UPC-A (Universal Product Code-A) is fixed length and is the most common UPC barcode for retail product labeling. It is seen in most grocery stores across the United States. The symbology encodes a 12 digit numeric only number.  The first six digits are assigned by GS1 US in Lawrenceville, New Jersey (formerly the Uniform Code Council or UCC), the next five digits are assigned by the manufacturer, and the final digit is a modulo 10 check digit. The nominal height for the UPC-A barcode is one inch.  The reduced size is 80% of the nominal size.

UPC-E (Universal Product Code-E) is a fixed length, compressed, six digit code used for marking small packages including magazines and paperback books. UPC-E symbols are UPC-A symbols that have been zero suppressed (i.e., consecutive zeros are not included in the symbol). The printed value of the UPC-E code is a twelve digit code. The nominal height for the UPC-E barcode is one inch.  The reduced size is 80% of the nominal size.