5-6" is common, but can be as high as 9-11". You basically have to have the core below the midline of the ball to create a 7"+ pin out, whereas for less than 6", you just need the core off center (not by much, we're talking 32nds and 16ths of an inch).
If you ended up with a 9" or longer pin, just put the pin at the north pole, mark the south pole (13.5" from the pin), and call that mark the anti-pin. Use the anti-pin like you would normally use the real pin, and that ball with a 10" pin now has a 3.5" anti-pin. There are plenty of balls out there where the core has been flipped over (DT Elements up to the AU79 and after the ZR40), inverting the core is not unheard of.
SH