SIST ISO/IEC 15459-4:2025

Information technology - Automatic identification and data capture techniques - Unique identification - Part 4: Individual products and product packages

ISO/IEC 15459-4:2014 specifies a unique string of characters for the identification of individual products and product packages. The character string is intended to be represented in a linear bar code symbol or two-dimensional symbol or other automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) media attached to the entity to meet management needs. To address management needs, different classes of identities are recognized in the various parts of ISO/IEC 15459, which allows different requirements to be met by the identities associated with each class.  
The rules for the identification of an individual occurrence of a product or product package, understood to mean the layers zero and one defined in ISO 17367 and ISO 17366, respectively, are defined and supported by examples.

Technologies de l'information — Identification automatique et techniques de capture de données — Identification unique — Partie 4: Articles individuels et paquetages d'article

Informacijska tehnologija - Tehnike za samodejno razpoznavanje in zajem podatkov - Enotna identifikacija - 4. del: Posamezni izdelki in paketi izdelkov

Ta del standarda ISO/IEC 15459 določa enoten niz znakov za identifikacijo posameznih izdelkov in paketov izdelkov. Niz znakov naj bi bil predstavljen s simbolom linearne črtne kode ali dvodimenzionalnim simbolom ali drugim elementom za samodejno razpoznavanje in zajem podatkov (AIDC), pritrjenim na entiteto, da so izpolnjene potrebe glede upravljanja. Za obravnavo potreb glede upravljanja so v različnih delih standarda ISO/IEC 15459 opredeljeni različni razredi identitet; tako lahko identitete, povezane s posameznim razredom, izpolnjujejo različne zahteve.
Pravila za identifikacijo posameznih pojavitev izdelkov ali paketov izdelkov, kar pomeni plasti »nič« in »ena«, opredeljeni v mednarodnem standardu ISO 17367 oziroma ISO 17366, so opredeljena in podprta s primeri.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 15-May-2025
• ICS: 35.040 - Information coding
• ICS: 35.040.50 - Automatic identification and data capture techniques
• Technical Committee: ITC - Information technology
• Current Stage: 6060 - National Implementation/Publication (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 06-May-2025
• Due Date: 11-Jul-2025
• Completion Date: 16-May-2025
• Ref Project: ISO/IEC 15459-4:2014 - Information technology - Automatic identification and data capture techniques - Unique identification - Part 4: Individual products and product packages

Overview

ISO/IEC 15459-4:2014 defines a unique identification method for individual products and product packages using Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) media. The standard specifies the structure and rules for a unique character string (qualifier + string) that can be encoded in linear bar codes, two‑dimensional symbols, or other AIDC carriers attached to an item to support management, traceability and data lookup across supply chains.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Identity structure: An identity is composed of a qualifier and a string assigned by an identity issuer following Issuing Agency rules (ISO/IEC 15459-2 and -3).
• Character set: Identities must use upper‑case alphabetic characters and numeric digits from the invariant set of ISO/IEC 646.
• Length limits: Maximum of 50 characters per identity; recommendation to keep one‑line linear bar code content to ≤20 characters for practical AIDC use.
• Qualifier options: Examples include GS1 Application Identifiers (e.g., 8004, serialized GTIN using 01 + 21), ASC MH10 Data Identifiers (e.g., 25S, 25P + S, 3I), and specific object identifiers (OIDs) assigned under ISO/IEC 15459-4 for product and package identifiers.
• Classes of identity: Different identity classes are recognized across ISO/IEC 15459 parts (product, transport units, RTIs, groupings) so identities meet varied management requirements.
• Implementation: All AIDC technologies can encode the identity; application standards can be developed on the ISO/IEC 15459 identity as the primary key.

Applications and who uses it

ISO/IEC 15459-4 is intended for organizations that need item‑level identification and electronic data capture:

• Manufacturers and brand owners for product serialization and traceability.
• Retailers and logistics providers for inventory control, scanning, and automated receiving.
• Healthcare, aerospace, and defense sectors where precise item tracking and regulatory compliance are required.
• Issuing Agencies and system integrators implementing identity assignment policies and AIDC encoding. Practical uses include serialized product tracking, recall management, anti‑counterfeiting measures, quality inspection linkage, and linking physical items to database records via bar code or 2D symbol.

