ISO 17365:2013

Supply chain applications of RFID — Transport units

ISO 17365:2013 defines the basic features of RFID for use in the supply chain when applied to transport units. In particular it a) provides specifications for the identification of the transport unit, b) makes recommendations about additional information on the RF tag, c) specifies the semantics and data syntax to be used, d) specifies the data protocol to be used to interface with business applications and the RFID system, e) specifies the minimum performance requirements, f) specifies the air interface standards between the RF interrogator and RF tag, and g) specifies the reuse and recyclability of the RF tag.

Applications de chaîne d'approvisionnements de RFID — Unités de transport

General Information

• Status: Withdrawn
• Publication Date: 21-Feb-2013
• ICS: 55.020 - Packaging and distribution of goods in general
• Technical Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 31 - Automatic identification and data capture techniques
• Drafting Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 31 - Automatic identification and data capture techniques
• Current Stage: 9092 - International Standard to be revised
• Completion Date: 13-Jun-2019

Relations

• Revised: ISO/IEC 17360:2023 - Automatic identification and data capture techniques — Supply chain applications of RFID — Product tagging, product packaging, transport units, returnable transport units and returnable packaging items
• Effective Date: 06-Jun-2022
• Revises: ISO 17365:2009 - Supply chain applications of RFID — Transport units
• Effective Date: 07-Nov-2009

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 17365
Second edition
2013-03-01
Supply chain applications of RFID —
Transport units
Applications de chaîne d’approvisionnements de RFID — Unités de
transport
Reference number
ISO 17365:2013(E)
©
ISO 2013

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ISO 17365:2013(E)

COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2013
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Published in Switzerland
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ISO 17365:2013(E)

Contents Page
Foreword .v
Introduction .vi
1 Scope . 1
2 Conformance and performance specifications . 1
3 Normative references . 1
4 Terms and definitions . 3
5 Concepts . 3
5.1 Differentiation between this layer and the preceding layers . 3
5.2 Returnable packaging item . 5
5.3 Unique identification of transport units . 5
5.4 Other identification requirements . 7
6 Differentiation within this layer . 8
7 Data content . 8
7.1 Introduction . 8
7.2 System data elements . . 9
7.3 Tag structure . 9
7.4 Protocol control (PC) bits .11
7.5 Data elements .12
7.6 Traceability .13
7.7 Combined transport unit and RTI data .13
7.8 Unique item serialization .14
8 Data security .14
8.1 Confidentiality .14
8.2 Data integrity .14
8.3 Data preservation .14
8.4 Interrogator authentication .15
8.5 Non-repudiation/audit trail .15
9 Identification of RFID labelled material .15
10 Human readable information .15
10.1 Human readable interpretation .15
10.2 Human readable translation .16
10.3 Data titles .16
10.4 Backup .16
11 Tag operation .17
11.1 Data protocol .17
11.2 Minimum performance requirements (range and rate) .17
11.3 Environmental parameters .17
11.4 Tag orientation .18
11.5 Packaging material .18
11.6 Shock loads and abrasions .18
11.7 Tag lifetime .18
11.8 Minimum system reliability .18
11.9 Air interface .19
11.10 Memory requirements for application .19
11.11 Sensor interface, if applicable .19
11.12 Real time clock option .19
11.13 Safety and regulatory considerations.19
11.14 Tag reusability .19
12 Tag location and presentation .20
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ISO 17365:2013(E)

12.1 Material on which the tag is mounted or inserted .20
12.2 Geometry of the package/tag environment .20
13 Interrogator and reader requirements.20
13.1 Safety and regulatory considerations.20
13.2 Data privacy .20
14 Interoperability, compatibility and non-interference with other RF systems .20
Annex A (normative) Encoding .21
Bibliography .31
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ISO 17365:2013(E)

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International
Standards adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting.
Publication as an International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies
casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 17365 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 122, Packaging.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 17365:2009), which has been
technically revised.
This International Standard has one annex, Annex A, which provides normative information.
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ISO 17365:2013(E)

