ISO 17363:2013

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 17363
Second edition
2013-03-01
Supply chain applications of RFID —
Freight containers
Applications RFID à la chaîne logistique — Conteneurs de fret
Reference number
ISO 17363:2013(E)
©
ISO 2013

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ISO 17363:2013(E)

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© ISO 2013
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ISO 17363:2013(E)

Contents Page
Foreword .v
Introduction .vi
1 Scope . 1
2 Conformance and performance specifications . 1
3 Normative references . 2
4 Terms and definitions . 3
5 Concepts . 3
5.1 Differentiation between this layer and the preceding and following layers . 3
5.2 Unique item identifier . 4
5.3 International unique identification of freight containers . 5
5.4 Types of tags . 5
5.5 Addition to other identification requirements . 6
6 Differentiation within this layer . 6
6.1 General . 6
6.2 Containerized cargo supply chain RFID system requirements . 6
6.3 Business processes relevant for the standards suite supply chain applications of RFID . 8
7 Data content . 9
7.1 General . 9
7.2 Mandatory data . 9
7.3 Optional cargo shipment-specific (CSS) data . 9
8 Data security .11
8.1 General .11
8.2 Confidentiality .11
8.3 Data integrity .12
8.4 Authentication .12
8.5 Encryption .12
8.6 Non-repudiation/audit trail .12
9 Tag location .12
10 Tag operation .12
10.1 Data protocol .12
10.2 Minimum performance requirements .12
10.3 Environmental requirements .12
10.4 Air interface .13
10.5 Memory requirements .13
10.6 Indication of impending power source failure .13
10.7 Real time clock option .13
10.8 External communications .13
10.9 Safety and regulatory considerations.14
10.10 Minimum reliability and accuracy .14
10.11 Tag recyclability .14
10.12 Tag reusability .15
11 Privacy of cargo shipment-specific (CSS) data.15
11.1 Data privacy .15
11.2 Personal data privacy .15
11.3 Authentication and identification .15
12 Interoperability, compatibility and non-interference with other RF systems .15
13 Human readable information .16
13.1 Human readable interpretation .16
13.2 Human readable translation .16
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ISO 17363:2013(E)

Annex A (normative) Environmental parameters for ISO 17363 electronic devices .17
Annex B (normative) Metadata of commonly used Data Identifiers .22
Bibliography .26
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ISO 17363:2013(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 17363 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 122, Packaging.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 17363:2007), which has been
technically revised.
ISO 17363 has two annexes, Annexes A and B, which provide normative information.
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ISO 17363:2013(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 to shipping to a final place of sale. 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 with a vision of compatibility both at the physical and
command level and the data level with the four other standards within the suite of International
Standards, Supply chain applications of RFID. Due to the different data structures in each of these
International Standards they cannot take the form of interchangeability. However, these International
Standards are designed to be interoperable and non-interfering. They 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 supply chain
management information required in each layer of the supply chain. Air interface and communication
protocol standards supported within these International Standards are ISO/IEC 18000 and ISO/IEC/
IEEE 8802; commands and messages are supported by ISO/IEC 15961 and ISO/IEC 15962. The semantics of
these International Standards are defined in ISO/IEC 15418 and their syntax is defined in ISO/IEC 15434.
Excluded, though embraced, is the work of:
— ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 31 in the area of technical standards related to air interface, data semantic and
syntax construction, and conformance standards;
— ISO/TC 104 in the area of freight container security, including electronic seals (e-seals) (ISO 18185),
and container identification.
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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 17363:2013(E)
Supply chain applications of RFID — Freight containers
1 Scope
This International Standard defines the usage of read/write radio-frequency identification technology
(RFID) cargo shipment-specific tags associated with containerized freight for supply chain management
purposes (“manifest tags”). This International Standard defines the air interface communications, a
common set of required data structures, and a commonly organized, through common syntax and
semantics, set of optional data requirements.
This International Standard:
— makes recommendations about a second generation supply chain tag intended to monitor the
condition and security of the freight resident within a freight container;
— specifies the implementation of sensors for freight resident in a freight container;
— makes specific recommendations about mandatory non-reprogrammable information on the
shipment tag;
— makes specific recommendations about optional, re-programmable information on the shipment tag;
— makes specific recommendations about the data link interface for GPS or GLS services;
— specifies the reuse and recyclability of the RF tag;
— specifies the means by which the data in a compliant RF tag is “backed-up” by bar codes and two-
dimensional symbols, as well as human-readable information.
2 Conformance and performance specifications
The underlying conformance requirements of this International Standard are to provide the structure
necessary to raise the level of interoperability of components and systems built according to this
International Standard, while leaving open opportunity for continued technical improvement and
differentiation.
Implementation of a containerized cargo supply chain RFID system and its components shall be deemed
in conformance with this International Standard if it meets, and supports, the following six requirements:
a) the required functional performance specified in Clause 6;
b) the data requirements specified in Clause 7;
c) the data security requirements specified in Clause 8;
d) the tag location requirements specified in Clause 9;
e) the tag operation requirements specified in Clause 10;
f) the security and privacy requirements specified in Clause 11.
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ISO 17363:2013(E)


