Assign one unique GTIN per product variant — each size, colour, flavour, or pack size that is sold as a distinct SKU. Cartons containing units shipped to retailers often need a separate GTIN-14 / ITF-14 in addition to the unit GTIN.
Example:
Food product with:
- 3 size variations (small, medium, large)
- 2 different flavors (spicy, plain)
- 1 seasonal variation of the medium spicy product (Christmas version, same ingredients, different artwork on packaging)
3 size variations * 2 flavors = 6 unique variations
1 seasonal variation for one product
6 GTINs needed in total
Note that cosmetic changes to external product packaging appearence typically does require a new GTIN.1
GS1’s GTIN Managment Standard defines the rules for when a product requires a new GTIN after undergoing product changes.2 GS1 also offers an interactive tool based on the GTIN Management Standard to help decide whether you need a GTIN for product.3
Footnotes
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GS1 NZ, “GS1 Fact Sheet GTIN Allocation Rules” — https://www.gs1nz.org/assets/Resources/Services/GS1NZ_Fact-sheet-gtin-allocation-rules.-V2.pdf ↩
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GS1, “GTIN Managment Standard” — https://www.gs1.org/1/gtinrules//en/ ↩
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GS1, “GTIN Decision Support Tool” — https://www.gs1.org/1/gtinrules/en/decision-support ↩