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General reference for lab, clinic and supply-chain staff who meet the abbreviation GLN on a label, delivery document or supplier form. It is not legal or regulatory advice.
Short answer
In supply-chain and healthcare standards, GLN means Global Location Number. It is the GS1 identifier for a physical location or for a party such as a legal entity or a department or function. It is a 13-digit number, and it tells you who is involved in a transaction and where things are, not what a product is.
Definition and scope
This page covers the GS1 Global Location Number only. GS1’s General Specifications (Release 26.0, ratified January 2026) define two uses. A GLN for a physical location is “the GS1 identifier for a physical location that may be fixed or mobile.” A GLN for a party is the GS1 identifier for a legal entity or a department or function.
GS1 US describes the GLN as a 13-digit number used to identify locations in the supply chain, and says it lets businesses know who is involved in transactions and where things are located. Its page on the GLN also states that GLN and GTIN may look similar, but the data they hold is not the same.
What a GLN identifies
| Use of the GLN | What it identifies | Example given in the GS1 General Specifications |
|---|---|---|
| Physical location (AI 414) | A place, fixed or mobile | A room, a door of a warehouse, an x-ray room in a hospital, or a control point |
| Party (AI 417) | A legal entity, or a department or function | A legal entity designated on a document |
| Location in transport and logistics | A location named in a shipping process | A ship-to location on a logistic label |
| Party in a transaction role | A party named for its role | The invoicing party on a payment slip |
The four rows follow the four broad categories of GLN use that the specifications list: identification of a physical location, specification of a location used in transport and logistics, identification of a party, and specification of a party.
Structure and check digit
The specifications describe a GLN as a fixed-length 13-digit string. Digits 1 to 12 are a GS1 Company Prefix followed by a location reference (for a party, the middle part is called a party reference), and digit 13 is a check digit. According to the specifications, the check digit “helps to detect and reject incorrectly composed values”, for example when a value is typed in by hand.
The check digit algorithm in section 7.9 is stated to be identical for all fixed-length numeric GS1 data structures that need one, including the GLN. The rule is to multiply the digits by alternating weights of 3 and 1, add the results, and subtract the sum from the nearest equal or higher multiple of ten; the difference is the check digit. The specifications work the example on an 18-digit field, where 37610425002123456 has the check digit 9, giving 376104250021234569. That example is the standard’s own illustration of the method, not a GLN.
Where GLNs appear on labels and in data exchange
On barcoded labels, a GLN is carried by a GS1 Application Identifier (AI), the numeric prefix that tells a scanner what the following data means. The General Specifications list these GLN-bearing identifiers:
| AI | Title in the GS1 General Specifications |
|---|---|
| 410 | Ship to – Deliver to Global Location Number (GLN) |
| 411 | Bill to – Invoice to Global Location Number (GLN) |
| 412 | Purchased from Global Location Number (GLN) |
| 413 | Ship for – Deliver for – Forward to Global Location Number (GLN) |
| 414 | Identification of a physical location – Global Location Number (GLN) |
| 415 | Global Location Number (GLN) of the invoicing party |
| 416 | Global Location Number (GLN) of the production or service location |
| 417 | Party Global Location Number (GLN) |
The same number can therefore play different roles depending on the identifier in front of it: a ship-to point, a billing party, or the place where something was produced. For how application identifiers are read on a shipping label, see the guide to the GS1-128 barcode.
Outside labels, the specifications say EDI uses the GLN to identify trading partners and physical locations, GDSN mandates GLNs to identify each party that provides information to a data pool, and EPCIS uses GLNs to identify parties, read points and business locations.
The GLN extension component (AI 254)
AI 254 identifies a sub-location within a location that already has a GLN. The specifications state that the GLN extension component is not available in the open supply chain and is restricted to use by mutual agreement only; in the open supply chain, sub-locations are identified with their own GLN.
What is a GTIN number?
