Below is a summary of the size limits defined for carriers EAN-8, EAN-13, ITF-14 och GS1-128 in the GS1 General Specifications.
Limits for module X-dimension and bar code height are given as minimum (min), recommended (rec) and maxiumum (max) values.
| Symbology | X-dimension (mm) * | Height (mm) ** | Quiet Zone left *** | Quiet Zone right *** |
| EAN-8 | Min: 0.264
Rec: 0.330
Max: 0.660 | Min: 14.58
Rec: 18.23
Max: 36.46 | At least 7 times X-dimension **** | At least 7 times X-dimension **** |
| EAN-13 on a consumer item | Min: 0.264
Rec: 0.330
Max: 0.660 | Min: 18.28
Rec: 22.85
Max: 45.70 | At least 11 times X-dimension ***** | At least 7 times X-dimension ***** |
| EAN-13 on an outer packaging | Min: 0.495
Rec: 0.660
Max: 0.660 | Min: 34.28
Rec: 45.70
Max: 45.70 | At least 11 times X-dimension ***** | At least 7 times X-dimension ***** |
| ITF-14 | Min: 0.495
Rec: 0.495
Max: 1,016 | Min: 31.75
Rec: 31.75
Max: 31.75 | At least 10 times X-dimension | At least 10 times X-dimension |
| GS1-128 | Min: 0.495
Rec: 0.495
Max: 1,016 | Min: 31.75
Rec: 31.75
Max: 33.75 | At least 10 times X-dimension | At least 10 times X-dimension |
* X-dimension is the width of the symbol’s thinnest bar.
** Symbol height is measured differently for different symbologies, see diagrams below. Note that the symbols in the diagrams do not have recommended sizes.
*** There must always be a quiet zone on the left and right of the symbol. The quiet zone is a blank area which ensures that adjacent information such as the package artwork does not confuse the reader.
**** For UPC-E the left quiet zone should be at least 9 times X-dimension and the right quiet zone should be at least 7 times X-dimension.
***** For UPC-A the right and the left quiet zone should be at least 9 times X-dimension.
Symbol height is measured as follows
EAN-13 and EAN-8
For EAN-13 and EAN-8, the height of the barcode is measured from the bottom of the bars to the top of the bars.
ITF-14
For ITF-14 the height is measured from the bottom to the top of the bars, excluding the bearer bars.
GS1-128
For GS1-128 the height is measured from the bottom to the top of the bars.
Special rules for small cases
If the height of a case is less than 50 mm, the human readable text can be placed to the left of the barcode, outside the mandatory quiet zone, instead of below the symbol. By placing the human readable text alongside the barcode, the size can be kept within limits in the space available on the package.
If the height of a case is less than 32 mm, the symbol can be placed on the top of the package and still be kept within limits in the space available on the package.
Special rules for small consumer packages
If any side of a consumer package is less than 25 mm, especially if the package has a very small base, the symbol should be placed on the bottom-right of the back.
It is only permissable to reduce the symbol height, while retaining the width, if the package’s largest printable area is smaller that the permitted limits for the smallest symbol type.