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What Is a Global Location Number (GLN)?
GLN is the GS1 standard for identifying locations — a building, a warehouse aisle, a department, or even a legal entity. Same registry as your UPC, different namespace.
A Global Location Number (GLN) is a 13-digit GS1 identifier that uniquely identifies a physical or organizational location in the supply chain. Where GTIN identifies a product, GLN identifies the place that ships, receives, or owns the product. Examples: a manufacturer's headquarters, a wholesaler's specific distribution center, a hospital's emergency department, an individual aisle in a Walmart warehouse.
Both GLNs and GTINs are issued from the same GS1 Company Prefix. If you license a prefix from GS1 US (gs1us.org), you can mint GTINs for products AND GLNs for locations from that same namespace. The structure mirrors UPC/EAN: Company Prefix + Location Reference + check digit (Mod 10, same formula as EAN-13).
GLN structure: 13 digits
Same shape as EAN-13. Digits 1–N: GS1 Company Prefix (length depends on your license tier — typically 7-10 digits). Digits N+1 through 12: location reference assigned by your company (you control these). Digit 13: Mod 10 check digit, computed identically to EAN-13. Example: 0012345000016 — '001234' is the (fictional) Company Prefix, '500001' is the location reference, '6' is the check digit. The location reference can identify a building, a floor, a loading dock, or a logical entity like 'accounts payable department' depending on how you structure your numbering.
What GLN is used for
Three core use cases. (1) EDI transactions — every EDI 850 purchase order, 856 advance ship notice, and 810 invoice exchanged between retailers and suppliers identifies the buyer, seller, ship-from, ship-to, and bill-to using GLNs instead of plain text addresses. Resolves the 'is this the same building or just the same street name?' ambiguity. (2) Healthcare — GLN identifies the hospital, the specific pharmacy, the operating room, even individual patient bedsides for medical device tracking. Required by FDA UDI rules for many device classes. (3) Pharmaceutical supply chain — DSCSA uses GLN to identify the manufacturer, repackager, wholesale distributor, and dispenser in EPCIS event data.
How to get a GLN
Through GS1 US (or your country's GS1 affiliate). Three paths: (a) If you already have a GS1 Company Prefix for UPC/EAN, you can mint GLNs from the same prefix at no extra charge — log into your GS1 US Data Hub account and create GLNs under 'Locations'. (b) GS1 US sells single GLN identifiers separately if you don't need a full Company Prefix — $30 per GLN with no recurring fee, same tier as a single GTIN. (c) Healthcare-specific GLNs can be allocated through GS1 Healthcare US, which provides additional registration in the Healthcare Provider Index.
GLN vs Company Prefix vs GTIN — easy confusion
These are three layers of the same GS1 system. (1) GS1 Company Prefix — the numeric namespace assigned to your company. Everything else is built on top. (2) GTIN — a product number minted within your prefix (12-, 13-, or 14-digit). (3) GLN — a location number minted within your prefix (13-digit). Same registry (GS1 GEPIR), same check-digit math, different purpose. A single company prefix can generate thousands of GTINs and GLNs from the same allocation.
GLN extension components (GLN+)
Sometimes called 'GLN with extension', this lets you identify a SUB-location within a primary GLN. The base GLN identifies the building; an extension (GS1 Application Identifier 254) identifies a specific aisle, bay, or department. Example: GLN 0012345000016 + extension 'A03-B12' identifies aisle 03, bay 12 within that warehouse. Used heavily in 3PL receiving and EDI 856 advance ship notices to give precise put-away instructions.
Where GLN appears in real-world systems
Most places it appears, you never see it directly — it's an EDI field in the background of supplier-retailer integrations. Visible appearances: barcode labels on shipping cartons (rendered as GS1-128 with Application Identifier (414) for the location), pharmaceutical EPCIS event data, and healthcare GLNs printed on hospital invoices to identify the billing department. If you're integrating with a retailer like Walmart, Target, or Costco via EDI, the retailer will send you their GLNs for ship-to locations and require you to register your GLN as the supplier-of-record.
FAQ
What is a GLN number?
A 13-digit GS1 Global Location Number that uniquely identifies a physical location (a building, warehouse, aisle) or an organizational entity (a department, a legal entity) in the supply chain. Same Company Prefix as your UPC barcodes, different purpose — GTIN identifies products, GLN identifies places.
How is a GLN different from a GTIN?
GTIN identifies a PRODUCT (what you sell). GLN identifies a LOCATION (where it ships from or goes to). Both are issued from the same GS1 Company Prefix and use the same Mod 10 check-digit math. GTIN appears on packaging as a UPC/EAN barcode; GLN appears in EDI documents and on shipping carton labels (encoded as GS1-128 with Application Identifier (414)).
How much does a GLN cost?
If you already have a GS1 Company Prefix, GLNs are free — you mint them from your existing namespace through GS1 US Data Hub. If you don't have a prefix, GS1 US sells single GLNs for $30 each with no recurring fee (same tier as a single GTIN). Most companies that need GLNs already have a Company Prefix from doing retail UPC work.
Who uses GLN?
Three main groups. (1) Retailers and suppliers doing EDI — Walmart, Target, Costco, Kroger require GLN identifiers in 850/856/810 EDI documents. (2) Healthcare — hospitals, pharmacies, FDA UDI compliance for medical devices. (3) Pharmaceutical supply chain — DSCSA uses GLN in EPCIS event data to identify manufacturers, wholesalers, dispensers.
Is GLN the same as a SSCC?
No. GLN identifies LOCATIONS (a building or department). SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code) identifies a specific SHIPPING UNIT — one pallet, one case, one carton being moved between locations. Both are 18-/13-digit GS1 identifiers, both share the same Company Prefix, but they serve completely different purposes. A typical shipment uses GLNs in the EDI header (ship-from, ship-to) and SSCCs on each physical pallet in the load.
Does my company need a GLN?
Only if you exchange EDI with retailers (Walmart, Target, Costco), handle pharmaceutical or medical-device supply chain compliance, or operate multiple physical locations that need unambiguous identification in B2B transactions. Small e-commerce sellers selling only on Amazon/Etsy generally don't need GLN — the platform handles location identification internally. The moment you start direct supplier-retailer integration via EDI, you'll need one.
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