GS1 DataBar Expanded barcode
The DataBar that carries weight, price, expiry, and lot alongside the GTIN, on fresh food and coupons.
Also known as: RSS Expanded, DataBar Expanded Stacked, variable-measure barcode
What is GS1 DataBar Expanded?
GS1 DataBar Expanded carries a GTIN plus additional GS1 element strings, such as net weight, price, expiration date, or lot number, in a single row of up to 74 digits, and DataBar Expanded Stacked folds the same data into two to eleven rows for narrow labels. It is the point-of-sale carrier for variable-measure fresh food, where the price depends on the weight of that specific pack, and it was the carrier for the GS1 North American coupon code.
Encodes: GS1 element strings opened with FNC1: a GTIN in (01) followed by attributes such as (3103) net weight, (3922) price, (17) expiry, or (10) lot. Up to 74 numeric or 41 alphanumeric characters.
How GS1 DataBar Expanded is structured
Expanded is a container like GS1-128, with a compressed encoding that packs the most common fresh-food element strings tightly. These are the element strings that show up on a variable-measure label.
| Part | Length | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| (01) GTIN | 14 digits | Indicator digit 9 marks a variable-measure trade item whose price depends on weight or count. |
| (3103) Net weight, kg | 6 digits | Three decimal places; the fourth AI digit sets the decimal position. (3201) is pounds. |
| (3922) Price | Up to 15 digits | Amount payable with two decimal places; (3932) adds an ISO currency code. |
| (15) or (17) Date | 6 digits, YYMMDD | Best-before or expiration date for perishables. |
| (10) Batch or lot | Up to 20 characters | Traceability lot for FSMA 204 and recalls. |
Specifications
- Data
- Up to 74 numeric or 41 alphanumeric characters of GS1 element strings
- Expanded
- Single row, up to 22 symbol characters; width grows with data
- Expanded Stacked
- 2 to 11 rows, 2 to 22 symbol characters per row; typically 4 characters per row on retail labels
- Height
- 34X minimum per row for omnidirectional POS scanning
- X-dimension
- 0.264 mm to 0.660 mm at POS
- Quiet zones
- 1X left and right
- Scanning
- Omnidirectional at POS; required at all US and EU registers since 2014
Dimensions are GS1 General Specifications targets. Confirm against the retailer’s current routing guide before a print run.
Where it is used
- Variable-measure fresh food: meat, cheese, deli, produce sold by weight
- Perishables where the register must read an expiry date to block sale
- Lot-level traceability on fresh items under FSMA 204
- Manufacturer coupons, historically, before 2D and digital coupons
Printed by the scale or the packing line for each pack
A variable-measure label is created when the pack is weighed: the in-store scale or the plant’s weigh-price labeler generates the DataBar Expanded with that pack’s weight, price, and date. The GTIN comes from the catalog; the attributes come from the moment of packing. Lot and date on the label must match the lot and date in the shipment record and the ASN.
Retailers whose routing guides call for it
Each retailer page covers the transaction sets, labeling rules, and reported chargebacks behind the requirement.
Mistakes that cost money
Indicator digit not 9 on a variable-measure item
Registers use the 9 to know the price comes from the label, not the item file. A fixed-weight GTIN with a (3922) price is inconsistent and gets rejected.
Wrong decimal position in the weight AI
(3103) is kilograms to three decimals; (3102) to two. Encoding 750 g under (3102) reads as 7.50 kg.
Too many rows for the label
Stacked grows tall fast. Trim the element strings to what the retailer needs and put fixed-length AIs first.
Label date that disagrees with the ASN
The best-before date on the pack must match the 856 for the lot. Two systems generating the date independently will drift.
Legacy UPC-based variable-weight codes
Number system 2 UPCs with an embedded price are obsolete. Retailers now expect DataBar Expanded.
How Endless handles GS1 DataBar Expanded
Endless carries lot, date, and weight on the shipment and batch records that drive both the weigh-price label and the 856, so the price-embedded label on the pack and the ASN the retailer received describe the same lot.
Frequently asked questions
DataBar Expanded or GS1-128 for a lot and expiry?
DataBar Expanded at point of sale, because it is omnidirectional and registers read it. GS1-128 on the case and the logistics label, because warehouse scanners read it. Same element strings, different carriers for different scanners.
What is a variable-measure trade item?
A product sold by weight or count where each pack has a different price: a cut of meat, a wedge of cheese, a bag of loose produce. Its GTIN-14 starts with 9 and the price or weight travels in the barcode.
Why do coupons appear in DataBar Expanded?
The GS1 North American coupon code, Application Identifier (8110), was defined to be carried in DataBar Expanded Stacked so registers could read offer, value, and purchase rules from one symbol. Many programs have since moved to digital coupons.
Related symbologies
- GS1 DataBar Omnidirectional→
The compact GTIN-14 barcode on produce stickers and small items, in four shapes for different spaces.
- GS1-128→
The Code 128 subset that carries GS1 Application Identifiers, the barcode on every carton and pallet shipping label.
- GS1 North American Coupon Code→
The structured coupon barcode, Application Identifier (8110), carried in GS1 DataBar Expanded Stacked.
Definitions in the glossary
- Advance Ship Notice (EDI 856 / ASN)→
An electronic packing list sent to the buyer before a shipment arrives.
- GTIN (Global Trade Item Number)→
A globally unique product identifier used across trading partners and marketplaces.
Browse the full barcode symbology guide.
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