NXP UCODE® 9 UHF RFID IC Family

High-Performance RAIN RFID IC for item-level visibility at scale

The UCODE 9 family is NXP’s high-performance RAIN RFID (UHF) platform for demanding tagging programs in retail, logistics and industrial environments. It delivers stronger read/write margins, faster commissioning and more reliable inventory counts, especially when tags are densely packed, moving quickly, or exposed to challenging RF conditions.

A major advantage of the family: it is designed to support smooth migration from UCODE 8, including the ability to reuse many existing inlay antenna designs. This helps accelerate rollouts while lowering redesign effort and qualification time. Higher chip performance can also enable smaller inlay designs, reducing aluminium and plastic usage and supporting sustainability targets.

What’s improved vs. UCODE 8

• Faster, more reliable encoding: improved write performance reduces failed writes and increases throughput on commissioning lines.

• More robust inventory counts: improved read margin helps capture more tags per pass, reducing missed reads and speeding up cycle counts.

• Better real-world RF behavior: enhanced backscatter behavior plus automatic optimization features (e.g., Self-Adjust) improve consistency across changing environments.

• Drop-in upgrade path: reuse of many UCODE 8 inlay antenna designs makes upgrades practical at scale.

Choose the right UCODE 9 option

UCODE 9 (SL3S1206) — the performance baseline

Best for high-volume tagging where fast inventory and strong read/write margins are the priority, and where a drop-in upgrade from existing UCODE 8 inlays is valuable.

Typical use: retail apparel, smart logistics, general supply-chain visibility.

UCODE 9xe (SL3S1216) — extended EPC for richer on-tag data

Designed for applications that benefit from more EPC capacity (e.g., storing additional attributes or identifiers in EPC memory while keeping processes EPC-centric).

Typical use: retail and logistics programs with extended numbering schemes, serialization practices, or richer EPC-based workflows.

UCODE 9xm (SL3S1005) — extended user memory for industrial use cases

Optimized for scenarios that need more user memory for application-specific data beyond EPC/TID—useful in industrial workflows where assets carry local data for process steps, status, maintenance or closed-loop tracking.

Typical use: industrial WIP, returnable transport items (RTIs), manufacturing logistics, healthcare/industrial assets requiring on-tag user data.

Key capabilities across the family (varies by variant)

• High read and write sensitivity for demanding environments

• Fast encoding/commissioning to support large-scale rollouts

• Features such as Self-Adjust and Memory Safeguard to improve robustness and data integrity

• Standard RFID functionality (e.g., kill, permalock, block write) depending on variant

• Wide operating temperature range and long data retention/endurance characteristics

Typical applications

• Retail: item-level tagging, rapid inventory, omnichannel accuracy

• Logistics: smart parcel flows, warehouse visibility, loss reduction

• Industrial: WIP tracking, RTIs, tool/asset visibility, closed-loop processes

• Healthcare: inventory control, asset tracking, improved availability and traceability