GS1 barcode usage¶

GS1 barcodes provide a standardized format that barcode scanners can interpret. They encode information in a specific structure recognized globally, allowing scanners to understand and process supply chain data consistently.

The following sections contain examples of how GS1 barcodes provided by the business identify common warehouse items.

Important

Odoo does not create GS1 barcodes. Businesses must purchase a unique Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) from GS1. Then, they can combine their existing GS1 barcodes with product and supply chain information (also provided by GS1) to create barcodes in Odoo.

Important

In this database, the barcode-scan fields used on receipts, deliveries, transfers, and orders (see Scan receipts, deliveries, and internal transfers, Count inventory with the scanner, and Scan products onto an order) only match a scanned code against a single product’s Barcode field. They do not split a composite GS1-128 barcode that packs several application identifiers into one scan (for example a product GTIN followed by a quantity and a lot number in a single code). Use a plain GTIN as the product’s barcode as described below, and enter quantities and lot numbers separately on the transfer.

Configure barcodes for product, quantity, and lots¶

To build a GS1 barcode that contains information about a product, its quantities, and the lot number, the following barcode patterns and Application Identifiers (A.I.) are used:

Name	Rule Name	A.I.	Barcode Pattern	Field in Odoo
Product	Global Trade Item Number (GTIN)	01	(01)(\d{14})	Barcode field on product form
Quantity	Variable count of items	30	(30)(\d{0,8})	Quantity on transfer form
Lot Number	Batch or lot number	10	(10)([!”%-/0-9:-?A-Z_a-z]{0,20})	Lot/serial number on transfer form

Configuration¶

First, enable product tracking using lots by navigating to Inventory app ‣ Configuration ‣ Settings, and checking the box for Lots & Serial Numbers under the Traceability heading.

Then, set up the product barcode by navigating to the intended product form in Inventory app ‣ Products ‣ Products and selecting the product. On the product form, in the General Information tab, fill in the Barcode field with the unique 14-digit Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), which is a universally recognized identifying number that is provided by GS1.

Important

On the product form, omit the A.I. 01 for GTIN product barcode pattern, as it is only used to encode multiple barcodes into a single barcode that contains detailed information about the package contents.

Example

To record the GS1 barcode for the product, Fuji Apple, enter the 14-digit GTIN 20611628936004 in the Barcode field on the product form.

screenshot: barcode-gs1-usage-barcode-field

menu: Inventory ‣ Products ‣ Products ‣ (Fuji Apple) ‣ General Information
shows: The "Barcode" field on the product form filled in with "20611628936004".
highlight: The "Barcode" field (red frame).
data: Product "Fuji Apple".
module: product
notes: English UI, light theme, 1440px width.

Tip

To view or set the GTIN for several products at once, use the products list’s Barcode column as described in Product and location barcodes.

screenshot: barcode-gs1-usage-product-barcodes-page

menu: Inventory ‣ Products ‣ Products ‣ (list view)
shows: The products list with the "Barcode" column enabled, filled with 14-digit GTINs.
highlight: n/a
data: A handful of demo products with GTIN barcodes.
module: product
notes: English UI, light theme, 1440px width.

After activating tracking by lots and serial numbers from the settings page, specify that this feature is to be applied on each product by navigating to the Inventory tab on the product form. Under Tracking, choose the By Lots radio button.

screenshot: barcode-gs1-usage-track-by-lots

menu: Inventory ‣ Products ‣ Products ‣ (Fuji Apple) ‣ Inventory
shows: The "Tracking" field set to "By Lots" in the product form's Inventory tab.
highlight: The "By Lots" option (red frame).
data: Product "Fuji Apple".
module: stock
notes: English UI, light theme, 1440px width.

With the product barcode and lot tracking configured this way, scanning the plain product GTIN resolves to the right product on any barcode-enabled screen (see Scan receipts, deliveries, and internal transfers and Count inventory with the scanner); the lot or serial number itself is still entered or scanned into its own field on the transfer, separately from the product barcode.

Configure barcode for product and non-unit quantity¶

To build a GS1 barcode that contains products measured in a non-unit quantity, like kilograms, for example, the following barcode patterns are used:

Name	Rule Name	A.I.	Barcode Pattern	Field in Odoo
Product	Global Trade Item Number (GTIN)	01	(01)(\d{14})	Barcode field on product form
Quantity in kilograms	Variable count of items	310[0-5]	(310[0-5])(\d{6})	Quantity on transfer form

As with the lot example above, the GTIN (application identifier 01) is what gets set as the product’s plain Barcode field; the weight/quantity segment of a composite GS1 barcode is not read automatically by the scan-enabled screens in this database, so the quantity is entered manually once the product line has been added.

Verify product moves¶

After processing a scanned transfer, the resulting quantities are recorded on the Product Moves report, accessible by navigating to Inventory app ‣ Reporting ‣ Product Moves.

The items on the Product Moves report are grouped by product by default. To confirm the received or delivered quantities, click on a product line to open its collapsible drop-down menu, which displays a list of stock move lines for the product, each one tied to the transfer reference (e.g. WH/IN/00013) it came from.