ISO/IEC 15459-5:2014

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 15459-5
Second edition
2014-11-15
Corrected version
2016-09-01
Information technology — Automatic
identification and data capture
techniques — Unique identification —
Part 5:
Individual returnable transport
items (RTIs)
Technologies de l’information — Identification automatique et
techniques de capture de données — Identification unique —
Partie 5: Entités de transport retournables individuelles (RTIs)
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. +41 22 749 01 11
Fax +41 22 749 09 47
copyright@iso.org
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 returnable transport items (RTIs) . 1
5 Identity for returnable transport items (RTIs) . 2
5.1 General . 2
5.2 Maximum number of characters permissible in a string . 2
5.3 Permissible character sets in an identity . 2
6 Implementation of coding using AIDC media . 3
Annex A (informative) Unique identification of returnable transport items (RTIs) .4
Annex B (informative) Returnable versus recyclable and reusable items .6
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 second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO/IEC 15459-5:2007), which has been
technically revised.
This corrected version of ISO/IEC 15459-5:2014 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 returnable transport items (RTIs) defined in this part of ISO/IEC 15459, and represented
in AIDC media attached to the RTIs, meets the needs defined in ISO/IEC 15459-3, Common rules.
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved v

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 15459-5:2014(E)
Information technology — Automatic identification and
data capture techniques — Unique identification —
Part 5:
Individual returnable transport items (RTIs)
1 Scope
This part of ISO/IEC 15459 specifies a unique string of characters for the identification of individual
returnable transport items (RTIs). The character string is intended to be represented in a bar code
label or other AIDC media attached to the item 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 for RTIs, with the identity being relevant for the complete life cycle of
the item, are defined and supported by example.
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/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
4 Identities for individual returnable transport items (RTIs)
Each individual RTI shall be unambiguously identified by a qualifier and a string as defined in Clause 5
so that individual items of this type can be distinguished from items of other types.
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved 1

The qualifier component of an identity for a returnable transport item may use any data format
supported
...

FINAL
INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
DRAFT
STANDARD FDIS
15459-5
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 5:
2014-08-03
Individual returnable transport items
(RTIs)
Technologies de l’information — Identification automatique et
techniques de capture de données — Identification unique —
Partie 5: Entités de transport retournables individuelles (RTIs)
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 15459-5:2014(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 15459-5:2014(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 copyright@iso.org
Web www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved

ISO/IEC FDIS 15459-5:2014(E)
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Identities for individual returnable transport items (RTIs) . 1
5 Identity for returnable transport items (RTIs) . 2
5.1 General . 2
5.2 Maximum number of characters permissible in a string . 2
5.3 Permissible character sets in an identity . 2
6 Implementation of coding using AIDC media . 3
Annex A (informative) Unique identification of returnable transport items (RTIs) .4
Annex B (informative) Returnable versus recyclable and reusable items .6
Bibliography . 9
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights reserved iii

ISO/IEC FDIS 15459-5:2014(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 second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO/IEC 15459-5:2007), 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 15459-5:2014(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 returnable transport items (RTIs) defined in this part of ISO/IEC 15459, and represented
in AIDC media attached to the RTIs, 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 15459-5:2014(E)
Information technology — Automatic identification and
data capture techniques — Unique identification —
Part 5:
Individual returnable transport items (RTIs)
1 Scope
This part of ISO/IEC 15459 specifies a unique string of characters for the identification of individual
returnable transport items (RTIs). The character string is intended to be represented in a bar code
label or other AIDC media attached to the item 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 for RTIs, with the identity being relevant for the complete life cycle of the
item, are defined and supported by example.
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/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 returnable transport items (RTIs)
Each individual RTI shall be unambiguously identified by a qualifier and a string as defined in Clause 5
so that individual items of this type can be distinguished from items of other types.
The qualifier component of an identity for a returnable transport item may use any data format
supported by ISO/IEC 15434 or ISO/IEC 9834-1. What formats to be used are to be specified by the
© ISO/IEC 2014 – All rights rese
...