Introduction
The ‘Supply Chain’ is a multi-level concept that covers all aspects of taking a product from raw materials
to a final product including shipping to a final place of sale, use and maintenance, and potentially
disposal. Each of these levels covers many aspects of dealing with products and the business process for
each level is both unique and overlapping with other levels.
This International Standard has been created in order to ensure compatibility at the physical, command
and data levels with the four other International Standards under the general title Supply chain applications
of RFID. Where possible, this compatibility takes the form of interchangeability. Where interchangeability
is not feasible, the International Standards within this suite are interoperable and non-interfering. The
International Standards within the complete series of Supply chain applications of RFID include
— ISO 17363, Supply chain applications of RFID — Freight containers;
— ISO 17364, Supply chain applications of RFID — Returnable transport items (RTIs) and returnable
packaging items (RPIs);
— ISO 17365, Supply chain applications of RFID — Transport units;
— ISO 17366, Supply chain applications of RFID — Product packaging;
— ISO 17367, Supply chain applications of RFID — Product tagging.
These International Standards define the technical aspects and data hierarchy of information required
in each layer of the supply chain. The air-interface and communications protocol standards supported
within the Supply chain applications of RFID International Standards are ISO/IEC 18000; commands and
messages are specified by ISO/IEC 15961 and ISO/IEC 15962; semantics are defined in ISO/IEC 15418;
syntax is defined in ISO/IEC 15434.
Although not pertinent to this International Standard, the following work is considered valuable:
— ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, SC 31, Automatic identification and data capture techniques, in
the areas of air interface, data semantic and syntax construction and conformance standards, and
— ISO/TC 104, Freight containers, in the area of freight container security, including electronic seals
(e-seals) (i.e. ISO 18185) and container identification.
This International Standard defines the requirements for RFID tags for transport units. Transport units
are defined here as either a transport package or a unit load (see ISO 17364:2013, 4.6 and 4.9).
An important concept here is the use cases of such things as unitized loads, pallets and returnable
transport items. How a pallet is used can determine whether it is covered under ISO 17364 as a returnable
transport item or within this International Standard as a transport unit. If ownership title of the pallet
remains with its owner then the applicable International Standard is ISO 17364. If the ownership title of
a pallet is transferred to the customer as part of a unitized load then it is considered an element of that
unitized load, and this International Standard is applicable.
Specific to transport units is the grouping of (packaged) products, in order to make these more suitable
for efficient and effective transport and distribution. The transport unit provides an added value for
the product being sold, mostly in terms of logistics performance. RFID tagged transport units can help
further optimize the supply chain.
Additionally, this edition of this International Standards introduces the concept of returnable packaging
items (RPIs). RPIs are components of the transport unit that must be tracked as well as the transport
unit itself as an asset of the owner/shipper. Annex A in ISO 17364:2013 provides guidance on RPIs.
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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 17365:2013(E)
Supply chain applications of RFID — Transport units
1 Scope
This International Standard defines the basic features of RFID for use in the supply chain when applied
to transport units. In particular it
— provides specifications for the identification of the transport unit,
— makes recommendations about additional information on the RF tag,
— specifies the semantics and data syntax to be used,
— specifies the data protocol to be used to interface with business applications and the RFID system,
— specifies the minimum performance requirements,
— specifies the air interface standards between the RF interrogator and RF tag, and
— specifies the reuse and recyclability of the RF tag.
2 Conformance and performance specifications
All of the devices and equipment that claim conformance with this International Standard shall also
conform to the appropriate sections and parameters specified in ISO/IEC 18046 for performance, and
ISO/IEC 18047-6 (for ISO/IEC 18000-63, Type C) and ISO/IEC/TR 18047-3 (for the ASK interface of
ISO/IEC 18000-3, Mode 3) for conformance.
When through trading-partner agreement, other specific ISO/IEC 18000 air interfaces are employed
(i.e. ISO/IEC 18000-2, Type A) the corresponding part of ISO/IEC 18047 shall be used.
3 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 445, Pallets for materials handling — Vocabulary
ISO 830, Freight containers — Vocabulary
ISO 8601, Data elements and interchange formats — Information interchange — Representation of
dates and times
ISO/IEC/IEEE 8802-15-4, Information technology — Telecommunications and information exchange
between systems — Local and metropolitan area networks — Specific requirements Part 15.4: Wireless
Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications for Low-Rate Wireless Personal Area
Networks (WPANs)
ISO/IEC 15418, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques — GS1
Application Identifiers and ASC MH10 Data Identifiers and maintenance
ISO/IEC 15434, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques — Syntax
for high-capacity ADC media
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ISO 17365:2013(E)

