Should I add the product barcode / GTIN to packs of the same product?

Start a Business
,

Topic summary

Question: whether to use the single item’s barcode/GTIN on a 10-pack to resolve Google Ads warning “Limited performance due to missing value [gtin].” GTIN = Global Trade Item Number.

Key guidance:

  • Do not reuse the same GTIN for an individual item and a multipack. Each product/variant requires a unique identifier (GTIN or MPN) unless it’s custom-made (per GS1 rules).

How to identify packs (GS1 standard):

  • Use a GTIN-14 for standard pack quantities. Add a packaging indicator digit 1–8 to the front of the item’s EAN-13, then recalculate the check digit. Do not use 9 (reserved for variable measure).
  • Example provided: single EAN-13 5027535002618 → enter 1502753500261 in GS1’s check digit calculator → GTIN-14 15027535002615 for the 10-pack. This should work with Google Marketplace.

Tools/notes:

  • GS1 check digit calculator referenced; a GS1 Assistant App for Shopify was mentioned (pack IDs not yet supported).

Status: OP plans to proceed; consensus favors assigning a unique GTIN-14 to the multipack. No final confirmation of results yet.

Summarized with AI on December 16. AI used: gpt-5.
1

Hi there, I’ve been using google ads for a while and I’ve always set my packs of products to “custom product”, however, I wondered if anyone knew if I should add the barcode of the single product to the pack of products as google is still coming up with the “Limited performance due to missing value [gtin]. Add your product’s globally valid GTIN” error. So for instance, I have a barcode of 5027535002618 for this single football:

https://childrensfootball.com/products/precision-fusion-training-footballs-size-3-4-or-5

I also sell them in packs of 10: https://childrensfootball.com/products/bag-of-10-footballs-size-3-4-or-5-with-free-bag

Should I add the 5027535002618 barcode to this product variant too?

2

No. You cannot use the same GTIN for the individual product and a pack of 10. Every product and variant must have a unique product identifier (GTIN or MPN) unless it is a custom-made product, which this is not.

https://www.gs1.org/1/gtinrules/en/rule/270/packcase-quantity

1 Like
3

This is exactly what I was thinking. The 10 footballs all have the same SKU / Barcode so I can add the barcode in. There’s a lot of conflicting answers to this question, so I guess it’s a grey area. Thanks for the help, I’m going to give this a try!

4

The GS1 standard supports packs of products using a 14 digit GTIN identifier. In your example, 5027535002618, is a 13 digit EAN code for and individual product. If you a standard package quantity for this product, for example an 10 pack, you would add a digit between 1 - 8 to the start of the EAN code and recalculate the check digit to get 14 digit GTIN for that product. You define which number between 1 and 8 represent which pack quantity. There is not standard for that part, however 9 indicates variable measurement and should not be used for a set pack quantity. Use GS1’s check digit calculator to get the check digit. in this example enter 1502753500261 (where 1 represents the 10 pack). The resulting GTIN 14 is 15027535002615 and should work with Google Market place.

You might also want to check out the GS1 Assistant App to help manage EAN codes in Shopify. Although I have not tackled pack identifiers in the App yet, and would be interested in feedback from a store that has a real business need for the feature as I do.