ISBN Barcode symbology

ISBN

ISBN is acronym of International Standard Book Number. An ISBN is not a bar code. It is the numeric number assigned ISBNs for the publishers. ISBNs are assigned to publishers as follows: 1, 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000 or 100,000 numbers. When participating in the ISBN standard ISBN book identifier is based on the Standard Book Numbering (SBN) code which contains 9-digit designed in 1966. EAN International (EAN), the Uniform Code Council (UCC), the International ISBN and International ISMN agency reached the agreement to encode the ISBN into the EAN-13 bar code in 1997. This combination makes Book land EAN barcode used worldwide to ordering and identify books (including e-books), video, and software for publishers and distributors. ISBN has two types including 10-digit ISBN format and 13-digit ISBN format. The ISBN presented in a 10-digit format should be in accordance with international standard ISO 2108 which published in 1970. The ISBN barcode symbology which presented in a 13-digit format must be done in accordance with ISO/IEC 15420 since 1 January 2007.

Encoding Data of ISBN:

ISBN barcode symbology is an numeric only linear barcode which has the character set of: 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9.

Structure of ISBN

Prefix element: the prefix element is represented by a number which consisted of 3 digits. The Prefixes are assigned by the EAN International, always 978 and 979 at present.
Registration group element: This second elements indicates the country, language Area or geographical location of the ISBN systemThe second element of the ISBN identifies the country, geographical region, or languagearea participating in the ISBN system. International ISBN Agency allocates the numbers.
Registrant element: Length of this registrant element varies up to 7 digits long. It identifies the publisher of the registration group. Each registrant elements are unique of the publishers.
Publication element: Length of this fourth element varies up to 6 digits long. It identifies the certain edition of a publication by a certain publisher.
Check digit: Check digit is the fifth element. Calculation of the check digit adopts the modulus 10 algorithm.

EAN International, the Uniform Code Council, the International ISBN and International ISMN agency reached the agreement to encode the ISBN into the EAN-13 bar code. Thus national ISBN agencies shall only provide ISBNs of 13 digits formation from 1 January 2007. The ISBNs of 13 digits formation is composed of the following elements:

Note: The five-digit add-on supplement barcode is used in the books industry in United States and Canada.

Calculation of ISBN barcode:

The modulus 10 algorithm is adopted by the checksum computing of ISBN barcode like EAN-8, EAN-13. Just follow the steps to computing the checksum of ISBN barcode:

Find the right-most digit of the barcode (the 12 digits usually), assigned it into the odd position. Assigned it with the weight value of 3. Put digits in sequence from right to left into the position in the sequence of odd-even-odd.
Multiply value with 3 of the digits in odd position
Multiply value with 1 of the digits in even position
Sum all the total of the weighted summary column. The first 12 digits of the ISBN are alternately multiplied by 1 and 3.
Add a number plus the result. The summary could be evenly divided by 10. The number added is the checksum digit.

Note: If summary calculated of the message could be evenly divided by 10. Check digit is "0".