What do the numbers mean on the tag above the bar code for a new pair
of Crocs? All of the pairs I?ve seen have a UPC code that looks like
the following: 41158 00248. The first five numbers don?t seem to vary
at all, but the last five numbers seem to be different on all of the
shoes. The answer needs to have some substantiation and not be a
hypothesis as to what it means for retail products in general.

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Request for Question Clarification by hummer-ga on 11 Jul 2006 16:50 PDT

Hi hes6c,

Please double-check the numbers, have you posted all of them?  Please
include any numbers that are off to either side by themselves. For
example, is there one number to the left of the bars and one number to
the right of the bars?

Thanks,
hummer

Hi Hi hes6c,

Briefly, your number works out this way:

0-      Number System (see table in first link)
41158-  Manufacturer 
00248-  Product number 
0       Check digit (calculation to double-check UPC)


UPC-A SYMBOLOGY
COMPONENTS OF AN UPC-A BARCODE
"An UPC-A barcode is divided into four areas: 1) The number system, 2)
The manufacturer code, 3) the product code, and 4) the check digit.
Normally the number system digit is printed just to the left of the
barcode, the check digit just to the right of the barcode, and the
manufacturer and product codes are printed just below the barcode, as
observed above."
Number System: 
"The number system is a single digit which identifies the "type" of
product, if you will, that the following symbol represents. The
following table indicates what each number system identifies."
[see table]
Manufacturer Code: 
"The manufacturer code is a unique code assigned by the UCC Council to
each manufacturer or company which distributes goods that will include
a UPC-A barcode. All products produced by a given company will use the
same manufacturer code..."
Product Code: 
"The product code is a unique code assigned by the manufacturer.
Unlike the manufacturer code, which must be assigned by the UCC, the
manufacturer is free to assign product codes to each of their products
without consulting any other organization. Since the UCC will already
have guaranteed that the manufacturer code is unique, the manufacturer
need only make sure that they do not repeat their own product codes."
Check Digit: 
"The check digit is an additional digit used to verify that a barcode
has been scanned correctly. Since a scan can produce incorrect data
due to inconsistent scanning speed, print imperfections, or a host of
other problems, it is useful to verify that the rest of the data in
the barcode has been correctly interpreted..."
http://www.barcodeisland.com/upca.phtml

The code that you posted is not complete, so I received an error when
I tried to look it up.

UPC Error: 41158-00248
The UPC that was given was incorrect or invalid. The length might have
been something other than 8 or 12. The check digit may have been
incorrect. Are you sure you entered a UPC? There are other barcode
symbologies that look similar..."
http://www.upcdatabase.com/upcerror.asp

Once you have all of your numbers, you can look it up here:

Item Lookup
Instructions
"Enter the all digits printed on the UPC bar code, including any
numbers to the right or left of the bar code itself, even if they
don't line up with the main row of numbers. This should be 13 digits
for an EAN/UCC-13, 12 digits for a Type A UPC code, or 8 digits for a
Type-E (zero-supressed) UPC code. Anything other than 8 or 12 digits
is not a UPC code! (And just because it's 8 or 12 digits doesn't mean
it is a UPC.) You must enter every digit here."
http://www.upcdatabase.com/itemform.asp

If you need further assistance, please post a clarification request
and wait for me to respond before closing/rating my answer and I'll be
happy to respond.

Thank you,
hummer

I'm familiar with the UPC code and was able to use my own bookmarks. I
also did a Google search for the terms: upc symbology