EPC SGTIN-96 Encoder / Decoder
24 hex characters in, GTIN-14 + serial out — or the reverse. Header byte, partition table, and GS1 check digit are validated.
How SGTIN-96 works
An EPC (Electronic Product Code) is a 96-bit identifier stored on every EPCglobal / ISO 18000-63 UHF tag. The most common encoding is SGTIN-96 — Serialized Global Trade Item Number — which combines your GS1 company prefix, a product item reference, and a per-item serial number into 96 bits. The layout is fixed by GS1's EPC Tag Data Standard: 8 bits of header (0x30 for SGTIN-96), 3 bits of filter (packaging level: item, case, pallet…), 3 bits of partition (chooses how the remaining bits split between company prefix and item reference), then the partition-defined company prefix and item reference, and finally a 38-bit serial (0 to 274 billion). The partition table is the tricky part: partition 5 means "7-digit company prefix + 6-digit item reference", partition 6 means "6-digit prefix + 7-digit item reference", and so on. Encoding starts from your GTIN-14: strip the check digit, split it into company prefix + item reference at the length GS1 assigned you (typically 7-10 digits of prefix), pick the matching partition row, and pack the numeric values into their bit widths, big-endian. Decoding reverses that: read the partition, read the correct number of bits, convert to decimal, and re-attach the recomputed GS1 check digit to display a human-readable GTIN. This tool does both, validates the header byte, and shows the bit layout so you can double-check against your printing template.
Partition table
| Partition | Company prefix bits | Company prefix digits | Item ref bits | Item ref digits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 40 | 12 | 4 | 1 |
| 1 | 37 | 11 | 7 | 2 |
| 2 | 34 | 10 | 10 | 3 |
| 3 | 30 | 9 | 14 | 4 |
| 4 | 27 | 8 | 17 | 5 |
| 5 | 24 | 7 | 20 | 6 |
| 6 | 20 | 6 | 24 | 7 |
FAQ
What's the header byte for SGTIN-96?
0x30. Other schemes: 0x35 = SGTIN-198 (up to 20-char alphanumeric serial), 0x2F = SSCC-96, 0x2D = GID-96.
How do I know which partition to use?
It's set by the length of your GS1 company prefix. A 10-digit prefix = partition 2 (34 bits company + 10 bits item ref). A 7-digit prefix = partition 5. Check GS1 for your assigned length.
What's the filter value for?
Packaging level. 0 = all others, 1 = point-of-sale item, 2 = case, 3 = reserved, 4 = inner pack, 6 = unit load, 7 = component / not-for-sale. Retailers standardise on filter=1 for individual retail items.
Why does the serial max out at ~274 billion?
38 bits of serial → 2³⁸ - 1 = 274,877,906,943 unique serials per (company prefix, item reference) pair.