Is this item variable measure?

A variable measure trade item has at least one characteristic that varies, and the item may be sold at any point in the supply chain without one of these characteristics predefined:

- Weight 
- Dimension (size) 
- Quantity contained 
- Volume information, such as length 

For example, a wheel of cheese (not intended for Point-of-Sale) is a variable measure trade item. It’s cut and packaged in variable weight packages in the deli department and sold by weight.

Another example is bulk chicken breast (not intended for Point-of-Sale).It’s then packaged into individual variable weight packages and sold by weight.

A non-food example could be rope, chain or fabric.

Note: Variable Measure Trade Items are identified with a GTIN-14 that carries an indicator digit of 9.

When creating a new product on the GS1 US Data Hub® Product Create page, you can select "Yes" for the 'Variable Measure?'  field. 

In addition, a GTIN-14 will be generated, beginning with the number nine (9). The digit 9 is in the indicator digit position, indicating that this item is a variable measure trade item that cannot be scanned at retail checkout/Point-of-Sale.

View the Create a Product and Create a Barcode article for more guidance.

GS1 US Data Hub supports Variable Measure Trade Items for various packaging levels. To create a Variable Measure Trade Item in GS1 US Data Hub, review the Higher Levels of Packaging article, be sure to select Yes for ‘Variable Measure’.  

Here are the most frequently used packaging levels for Variable Measure.

Please refer to the GS1 General Specifications.