ISBN-10 and ISBN-13 Conversion

Starting in 2007 the International ISBN Agency has introduced new formats for ISBN numbers.

Prior to 2007, the ISBN format was 9 digits plus one check character (either a digit or an X). This is now referred to as an ISBN-10.

Starting in 2007, the format is identical to that of an EAN-13 Universal Product Code. It consists of 12 digits (starting with 978 or 979) followed by a single checkdigit. This is referred to as an ISBN-13 and is the same as the barcode printed on many books beneath the ISBN-10 number. (In some countries it may be followed by an additional barcode which indicates the suggested retail pricing: in other jurisdictions this is illegal.)

It is possible to convert between ISBN-10 numbers and ISBN-13 numbers starting with “978”. The following automatic converter can be used.

ISBN-10 / ISBN-13 Converter

Enter the ISBN-10, ISBN-13, or UPC Code:

Note that hyphens and spaces within ISBN numbers are for human readability and are not signifiant.

If you often look for books on the internet, then you may find Albion Booklink very useful.

ISBN-13 Format Details

The full specificaton of an ISBN-13, specifying how the number is split between Prefix Element, Registration Group Element, Registrant Element, Publication Element, and Checksum (along with details of the checksum calculation) can be found in the 2005 ISBN User's Manual. There are also some ISBN13 Implementation Guidelines available for booksellers and libraries.