Book barcodes: free, $25, or in a bundle.
A book barcode is your ISBN-13 printed as bars, usually with a small 5-digit price code beside it. KDP and IngramSpark give you one free with their cover setup, and Bowker sells them for $25. Here is where each comes from, what goes in it, and a checker for your ISBN and price code.
Your barcode details
Enter your ISBN-13 to check it.
The check uses the method in appendix A1.1 of the ISBN Users' Manual. This page checks numbers; it does not draw a barcode for printing. Not affiliated with Bowker, Amazon or IngramSpark.
What a book barcode costs in the US
| Where | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| KDP (Amazon) | $0 | KDP places a barcode on your back cover if you use Cover Creator or do not provide your own |
| IngramSpark cover template generator | $0 | A cover template emailed to you with a barcode on it; you can choose to put your price in it |
| Bowker, 1 to 5 barcodes | $25 each | A barcode for your ISBN; savings on 6 or more |
| Bowker, 1 ISBN and 1 barcode | $150 | Both together |
| Bowker, 10 ISBNs and 1 barcode | $320 | Both together |
Bowker prices from its barcode page, read October 29, 2026. A barcode encodes an ISBN, so you need the ISBN first; how much an ISBN costs compares Bowker's with the free ones.
What is in a book barcode
Bowker describes the barcode on a US book as two barcodes side by side:
- The main barcode (EAN-13). It encodes your 13-digit ISBN. The ISBN Users' Manual says the ISBN must also be printed in human readable form immediately above the bars, preceded by "ISBN".
- The price add-on (EAN-5). A smaller five-digit code to the right. In the US the first digit is the currency, 5 for US dollars, and the rest is the price: 51995 means $19.95. Bowker says the largest US retailers, such as Barnes and Noble, require the add-on on books they handle.
The add-on is a North American custom. The ISBN Users' Manual says it is used in the United States and Canada to indicate the price, and should not be used for price information in other countries.
Free barcode or Bowker's?
If KDP prints your paperback or hardcover, you do not need to buy one. KDP's barcode page says a properly formatted barcode will be added to your back cover at no additional cost. IngramSpark's blog calls its cover template generator "a trick to get a free barcode," and the barcode on the template can carry your price.
Buy one from Bowker when the cover is printed somewhere that does not supply one, such as an offset print run for a launch, or when you want a single barcode file to reuse across printers. Remember that the barcode carries the price: Bowker says that once a barcode is made, the price on it cannot be changed, so a price change means buying a new one.
KDP's rules for your own barcode
If you upload a full cover with your own barcode, KDP's barcode page asks for:
- A suggested size of 2" x 1.2" (50.8 x 30.5 mm), and at least 1.4" x .8" (35.56 x 20.3 mm).
- At least .25" (6.3 mm) from the spine and the trim.
- 100% black bars, not RGB, CMYK or registration black, on a solid white background, right side up and square to the cover.
- A valid ISBN that matches your book's ISBN exactly, and a price code that matches your list price, if you include one.
KDP says covers with images or text in the barcode location will be rejected, and that unreadable barcodes cause delays in manufacturing.
Common barcode mistakes
- One barcode for two formats. The ISBN Users' Manual says each format of a book gets its own ISBN, so the paperback and the hardcover each need their own barcode.
- A price that does not match. If the list price changes after the cover is printed, the add-on no longer matches. KDP says the price code should match your list price if one is included.
- A mistyped ISBN. The last digit of an ISBN-13 is a check digit worked out from the other twelve, so one wrong digit is usually caught. The checker above does that sum.
- Art behind the bars. KDP asks for a solid white background. A photo or color behind the code can make it unreadable.
A barcode is one of the smallest costs in a book. What a book costs lists the bigger ones, the book pricing calculator helps you choose the price the add-on will carry, and the book value calculator weighs the total against what the book can bring back.
Sources: Amazon KDP, Barcodes; Bowker, Barcode; Bowker, Barcode help; IngramSpark, ISBN facts for self-publishers; International ISBN Agency, ISBN Users' Manual (sections 5.1, 5.2, 8.2, 8.3 and A1.1). All read October 29, 2026.
Common questions
Do I need to buy a barcode for my book?
Often not. KDP's barcode page says that if you use Cover Creator, or choose not to provide your own barcode, it will automatically place one on your back cover at no additional cost. IngramSpark's cover template generator emails you a template with a barcode on it. Bowker sells barcodes for $25 each when you need one for a cover printed elsewhere.
Is a book barcode the same as an ISBN?
No. The ISBN is the number; the barcode is that number printed as bars so a scanner can read it. The ISBN Users' Manual says the ISBN is encoded in an EAN-13 barcode, with the ISBN printed in human readable form immediately above it. You need the ISBN first, because the barcode encodes it.
What is the 5-digit code next to the barcode?
The price add-on, which Bowker calls an EAN-5. In the US its first digit shows the currency, 5 for US dollars, so 51995 means US$19.95. The ISBN Users' Manual says the add-on is used in the US and Canada to show the price, and should not be used for price information in other countries.
What if I change my book's price?
Bowker says that once a barcode is made, the price on it cannot be changed, so a new price means a new barcode. The ISBN itself stays the same: the ISBN Users' Manual says a change to the price does not require a separate ISBN. KDP says a price code should match your list price, if one is included.
Where does the barcode go on a book?
On the back cover. The ISBN Users' Manual recommends the lower right quadrant of the back, near the spine. KDP asks for at least .25 inches from the spine and trim, a solid white background, 100% black bars, and a suggested size of 2 by 1.2 inches.