobody has added it to the open database yet — common for Iraqi and locally packed products. The number itself may be perfectly valid; the check digit above tells you. In Dashing you type the item's name once at its first scan, and the till knows it from then on.
More free tools
- Barcode scannerScan with your phone camera and count stock into an Excel file.
- Barcode generatorEAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8 and Code 128 barcodes; download PNG or SVG, or print labels.
- Excel templates for shopsSeven Excel templates in Arabic, Kurdish and English with live formulas: stock count, customer debts, drawer close, price list, purchase order, expenses, suppliers.