Related standards

• ISO/IEC 15459-2 (Registration procedures) and ISO/IEC 15459-3 (Common rules)
• ISO/IEC 646 (character set)
• GS1 General Specifications (Application Identifiers, GTIN)
• ASC MH10 standards (Data Identifiers)
• ISO 3779 (VIN structure)
• ISO 17367 / ISO 17366 (layer definitions referenced)

Keywords: ISO/IEC 15459-4, unique identification, AIDC, product identification, bar code, two‑dimensional symbol, GS1, ASC MH10, serialization, item‑level traceability.

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-junij-2025
Informacijska tehnologija - Tehnike za samodejno razpoznavanje in zajem
podatkov - Enotna identifikacija - 4. del: Posamezni izdelki in paketi izdelkov
Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques —
Unique identification — Part 4: Individual products and product packages
Technologies de l'information — Identification automatique et techniques de capture de
données — Identification unique — Partie 4: Articles individuels et paquetages d'article
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: ISO/IEC 15459-4:2014
ICS:
35.040.50 Tehnike za samodejno Automatic identification and
razpoznavanje in zajem data capture techniques
podatkov
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 15459-4
Third edition
2014-11-15
Corrected version
2016-09-01
Information technology — Automatic
identification and data capture
techniques — Unique identification —
Part 4:
Individual products and product
packages
Technologies de l’information — Identification automatique et
techniques de capture de données — Identification unique —
Partie 4: Articles individuels et paquetages d’article
Reference number
©
ISO/IEC 2014
© ISO/IEC 2014, Published in Switzerland
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
Ch. de Blandonnet 8 • CP 401
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Fax [phone]
[e-mail]
www.iso.org
ii © ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Identities for individual products and product packages . 2
4.1 Qualifiers for individual products and product packages. 2
4.1.1 Identity using a serial component . 2
4.1.2 Identity using a separate serial component . 2
5 Identity for individual products and product packages . 3
5.1 General . 3
5.2 Maximum number of characters permissible in an identity . 3
5.3 Permissible character sets in an identity . 3
6 Implementation of coding using AIDC media . 3
Annex A (normative) What is a product and/or product package? . 4
Annex B (informative) Unique identification for product and product package management .5
Bibliography . 9
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved iii

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical
activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the
work. In the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee,
ISO/IEC JTC 1.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for
the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject
of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent
rights. Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the
Introduction and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical
Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary information
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology; Subcommittee
SC 31, Automatic identification and data capture techniques.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO/IEC 15459-4:2008), which has been
technically revised.
This corrected version of ISO/IEC 15459-4:2014 incorporates the following correction plus other minor
editorial modifications. Clause 5.3 has been modified as follows:
“5.3 Permissible character sets in an identity
The identity shall use alphabetic, numeric and special characters from the invariant character set
ISO/IEC 646, see Annex A in ISO/IEC 15459-3.
More compact data encoding may be attained by using only upper case alphabetic characters and
numeric digits.
An Issuing Agency may have additional requirements on the repertoire of characters found within
identities using its IAC.
Any data processing system shall be capable of processing identities using the full repertoire of
characters permitted by ISO/IEC 646.”
A list of all parts in the ISO/IEC 15459 series can be found on the ISO website.
iv © ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved

