Nuts & Bolts – Barcodes, GTINs, UPC Codes & SKU Numbers

[Read our full Nuts & Bolts series]

If you plan on distributing your games broadly, having them in retail, or through distribution, then you’ll eventually need a GTIN/UPC code and an SKU.

So, let’s take a look at what they are and how you can get them.

GTINs, UPCs & Barcodes

A GTIN or Global Trade Identification Number is a standardization of other legacy identification systems such as an EAN (European Article Numbers), a UPC (Universal Product Code), or an ISBN (International Standard Book Number).

You’ll sometimes see the term followed by a number ex. GTIN-8 or GTIN-12 - that just denotes the number of digits in the GTIN.

A UPC or barcode number is a GTIN-12.

Sigil’s UPC

Getting a UPC/GTIN is easy. It costs either $30 for one, or you can buy in bulk.

Go to https://my.gs1us.org/, and follow the instructions on the site for purchasing a GS 1 US GTIN for your product.  You’ll then be able to download a barcode.

SKU Numbers

A Stock Keeping Unit, or SKU, is a product code that retailers and distributors use to track products and inventory.

There isn’t a central repository of SKUs, so you’ll be creating your own. However, each industry has its own customs for generating and formatting SKUs.

This is our SKU for Nut Hunt: PIX001000.

Before creating an SKU you’ll first need an SMC or Standard Manufacturer Code. This is a unique prefix that denotes your company, and is registered with the Hobby Manufacturers Association. It’s usually an abbreviation of your company name.

To claim your SMC go to https://hobbysmc.com/, and follow the instructions; they cost $25, and need to be re-registered every 10 years.

I wanted PIG for Pine Island Games, but since that was taken, we settled for PIX. Which is still pretty sweet.

Once you have an SMC, you can generate an SKU for each product.

The first three digits denote the company (your SMC), the next three digits denote the game (001), and the final three digits denote the product number (000).

So, for instance Nut Hunt’s PIX001000 is the 0th expansion (or base product), of our first property.

In my opinion, it’s a little unintuitive that the code is 001000 for 1st game 0th product, instead of 001001 for first game, 1st product, but that is industry convention, so just go with it.

Similarly, Sigil will have the code PIX002000, and when we have an expansion for Nut Hunt it will have the code PIX001001.

For instance, a hypothetical future catalogue for Pine Island Games may look like this.

The SKU code naming convention ensures that in catalogues and databases, the base game or property is listed first, and then secondary products and expansions are listed below the main product code.