The objective of the present work is to study different procedures for metrological evaluation of the size of the radiation field emitted by linear accelerators. In the context of the recent requirements determined by the publication of the RDC number 20, in 2006, by National Agency for Sanitary Vigilance (Anvisa), the compulsory use of the optical densitometer for the measurements of the field size during quality control tests was introduced. Practical implementation issues associated with these requirements and the recent studies indicating the potential use of radiochromic films for measurements of the field size motivated the present work. Three different procedures were employed in order to evaluate the radiation field size emitted by linear accelerators used in thirteen radiotherapy services located in Rio de Janeiro, using radiochromic films EBT QD plus and RTQA, optical densitometer DensiX type T52001 or scanner Microtek. The results indicate the contribution of the measurement uncertainty associated to each procedure performed, highlighting the importance of its consideration during tests for conformity assessment with the recently required optical densitometer. Nevertheless, the RTQA radiochromic film properties precluded its use in the procedure using optical densitometer. In conclusion, among the evaluated procedures for radiation field evaluation, the use of the scanner was the most appropriate, especially if dimensional non-homogeneities are present.