Introduction
Unique identities can occur at many different levels, at item level, on the transport unit, on the
returnable transport item, at grouping levels, and elsewhere. Such entities are often handled by several
parties, both public and private, throughout their lifecycle. Each of these parties must be able to identify
and trace such distinct entities so that reference can be made to associated information such as quality
inspection data, the chemical substance contained, the batch or lot number of parts, components or raw
materials, etc.
The associated information is typically held in some kind of database. The information can be accessed
using EDI exchange or another appropriate access protocol, e.g. a directory access protocol.
There are considerable benefits if the identity of the entity is represented as a bar code or other AIDC
(Automatic Identification and Data Capture) media and attached to or made a constituent part of that
which is being uniquely identified so that
— it can be read electronically, thus minimizing errors;
— one identity can be used by all parties;
— each party can use the identity to look up its computer files to find the data associated with the entity.
All AIDC technologies have the potential to encode an identity. It is expected that application standards,
using various automatic identification technologies, will be developed based upon the identity as a prime
key. These application standards, which can include additional rules for which level of identification
should be used, are often made available from the Issuing Agency.
The identity for products and product packages defined in this part of ISO/IEC 15459, and represented
in AIDC media attached to the product or product package, meets the needs defined in ISO/IEC 15459-3,
Common Rules.
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved v

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 15459-4:2014(E)
Information technology — Automatic identification and
data capture techniques — Unique identification —
Part 4:
Individual products and product packages
1 Scope
This part of ISO/IEC 15459 specifies a unique string of characters for the identification of individual
products and product packages. The character string is intended to be represented in a linear bar code
symbol or two-dimensional symbol or other AIDC media attached to the entity to meet management
needs. To address management needs different classes of identities are recognized in the various parts of
ISO/IEC 15459, which allows different requirements to be met by the identities associated with each class.
The rules for the identification of an individual occurrence of a product or product package, understood
to mean the layers zero and one defined in the International Standards ISO 17367 and ISO 17366,
respectively, are defined and supported by examples.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 646, Information technology — ISO 7-bit coded character set for information interchange
ISO 3779, Road vehicles — Vehicle identification number (VIN) — Content and structure
ISO/IEC 15459-2, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques —
Unique identification — Part 2: Registration procedures
ISO/IEC 15459-3, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques —
Unique identification — Part 3: Common rules
ISO/IEC 19762-1, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC)
techniques — Harmonized vocabulary — Part 1: General terms relating to AIDC
GS1 General Specifications
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO/IEC 19762-1 and
ISO/IEC 15459-3 apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved 1

4 Identities for individual products and product packages
Each individual product or product package (See Annex A) shall be unambiguously identified by a
qualifier and a string as defined in Clause 5 so that individual products or product packages of a given
type can be distinguished from other types. The permitted combinations of qualifier and string are
determined by the Issuing Agency.
If there is only one individual product in a product package, or one individual product is seen as
dominant in the product package, the product package may use the identity as the included sole or
dominant individual product (see Clause 4.1). In other cases a product package shall have its own
identity, making it possible to differentiate the product package from the included individual products.
Notwithstanding the above, where regulatory requirements or industry practice dictate it may be
necessary to assign an identity to the only or all the individual products in a package.
4.1 Qualifiers for individual products and product packages
The qualifier component of an identity for a product or product package may use any data format
supported by ISO/IEC 15434 or ISO/IEC 9834-1. What formats may be used are to be specified by the
Issuing Agency rules. For the purpose of this standard examples are not meant to be exhaustive, but
rather representative of the full suit
...

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 15459-4
Third edition
2014-11-15
Corrected version
2016-09-01
Information technology — Automatic
identification and data capture
techniques — Unique identification —
Part 4:
Individual products and product
packages
Technologies de l’information — Identification automatique et
techniques de capture de données — Identification unique —
Partie 4: Articles individuels et paquetages d’article
Reference number
©
ISO/IEC 2014
© ISO/IEC 2014, Published in Switzerland
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
Ch. de Blandonnet 8 • CP 401
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Fax [phone]
[e-mail]
www.iso.org
ii © ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Identities for individual products and product packages . 2
4.1 Qualifiers for individual products and product packages. 2
4.1.1 Identity using a serial component . 2
4.1.2 Identity using a separate serial component . 2
5 Identity for individual products and product packages . 3
5.1 General . 3
5.2 Maximum number of characters permissible in an identity . 3
5.3 Permissible character sets in an identity . 3
6 Implementation of coding using AIDC media . 3
Annex A (normative) What is a product and/or product package? . 4
Annex B (informative) Unique identification for product and product package management .5
Bibliography . 9
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved iii

