What is a GTIN?

A GTIN is a Global Trade Item Number. These are used by ecommerce retailers to uniquely identify each product listed in a feed. For channels like Google Shopping, providing the GTINs helps them to understand exactly what it is you're selling. This is turn improves the relevancy of your paid ads and ensures yours are displayed to the right audience for the right search terms.

Although there are exceptions to the rule, submitting product feeds without unique identifiers like GTINs means it is more difficult for sales channels to understand what you are selling and can sometimes mean your listings are not eligible for inclusion.

When do you use GTINs?

Required for all products with a GTIN assigned by the manufacturer

Several different types of ID numbers are considered a GTIN. Use the gtin attribute to submit any of the following types of numbers:

UPC (in North America / GTIN-12): 12-digit number (convert 8-digit UPC-E codes to 12-digit codes)
EAN (in Europe / GTIN-13): 13-digit number
JAN (in Japan / GTIN-13): 8 or 13-digit number
ISBN (for books): 13-digit number (convert ISBN-10 to ISBN-13). If you have both, include only the 13-digit number.
ITF-14 (for multipacks / GTIN-14): 14-digit number

If you can't find the GTIN, you can always contact the product's manufacturer to ask for it.

GTIN requirements for a Google Shopping product feed

These are the requirements you'll need to meet to show ads for your product. If you don't follow these requirements, we'll disapprove your product and let you know in the Diagnostics page of your Merchant Center account.

Submit any other relevant unique product identifiers. You might be required to submit the brand and mpn attribute. When you submit these product identifiers, we can better understand what you're selling. When we understand what you're selling, we can help connect users to your ads and make those ads richer. Learn more about product identifier attributes.

Submit a GTIN as defined in the official GS1 validation guide.
- Make sure that the check digit is present and correct using the GS1 Check digit calculator.
- Don’t submit a GTIN for a generic product.
- Don’t submit a GTIN for a product that doesn’t have a GTIN. If you’re the only seller of a product or if your product is a store brand, it generally won’t have a GTIN, so you don’t need to submit one.
- Submit separate GTINs for variation products. Products that have multiple variations in size, shape, color or material should each have their own unique GTIN.

What if your products don't have GTINs?

Some products don’t have a GTIN assigned, and so you don’t need to submit one. However, if the product does have a GTIN assigned and you don’t submit it, the product’s performance may be limited.

For these products, submit both Brand and Manufacturer Part Number (MPN).

Examples of products that may not have an assigned GTIN include:

Store brand products
Replacement parts
Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts or replacements for OEM parts
Custom-made products (custom t-shirts, art, and handmade goods)
Books released before ISBN was approved as an ISO standard in 1970
Vintage or antique products
Pre-order products (using the condition attribute)

To help identify your products without a GTIN, you can use the mpn and brand attributes. An MPN, or Manufacturer Part Number, is a UPI for specific parts assigned by the manufacturer. The brand attribute allows you to use the brand of your product as a UPI.

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