A GTIN, or Global Trade Item Number, is the GS1 identifier for a trade item. GS1 defines trade items as products or services that are priced, ordered or invoiced at any point in the supply chain. The General Specifications call the GTIN the GS1 identification key that forms the basis of all GS1 identifiers for trade items, and say it is used to support trade, meaning pricing, ordering and invoicing.
A GTIN is a numeric string in one of four formats: GTIN-8, GTIN-12, GTIN-13 or GTIN-14, with 8, 12, 13 or 14 digits. Each ends in a check digit that helps detect and reject incorrectly composed values, for example when a number is typed in by hand. A GTIN-12 is the format carried by a U.P.C. barcode. Where a fixed 14-digit field is needed, shorter GTINs are padded with leading zeroes that do not change the value. In a barcode that uses GS1 Application Identifiers, the GTIN is carried by AI 01.
| GTIN format | Digits | Note from the GS1 General Specifications |
|---|---|---|
| GTIN-8 | 8 | Built on a GS1-8 Prefix |
| GTIN-12 | 12 | Leading zeroes are part of the U.P.C. Company Prefix and must be preserved when stored |
| GTIN-13 | 13 | Starts with a GS1 Company Prefix |
| GTIN-14 | 14 | The company prefix starts at the second digit |
A GTIN identifies the product, not the supplier or the delivery point. For how GTINs sit alongside lot, serial and other data on device labels, see the guide to the UDI medical device identifier, and for how product data reaches a hospital, the guide to the GDSN data pool.
GLN compared with GTIN
| GLN | GTIN | |
|---|---|---|
| Identifies | Parties and locations | Products |
| Length | 13 digits | Varies by format: a UPC is 12 digits and a GTIN-13 is 13 digits |
Both source statements come from GS1 US. A 13-digit GLN and a 13-digit GTIN-13 can look alike on paper, so the label’s application identifier, not the length, shows which one you are reading.
Where it matters for labs, clinics and supply decisions
GS1 US says that in healthcare a GLN can help fulfil requirements of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act, and that dispensers such as hospitals, retail pharmacies, home health agencies and long-term care facilities that work with certain wholesalers or group purchasing organizations may already have a GLN assigned. For the wider context of how hospitals buy and track supplies, see the guide to the hospital supply chain. For location and sample tracking in a laboratory, see barcode and RFID tracking for lab samples and inventory.
Common misunderstandings
A GLN is not a product code
Products are identified by a GTIN. A GLN identifies the parties and locations around the product.
A GLN is not only a warehouse location
Two of the four categories of use identify or specify a party, such as a legal entity or an invoicing party, rather than a place.
The extension component is not for open trade
AI 254 is restricted to mutual agreement; open supply chains use a separate GLN for each sub-location.
FAQ
What does GLN stand for?
Global Location Number, the GS1 identifier for a physical location or a party.
How many digits does a GLN have?
Thirteen: a GS1 Company Prefix and a location reference (12 digits together) followed by one check digit.
Can a GLN identify a room inside a hospital?
Yes. The General Specifications give an x-ray room in a hospital as an example of a physical location a GLN can identify.
What is a GTIN number?
The Global Trade Item Number, the GS1 identifier for a product or service that is priced, ordered or invoiced. It has 8, 12, 13 or 14 digits and ends in a check digit.
What is a Global Location Number?
The GS1 identifier for a physical location, such as a room or warehouse door, or for a party such as a legal entity or department. It has 13 digits.
Is a GLN the same as a GTIN?
No. A GTIN identifies a product; a GLN identifies a party or location.
Sources
- GS1, GS1 General Specifications, Release 26.0, ratified January 2026: sections 1.3.1, 1.3.3, 1.3.4, 2.4 and 7.9 and the Application Identifier table. Checked 2026-10-31.
- GS1, Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), GS1 standards page. Checked 2026-10-31.
- GS1, Global Location Number (GLN), GS1 standards page. Checked 2026-10-30.
- GS1 US, Global Location Number. Checked 2026-10-30.