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical
activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the
work. In the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee,
ISO/IEC JTC 1.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for
the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject
of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent
rights. Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the
Introduction and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical
Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary information
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology; Subcommittee
SC 31, Automatic identification and data capture techniques.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO/IEC 15459-4:2008), which has been
technically revised.
This corrected version of ISO/IEC 15459-4:2014 incorporates the following correction plus other minor
editorial modifications. Clause 5.3 has been modified as follows:
“5.3 Permissible character sets in an identity
The identity shall use alphabetic, numeric and special characters from the invariant character set
ISO/IEC 646, see Annex A in ISO/IEC 15459-3.
More compact data encoding may be attained by using only upper case alphabetic characters and
numeric digits.
An Issuing Agency may have additional requirements on the repertoire of characters found within
identities using its IAC.
Any data processing system shall be capable of processing identities using the full repertoire of
characters permitted by ISO/IEC 646.”
A list of all parts in the ISO/IEC 15459 series can be found on the ISO website.
iv © ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved

Introduction
Unique identities can occur at many different levels, at item level, on the transport unit, on the
returnable transport item, at grouping levels, and elsewhere. Such entities are often handled by several
parties, both public and private, throughout their lifecycle. Each of these parties must be able to identify
and trace such distinct entities so that reference can be made to associated information such as quality
inspection data, the chemical substance contained, the batch or lot number of parts, components or raw
materials, etc.
The associated information is typically held in some kind of database. The information can be accessed
using EDI exchange or another appropriate access protocol, e.g. a directory access protocol.
There are considerable benefits if the identity of the entity is represented as a bar code or other AIDC
(Automatic Identification and Data Capture) media and attached to or made a constituent part of that
which is being uniquely identified so that
— it can be read electronically, thus minimizing errors;
— one identity can be used by all parties;
— each party can use the identity to look up its computer files to find the data associated with the entity.
All AIDC technologies have the potential to encode an identity. It is expected that application standards,
using various automatic identification technologies, will be developed based upon the identity as a prime
key. These application standards, which can include additional rules for which level of identification
should be used, are often made available from the Issuing Agency.
The identity for products and product packages defined in this part of ISO/IEC 15459, and represented
in AIDC media attached to the product or product package, meets the needs defined in ISO/IEC 15459-3,
Common Rules.
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved v

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 15459-4:2014(E)
Information technology — Automatic identification and
data capture techniques — Unique identification —
Part 4:
Individual products and product packages
1 Scope
This part of ISO/IEC 15459 specifies a unique string of characters for the identification of individual
products and product packages. The character string is intended to be represented in a linear bar code
symbol or two-dimensional symbol or other AIDC media attached to the entity to meet management
needs. To address management needs different classes of identities are recognized in the various parts of
ISO/IEC 15459, which allows different requirements to be met by the identities associated with each class.
The rules for the identification of an individual occurrence of a product or product package, understood
to mean the layers zero and one defined in the International Standards ISO 17367 and ISO 17366,
respectively, are defined and supported by examples.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 646, Information technology — ISO 7-bit coded character set for information interchange
ISO 3779, Road vehicles — Vehicle identification number (VIN) — Content and structure
ISO/IEC 15459-2, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques —
Unique identification — Part 2: Registration procedures
ISO/IEC 15459-3, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques —
Unique identification — Part 3: Common rules
ISO/IEC 19762-1, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC)
techniques — Harmonized vocabulary — Part 1: General terms relating to AIDC
GS1 General Specifications
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO/IEC 19762-1 and
ISO/IEC 15459-3 apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved 1