ISO/IEC 15459-1, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques —
Unique identification — Part 1: Individual transport units
ISO/IEC 15961, Information technology — Radio frequency identification (RFID) for item management —
Data protocol: application interface
ISO/IEC 15962, Information technology — Radio frequency identification (RFID) for item management —
Data protocol: data encoding rules and logical memory functions
ISO/IEC 15963, Information technology — Radio frequency identification for item management — Unique
identification for RF tags
ISO/IEC 16022, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques — Data
Matrix bar code symbology specification
ISO 17364:2013, Supply chain applications of RFID — Returnable transport items (RTIs) and Returnable
packaging items (RPIs)
ISO/IEC 18000-3, Information technology — Radio frequency identification for item management — Part 3:
Parameters for air interface communications at 13,56 MHz
ISO/IEC 18000-63, Information technology — Radio frequency identification for item management —
Part 63: Parameters for air interface communications at 860 MHz to 960 MHz Type C
ISO/IEC 18004, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques — QR
Code bar code symbology specification
ISO/IEC 18046 (all parts), Information technology — Radio frequency identification device performance
test methods
ISO/IEC 18047 (all parts), Information technology — Radio frequency identification device conformance
test methods
ISO/IEC 19762, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) techniques —
Harmonized vocabulary
ISO 21067, Packaging — Vocabulary
ISO/IEC/IEEE 21451-7, Information technology — Smart transducer interface for sensors and actuators —
Part 7: Transducer to radio frequency identification (RFID) systems communication protocols and Transducer
Electronic Data Sheet (TEDS) formats
ISO/IEC/TR 24729-1, Information technology — Radio frequency identification for item management —
Implementation guidelines — Part 1: RFID-enabled labels and packaging supporting ISO/IEC 18000-6C
ISO/IEC 29160, Information technology — Radio frequency identification for item management — RFID Emblem
ANS MH10.8.2, Data Identifiers and Application Identifiers
GS1 EPC, Tag Data Standard, Version 1.6
GS1 General Specifications
ICNIRP Guidelines, Guidelines for limiting exposure to time-varying electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic
fields (up to 300 GHz)
IEEE C95-1, IEEE Standard for Safety Levels with Respect to Human Exposure to Radio Frequency
Electromagnetic Fields, 3 kHz to 300 GHz
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ISO 17365:2013(E)

4 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 445, ISO 830, ISO 17364,
ISO/IEC 19762 (all parts), and ISO 21067 apply.
For the purposes of this document, hexadecimal characters are represented as 0xnn, where “nn” is the
hexadecimal value.
5 Concepts
5.1 Differentiation between this layer and the preceding layers
Figures 1 and 2 give a graphical representation of supply chain layers. They show a conceptual model
of possible supply chain relationships, not a one-for-one representation of physical things. Although
several layers in Figure 2 have clear physical counterparts, some common supply chain physical items
fit in several layers depending on the use case. For example, as shown in Figure 2, a repetitively used
pallet under constant ownership would be covered by ISO 17364 as an RTI; a pallet that is part of a
consolidated unit load would be covered by this International Standard as a transport unit; and a pallet
that is integral to a single item would be covered by ISO 17366 as product packaging.
The term “supply chain layers” is a multi-level concept that covers all aspects of taking a product from
raw materials to a final product to shipping to a final place of sale, use, maintenance and potentially
disposal and returned goods. Each of these levels covers many aspects of dealing with products and the
business process for each level is both unique and overlapping with other levels.
The Item Level through Freight Container Level layers are addressed within the suite of standards for
“supply chain applications of RFID” and are intended to enhance supply chain visibility. The Movement
Vehicle Level is the purview of ISO/TC 204/WG 7.
The Transport Unit Level in Figure 2, and specifically transport units (as defined in ISO 17364:2013, 4.7)
is the subject of this International Standard.
Transport unit layer tags can be distinguished from following or preceding layer tags by use of a group select
methodology contained in the RFID interrogator/reader. This group select function allows the interrogator
and supporting automated information systems (AIS) to quickly identify transport unit layer tags.
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ISO 17365:2013(E)

