ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 31 publishes overview of UHF RFID and data standards
With a new, publicly available introductory document, ISO/IEC is strengthening guidance for anyone planning or implementing RFID projects: On January 5, 2026, a compact "Standards overview" on UHF RFID and encoded data was published.
The publication was picked up in the RFID community by, among others, a LinkedIn post by Dennis Pospich (Data Elektronik GmbH), who aptly summarizes the nature of the paper: a short, deliberately high-level introduction for end users and RFID solution providers – not exclusively for developers.
The aim of the document is not to explain the entire world of standards in detail, but to provide a comprehensible roadmap. It answers typical introductory questions from practice: What exactly is RFID – and what is it not? Which technology is suitable for which application? What data belongs on the tag? And which ISO/IEC standards are the right reference points for this?
Where SC 31 is "at home" in the ISO/IEC world
The organizational classification is relevant in practice because it explains why SC 31 is so central to RFID:
ISO organizes standardization in Technical Committees (TCs) – a comprehensive, historically grown structure that ranges thematically from "assistive products" to "zinc alloys. " The committees are listed in the order in which they were founded: TC 1 deals with screw threads and was founded in 1947; new topics were added much later, such as TC 323 for the standardization of the circular economy.
When you select a committee, you will find information on the chair, secretariat, documents, and the program of work with planned meetings and standards in progress.
ISO and IEC work closely together on IT standards – bundled in the joint committee ISO/IEC JTC 1 "Information technology." Within this JTC 1, SC 31 is the subcommittee for "Automatic identification and data capture techniques (AIDC)" – in other words, precisely those technologies and data structures that enable automatic identification in practice: barcodes, OCR, RFID, and related AIDC topics.
Not all RFID is the same – and that is precisely what the paper clarifies
One of the most important messages right at the outset: RFID is not a single technology, but a family. The document clearly classifies RFID according to two axes:
First, by operating frequency (LF, HF, UHF, EHF). Among other things, this determines range, antenna design, regulations, and robustness in certain environments.
Second, by power supply: active, passive, and battery-assisted passive. Active tags transmit themselves and require a battery, while passive tags use the reader's energy field and respond via backscatter. Battery-assisted passive lies between the two and can support range or sensor functions, for example.
This distinction is not academic: it determines whether RFID will function reliably in a specific environment—for example, near metal, near liquids, or in complex multi-antenna setups.
Focus on the industrial standard: Passive UHF RFID according to ISO/IEC 18000-63
The document focuses on the most widely used RFID technology for object identification and supply chain applications today: passive UHF RFID according to ISO/IEC 18000-63.
The paper provides a practical guide to the operating principle of a UHF system: readers and antennas transmit modulated signals, which energize the tag, process commands, and respond via backscatter. The key advantage in everyday use: UHF RFID can detect many tags simultaneously, thereby automating processes where barcodes reach their limits – especially when there is no line of sight or when high throughput rates are required.
At the same time, the document identifies typical realities: UHF waves penetrate non-conductive materials such as cardboard or plastic well, but are sensitive to metal reflections. Therefore, antenna alignment, transmission power, environmental influences, and sources of interference are key design parameters.
The core of many projects: data standardization instead of "just radio"
It is particularly valuable that the overview treats the data level as equally important. In successful RFID projects, it is not only the air interface that is crucial, but also the question: What data is encoded and how – and how does it remain unique across system boundaries?
UHF systems work with longer ranges and mass capture. In practice, this means that it is almost inevitable that, over time, a system will also capture tags that do not belong to its "own application" – for example, from transport containers, goods, visitor objects, or work clothing. If proprietary or unstructured identifiers are then used, this can lead to mix-ups, ID collisions, and automated incorrect entries.
The document therefore recommends considering international data standards from the outset – even if a project initially appears small or internal. Standardization greatly facilitates later expansion, partner integration, and scaling.
The paper explains the typical storage areas of a tag: a manufacturer-side, static TID, the actual object identifier (EPC/UII), and optional user memory for additional information. It also shows why control information is important so that readers and software know how to interpret and decode tag data.
Security and verifiability: cryptography and digital signatures
The more RFID is used in valuable or regulated processes, the more important security, integrity, and verifiability become. The document refers to standards that go beyond pure read/write: protection mechanisms at the tag level, authentication approaches, and cryptographic methods for RFID applications. It also addresses the topic of digital signatures as a building block for making data structures verifiable.
This is an important point for users: modern RFID architectures must not only "work," but also be auditable, tamper-resistant, and, in some cases, provable—depending on the risk and compliance profile of the application.
Why this publication is important in practice
This new, freely accessible introduction is particularly relevant because it closes a common gap: Until now, there has been little material between the standards catalog and marketing documents that is both technically accurate and easy to read for decision-makers and project teams.
The SC-31 overview helps to set up projects more quickly and cleanly: with realistic expectations of technology, a clear understanding of data logic, and a better sense of which standards families are important for interoperability, data structure, security, and testability.
For the market, this is a signal that goes far beyond UHF RFID: standardization is not "bureaucracy," but rather a prerequisite for AIDC solutions to become scalable, compatible, and manageable in the long term.
More about ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 31 (Automatic identification and data capture techniques): https://www.iso.org/committee/45332.html