4 Identities for individual products and product packages
Each individual product or product package (See Annex A) shall be unambiguously identified by a
qualifier and a string as defined in Clause 5 so that individual products or product packages of a given
type can be distinguished from other types. The permitted combinations of qualifier and string are
determined by the Issuing Agency.
If there is only one individual product in a product package, or one individual product is seen as
dominant in the product package, the product package may use the identity as the included sole or
dominant individual product (see Clause 4.1). In other cases a product package shall have its own
identity, making it possible to differentiate the product package from the included individual products.
Notwithstanding the above, where regulatory requirements or industry practice dictate it may be
necessary to assign an identity to the only or all the individual products in a package.
4.1 Qualifiers for individual products and product packages
The qualifier component of an identity for a product or product package may use any data format
supported by ISO/IEC 15434 or ISO/IEC 9834-1. What formats may be used are to be specified by the
Issuing Agency rules. For the purpose of this standard examples are not meant to be exhaustive, but
rather representative of the full suite of data qualifiers possible to use and relevant to this standard;
4.1.1 Identity using a serial component
— GS1 Application Identifiers 8004
If this method is used to create the identity each unique identity issuer would select the appropriate
GS1 Application Identifier, conforming to the requirements of the GS1 General Specification, to act
as the qualifier of the identity.
— ASC MH 10 Data Identifiers 25S or 3I
If this method is used to create the identity each unique identity issuer would select the appropriate
ASC MH10 Data Identifier as required by the appropriate Issuing Agency to act as the qualifier of
...

FINAL
INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
DRAFT
STANDARD FDIS
15459-4
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 31
Information technology — Automatic
Secretariat: ANSI
identification and data capture
Voting begins on:
2014-06-03 techniques — Unique identification —
Voting terminates on:
Part 4:
2014-08-03
Individual products and product
packages
Technologies de l’information — Identification automatique et
techniques de capture de données — Identification unique —
Partie 4: Articles individuels et paquetages d’article
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED TO
SUBMIT, WITH THEIR COMMENTS, NOTIFICATION
OF ANY RELEVANT PATENT RIGHTS OF WHICH
THEY ARE AWARE AND TO PROVIDE SUPPOR TING
DOCUMENTATION.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
Reference number
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL, TECHNO-
ISO/IEC FDIS 15459-4:2014(E)
LOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND USER PURPOSES,
DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS MAY ON
OCCASION HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE
LIGHT OF THEIR POTENTIAL TO BECOME STAN-
DARDS TO WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE MADE IN
©
NATIONAL REGULATIONS. ISO/IEC 2014

ISO/IEC FDIS 15459-4:2014(E)
© ISO/IEC 2014
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
Case postale 56 • CH-1211 Geneva 20
Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail [e-mail]
Web www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved

ISO/IEC FDIS 15459-4:2014(E)
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Identities for individual products and product packages . 1
4.1 Qualifiers for individual products and product packages. 2
5 Identity for individual products and product packages . 3
5.1 General . 3
5.2 Maximum number of characters permissible in an identity . 3
5.3 Permissible character sets in an identity . 3
6 Implementation of coding using AIDC media . 3
Annex A (normative) What is a product and/or product package? . 4
Annex B (informative) Unique identification for product and product package management .5
Bibliography . 9
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved iii

ISO/IEC FDIS 15459-4:2014(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical
activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the
work. In the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee,
ISO/IEC JTC 1.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for
the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject
of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction
and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical Barriers
to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary information
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, Subcommittee
SC 31, Automatic identification and data capture techniques.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO/IEC 15459-4:2008), which has been
technically revised.
ISO/IEC 15459 consists of the following parts (as a result of the reconstruction of previously published
parts 1 to 8), under the general title Information technology —Automatic identification and data capture
techniques— Unique identification:
— Part 1: Individual transport units
— Part 2: Registration procedures
— Part 3: Common rules
— Part 4: Individual products and product packages
— Part 5: Individual returnable transport items (RTIs)
— Part 6: Groupings
iv © ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved

