The bar code is applied to the packaging of the goods in order to provide information about the products being sold. Various data are encrypted with a specific set of numbers. Knowing how to read a barcode correctly, you can get a lot of useful information about a product.
Instructions
Step 1
Look at the first two or three digits in the barcode on the product packaging. They report the country of origin. Each of the countries corresponds to a certain set of numbers. For example, for Russia it is: 460, and for Ukraine - 482. You can find detailed tables of country codes on one of the websites devoted to this issue.
Step 2
Pay attention to the next four or five digits in the barcode, they inform about the manufacturer. Databases with this information are inaccessible to ordinary buyers, so this information is often used by wholesalers.
Step 3
Take a look at the next five digits of the barcode. This is encrypted information about the product itself. The first number out of five denotes the name of the product, the second - consumer properties, the third - dimensions, the fourth - weight, the fifth - color. But, it is unlikely that an ordinary buyer will be able to use this data, because they are intended primarily for large buying firms.
Step 4
Look at the last digit of the barcode - this is the check digit of the product. You can use it to determine the authenticity of the product. To do this, follow these steps:
Calculate the sum of the numbers on the even positions in the barcode;
multiply the amount obtained in the first paragraph by 3;
add up all the numbers that are in odd places, without taking into account the check digit;
find the sum of the numbers obtained in points 2 and 3;
discard the number of tens in the resulting amount;
subtract the number from 10 that you got in step 5;
compare the received number in step 6 with the check number in the barcode. In case they do not match, this is a fake product.
Step 5
Use various computer programs to verify the authenticity of the product by barcode and obtain information about the product. Go to the relevant Internet sites and use these programs on-line.
