# The EAN-5 price add-on: what the small barcode on a book means > The EAN-5 add-on next to an ISBN carries the US price: 51999 is US$19.99, 12999 is US$129.99, 90000 is no price. The BISG rules, and other currencies. - Author: Marko Markovic, prepress specialist (https://barcoderocket.com/about) - Publisher: Barcode Rocket (https://barcoderocket.com/) - URL: https://barcoderocket.com/articles/ean-5-price-add-on - Published: 2026-10-10 - Updated: 2026-10-10 - Topic: ISBN barcodes for books - Sources: 5, listed at the end ## Short answer The EAN-5 is the small five-digit barcode printed to the right of an ISBN barcode. Under the US book industry (BISG) rules it carries the US dollar cover price: 51999 means US$19.99, and 12999 means US$129.99. The code 90000 means no price is encoded. The add-on is optional; BISG asks publishers to check with their trading partners before leaving the price out. ## How to read an EAN-5 price (US rules) ![51999 split into its two parts: the leading 5 and the price.](https://barcoderocket.com/articles/fig/ean5.svg) *Figure: 51999 split into its two parts: the leading 5 and the price.* For prices under US$100, the BISG guidelines use a leading 5 followed by the price without the decimal point. Since 2004, BISG also encodes prices from US$100.00 to US$499.99, using the leading digit for the hundreds. | Add-on | Meaning under the BISG rules | |---|---| | 50001 to 59998 | US$0.01 to US$99.98 (for example 50899 = US$8.99, 51999 = US$19.99) | | 59999 | Price not encoded, and above US$99.98 | | 10000 to 19999 | US$100.00 to US$199.99 (12999 = US$129.99) | | 20000 to 49999 | US$200.00 to US$499.99, same pattern | | 60000 to 89999 | No price meaning in the US; ignored for pricing | | 90000 | Price not encoded | | 90001 to 99989 | Reserved for industry-wide use | | 99990 to 99999 | Reserved for the National Association of College Stores | | 00000 and 50000 | Do not use | Two details people miss: - **US$99.99 cannot be encoded.** 59998 is the highest price with a leading 5, because 59999 has its own meaning. - **Above US$499.99 there is no price code.** Use 90000. Not every generator supports the 10000 to 49999 range; check the code your file shows before you print. ## What 90000 means 90000 is a valid add-on that says "no price is encoded here". BISG describes it as a title with no encoded price, for example a net-priced title or one without a suggested list price, and recommends it for publishers who are not encoding the US$ cover price. More in [the 90000 guide](https://barcoderocket.com/articles/90000-barcode). ## Prices in other currencies BISG's rules are for the US market. Outside them, the history is this: when the Bookland EAN was set up, the leading digit was meant as a currency indicator, with 0 and 1 for the British pound, 5 for the US dollar and 6 for the Canadian dollar. BISG's own background paper on the US$100 to US$499.99 change adds what it found in practice: - in the UK, no instance of price encoding for scanning at the point of sale, and no use of a leading 1; - in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India, no price encoding with the leading digits 2, 3 or 4. What that means for you: 1. **A US system does not read a Canadian price.** Under BISG's rules, 60000 to 89999 has no price meaning and is ignored. BookNet Canada also notes that the Canadian 6 is not widely used in Canada. 2. **A pound price is a local convention, not a US rule.** If you use one, the leading digit is 0. A leading 1 now means US$100 to US$199.99 in the US, and 4 is not the pound at all, even though some websites say so. 3. **Euro, Australian and New Zealand dollars:** there is no agreed price code in use. Use 90000 and print the price on the cover as text. > In Barcode Rocket you choose the currency next to the price. USD follows the BISG table up to US$499.99 (US$99.99 cannot be encoded, as above); GBP writes a leading 0 and CAD a leading 6, for markets that use them; EUR gives 90000. Ask your distributor before you print a non-US price code. ## Should you put a price in the barcode? Put the US price in when: - your book is sold in US bookstores and the price is printed on the cover; - your distributor or a retailer asks for it. Use 90000 (or no add-on) when: - you sell mostly online and may change the price; - you sell in several countries with one cover; - you print with KDP and want to adjust the list price later. KDP's help says a price code, if you include one, should match the list price. Plain ISBN without any add-on is also a valid barcode. BISG notes that some publishers and retailers require a price extension, and asks publishers who want to supply books without one to talk with their trading partners first. So before you choose 90000 or no add-on for books going into US bookstores, ask your distributor what its retailers expect. ## Price add-on specs in short - The EAN-5 sits to the right of the EAN-13, at the same magnification, with its own human-readable digits above it. - It uses the same bars and spaces logic as EAN-13 and its own checksum, which scanners verify. - Its digits are printed above its bars, not below, so the add-on bars start a little lower than the main bars. - It needs its own quiet zone on the right side. A generator takes care of all of this. You only choose the price. [Make an ISBN barcode with a price: open the free ISBN + price generator](https://barcoderocket.com/?type=isbnp#try) ## Frequently asked questions ### What does 51999 mean on a book? A US cover price of $19.99. The 5 is the US dollar, 1999 is the price without the point. ### What does 90000 mean on a book barcode? No price is encoded. BISG recommends it for publishers who do not encode a US$ price. ### How do I encode a price of US$100 or more? Under the BISG rules, US$100.00 to US$499.99 use 10000 to 49999: the first digit is the hundreds. US$129.99 is 12999. Above US$499.99, use 90000. ### Can I change my price later if it is in the barcode? Only by changing the barcode. If the list price changes, a priced barcode no longer matches. That is the main reason many self-publishers choose 90000. ### Is the price add-on required by Amazon or IngramSpark? KDP's barcode help does not require one; it only says a price code should match the list price if you include it. Distributors that sell into US bookstores may ask for it. Check your distributor's current requirements. ### Why is the GBP digit 0 and not 4? The leading digits 0 and 1 were originally set aside for the British pound; 4 never was. Today a leading 1 means US$100 to US$199.99 under the US rules, so a pound price uses 0. BISG found no price scanning at the point of sale in the UK, so ask your UK distributor whether it wants a price code at all. ### What about euro or Australian dollar prices? There is no price code in use for them. Use 90000 and print the price on the cover as text. ## Sources - Book Industry Study Group, Barcoding Guidelines for the US Book Industry (price add-on, trading partners): [bisg.org](https://www.bisg.org/barcoding-guidelines-for-the-us-book-industry) - BISG Machine Readable Coding Committee, Dollar Price Limit Increase in the Bookland EAN Add-On Bar Code (price table up to US$499.99, other values, background on other currencies): [PDF](https://assets-002.noviams.com/novi-file-uploads/bisg/Barcoding_Guidelines/Price_Increase_in_Add-on-18cc22ae.pdf) - BookNet Canada, BISG fields two surveys on barcode price extensions (use of the Canadian 6): [booknetcanada.ca](https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2023/10/3/bisg-fields-two-surveys-on-barcode-price-extensions) - Amazon KDP Help, Barcodes (price code should match list price): [kdp.amazon.com](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G5HDYGP4BXLX4RUW) - GS1 General Specifications (add-on symbols): [ref.gs1.org/standards/genspecs](https://ref.gs1.org/standards/genspecs/)