ISO/IEC FDIS 15459-4:2014(E)
Introduction
Unique identities can occur at many different levels, at item level, on the transport unit, on the returnable
transport item, at grouping levels, and elsewhere. Such entities are often handled by several parties,
both public and private, throughout their lifecycle. Each of these parties must be able to identify and
trace such distinct entities so that reference can be made to associated information such as quality
inspection data, the chemical substance contained, the batch or lot number of parts, components or raw
materials, etc.
The associated information is typically held in some kind of database. The information can be accessed
using EDI exchange or another appropriate access protocol, e.g. a directory access protocol.
There are considerable benefits if the identity of the entity is represented as a bar code or other AIDC
(Automatic Identification and Data Capture) media and attached to or made a constituent part of that
which is being uniquely identified so that
— it can be read electronically, thus minimizing errors;
— one identity can be used by all parties;
— each party can use the identity to look up its computer files to find the data associated with the
entity.
All AIDC technologies have the potential to encode an identity. It is expected that application standards,
using various automatic identification technologies, will be developed based upon the identity as a prime
key. These application standards, which can include additional rules for which level of identification
should be used, are often made available from the Issuing Agency.
The identity for products and product packages defined in this part of ISO/IEC 15459, and represented
in AIDC media attached to the product or product package, meets the needs defined in ISO/IEC 15459-3,
Common Rules.
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved v

FINAL DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC FDIS 15459-4:2014(E)
Information technology — Automatic identification and
data capture techniques — Unique identification —
Part 4:
Individual products and product packages
1 Scope
This part of ISO/IEC 15459 specifies a unique string of characters for the identification of individual
products and product packages. The character string is intended to be represented in a linear bar code
symbol or two-dimensional symbol or other AIDC media attached to the entity to meet management
needs. To address management needs different classes of identities are recognized in the various parts
of ISO/IEC 15459, which allows different requirements to be met by the identities associated with each
class.
The rules for the identification of an individual occurrence of a product or product package, understood
to mean the layers zero and one defined in the International Standards ISO 17367 and ISO 17366,
respectively, are defined and supported by examples.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 646, Information technology — ISO 7-bit coded character set for information interchange
ISO 3779, Road vehicles — Vehicle identification number (VIN) — Content and structure
ISO/IEC 15459-2, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques —
Unique identification — Part 2: Registration procedures
ISO/IEC 15459-3, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques —
Unique identification — Part 3: Common rules
ISO/IEC 19762-1, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) techniques —
Harmonized vocabulary — Part 1: General terms relating to AIDC
ANS MH.10.8.2, Data Identifier and Application Identifier Standard
GS1 General Specifications
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO/IEC 19762-1 and ISO/IEC 15459-
3 apply.
4 Identities for individual products and product packages
Each individual product or product package (See Annex A) shall be unambiguously identified by a
qualifier and a string as defined in Clause 5 so that individual products or product packages of a given
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved 1

ISO/IEC FDIS 15459-4:2014(E)
type can be distinguished from other types. The permitted combinations of qualifier and string are
determined by the Issuing Agency.
If there is only one individual product in a product package, or one individual product is seen as dominant
in the product package, the product package may use the identity as the included sole or dominant
individual product (see Clause 4.1). In other cases a product package shall have its own identity, making
it possible to differentiate the product package from the included individual products.
Notwithstanding the above, where regulatory requirements or industry practice dictate it may be
necessary to assign an identity to the only or all the individual products in a package.
4.1 Qualifiers for individual products and product packages
The qualifier component of an identity for a product or product package may use any data format
supported by ISO/IEC 15434 or ISO/IEC 9834-1. What formats may be used are to be specified by the
Issuing Agency rules. For the purpose of this standard examples are not meant to be exhaustive, but
rather representative of the full suite of data qualifiers possible to use and relevant to this standard;
4.1.1 Identity using a serial component
— GS1 Application Identifiers 8004
If this method is used to create the identity each unique identity issuer would select the appropriate
GS1 Application Identifier, conforming to the requirements of the GS1 General Specification, to act
as the qualifier of the identity.
— ASC MH 10 Data Identifiers 25S or 3I
If this method is used to create the identity each unique identity issuer would select the appropriate
ASC MH10 Data Identifier as required by the appropriate Issuing Agency to act as the qualifier of
the identity.
NOTE The structure of an identity following “3I” is defined in ISO 3779, Road vehicles — Vehicle
identification number (VIN) — Content an
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