1
2
3
4
5
Key
1 primary packaging – consumer packaging – (product)
2 secondary packaging – outer packaging – (product package)
3 tertiary packaging – transport packaging – (transport unit)
4 tertiary packaging – unitized transport packaging – (transport unit)
5 pallet – (returnable transport item – RTI)
Figure 1 — Packaging
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ISO 17365:2013(E)

Layer 5
Movement Vehicle
Movement Vehicle Level
(truck, ship, train, airplane)
Defined by Transport Mode
(Movement vehicle)
Returnable Packaging Item
Layer 4
Freight Container Level
ISO 17363
Container
433 MHz or 2,45 GHz
20/40 Foot Marine and Multi-Modal Container
(8802-15-4 or 18000-7 TPA)
(Freight containers)
Returnable Packaging Item
Layer 3
RTI Level
Returnable Transport Returnable Transport
ISO 17364
Item (RTI) Item (RTI)
(860-960 MHz)
(Various 18000 with TPA)
(Tertiary packaging)
Returnable Packaging Item
Layer 2
Transport Unit Level
Transport Transport
Transport Transport
Unit
ISO 17365 Unit
Unit Unit
(Various 18000 with TPA)
(Tertiary packaging)
Returnable Packaging Item
Layer 1
Product Package Level
Prod Prod Prod Prod
ISO 17366 Prod Prod Prod Prod
Pkg Pkg Pkg Pkg Pkg Pkg Pkg
(860-960 MHz with TPA) Pkg
(13,56 MHz with TPA)
(Secondary packaging)
Returnable Packaging Item
Layer 0
Item Level
ISO 17367
Item Item Item Item
Item Item Item Item Item Item Item Item Item Item Item Item
(860-960 MHz with TPA)
(13,56 MHz with TPA)
(Primary packaging)
Components, Parts, Materials, Subassemblies, etc.
Figure 2 — Supply chain layers
5.2 Returnable packaging item
At all layers within the supply chain are materials that are shipped to a customer with full expectation
that such devices will be returned to the supplier. These returnable packaging items (RPIs) are assets of
value as well as potentially the physical transport unit. RPIs and their identification are well addressed
in Annex A of ISO 17364.
5.3 Unique identification of transport units
5.3.1 General
Unique transport unit identification is a process that assigns a unique data string to an individual
transport unit, or in this case to an RFID tag that is associated to the transport unit. The unique data
string is called the unique transport unit identifier. Unique item identification of transport units allows
data collection and management at a granular level. The benefits of granular level data are evident in
such areas as maintenance, warranties and enabling electronic transactions of record. This granularity
is possible only if each tagged item has a unique item identifier.
The information on items in the supply chain is often held on computer systems and may be exchanged
between parties involved via electronic data interchange (EDI) and extensible mark-up language (XML)
schemas. The unique item identifier is used as a key to access this information.
The unique transport unit identifier described above shall be the unique identifier as described in
ISO/IEC 15459-1. The unique item identifier (UII) provides granular discrimination between like items that
are identified with RFID tags. The unique tag ID (as defined by ISO/IEC 15963) is a mechanism to uniquely
identify RFID tags and is not the unique transport unit identifier defined in this International Standard.
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Transport unit tagging provides unique identification of transport units. The minimum data elements
required for unique identification are an enterprise identifier/company identification number and a
serial number that is unique within that enterprise identifier.
This International Standard uses the following identification mechanisms for unique transport unit
identification:
— unique identifier for transport units (ISO/IEC 15459-1;
— GS1 Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC).
5.3.2 International unique identification of transport units
The unique identifier of ISO/IEC 15459 provides identification schemes for various layers of the supply chain,
from layer 1 (products) up to layer 4 (returnable transport items). The unique identification of transport
units shall use ISO/IEC 15459-1. Unique identification is provided contextually by three components:
a) issuing agency code (IAC),
b) company identification number (CIN),
c) serial number (SN),
preceded by an AFI and Data Identifier (DI). The AFI code assignments table in ISO/IEC 15961-3, Data
Constructs Register and shown below in Table 1 permits identification of the supply chain layer, i.e.
product = 0xA1, transport unit = 0xA2 retur
...