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 6346:1995, Freight containers — Coding, identification and marking
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 10374:1991, Freight containers — Automatic identification
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
ISO/IEC 15459 (all parts), Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture
techniques — Unique identification
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 17364:2013, Supply chain applications of RFID — Returnable transport items (RTIs)
ISO/IEC 18000-7, Information technology — Radio frequency identification for item management — Part 7:
Parameters for active air interface communications at 433 MHz
ISO/IEC 18046, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques — Radio
frequency identification device performance test methods
ISO/IEC 19762 (all parts), Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC)
techniques — Harmonized vocabulary
ISO/IEC/IEEE 21451-5 [IEEE 1451.5], Information technology — Smart Transducer Interface for Sensors
and Actuators — Wireless Communication Protocols and Transducer Electronic Data Sheet (TEDS) Formats
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
IEC 61000-4-2, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) — Part 4-2: Testing and measurement techniques —
Electrostatic discharge immunity test
IEC 61000-4-3:2006, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) — Part 4-3: Testing and measurement
techniques — Radiated, radio-frequency, electromagnetic field immunity test
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ISO 17363:2013(E)

4 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO/IEC 19762, ISO 17364, and the
following apply.
4.1
mandatory shipment tag information
information consisting of two non-reprogrammable data elements, namely a unique permanent ID of the
integrated circuit (chip ID) and a unique permanent ID of the actual tag (tag ID), and one reprogrammable
data element, namely the tag data routing code
Note 1 to entry: The non-reprogrammable data elements are to be imbedded in the shipment tag by the tag
manufacturer.
4.2
permanent container tag information
non-reprogrammable information that resides on the container tag for the duration of the lifetime of the
container (or until the container changes ownership and/or equipment ID), and which is uploaded and
maintained by, or on behalf of, the container owner and at its responsibility
Note 1 to entry: The permanent, non-reprogrammable information elements are specified in ISO 10374.
4.3
cargo shipment-specific (CSS) tag information
optional information residing in the shipment tag for the duration of the containerized cargo shipment
until its final delivery
4.4
integrity
designed such that any modification of the electronically stored information, without proper
authorization, is not possible
4.5
originality
validity
designed such that a compromise of the shipment through misrepresentation of the information on the
shipment tag is not possible under the following circumstances:
— any modification of the mandatory non-reprogrammable information;
— any unauthorized modification of optional re-programmable information
4.6
classified information
information which for reasons of national security is restricted to government authorized or
approved persons
4.7
tag data routing code
data string that enables the system that reads the tag header to forward Intransit visibility data to the
owner of the tag
5 Concepts
5.1 Differentiation between this layer and the preceding and following layers
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.
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ISO 17363:2013(E)

Figure 1 below provides a graphical representation of “supply chain layers”. The Item Level through
Freight Container Level layers are addressed within the suite of standards for “supply chain applications
of RFID” (see Introduction) and are intended to enhance supply chain visibility. The Movement Vehicle
Level is the purview of ISO/TC 204/WG 7.
The Freight Container Level in Figure 1 is the subject of this International Standard.
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 Prod Prod Prod
ISO 17366 Prod
Pkg Pkg Pkg Pkg Pkg Pkg Pkg Pkg
(860-960 MHz with TPA)
(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 1 — Supply chain layers
Once tagged, product layer tags can be distinguished from the layer tags that follow 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 product package layer tags.
5.2 Unique item identifier
Unique item identification is a process that assigns a unique data string to an individual freight container
or in this case to an RFID tag that is associated to the cargo resident in the freight container. For freight
container tagging to be meaningful it is necessary that each serialized RFID tag be unique worldwide.
Unique serialization of freight containers allows data collection and management at a granular level.
The benefits of granular level data are evident in such areas as maintenance and enabling electronic
transactions of record. This granularity is possible only if each tagged freight container has a unique
identification.
The Unique Item Identifier (UII) as defined by ISO/IEC 15459, 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.
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ISO 17363:2013(E)

There exists historical reference for the identification of freight containers, specifically ISO 6346. The
freight container identification structure in this International Standard shall be as defined in ISO 6346
and ISO 10374.
For the purposes of this International Standard, the following data structure is employed to uniquely
identify the freight container. ISO tags include an Application Family Identifier (AFI) in front of the
Unique Item Identifier.
The ANS MH10.8.2 Data Identifier “7B” followed by a three letter container owner code (OC) assigned in
cooperation with the Bureau International des Containers et du Transport Intermodal (BIC), followed
by a one letter equipment category identifier (EI), followed by a six digit serial number (CSN), followed
by a one digit modulus 11 check digit (CD) calculated in accordance with Annex A of ISO 6346:1995.
7B AAA A NNNNNN N
5.3 International unique identification of freight containers
For unique item identification formats using multiple memory banks, the following AFI formats,
specifically 0xA9 or 0xAA, should be used preceding the “7B” format above.
Table 1 — 1736x Application Family Identifiers (AFIs)
AFI Assigned organization or function
0xA1 ISO 17367 product tagging
0xA2 ISO 17365 transport unit
0xA3 ISO 17364 returnable transport unit
0xA4 ISO 17367 product tagging, but for hazardous materials
0xA5 ISO 17366 product packaging
0xA6 ISO 17366 product packaging, but for hazardous materials
0xA7 ISO 17365 transport unit, but containing hazardous materials
0xA8 ISO 17364 returnable transport unit, but containing hazardous materials
0xA9 ISO 17363 freight containers
0xAA ISO 17363 freight containers, but containing hazardous materials
5.4 Types of tags
There are four types of RF devices envisioned for use with freight containers. The individual uses of
each of these devices are listed in 5.4.1 to 5.4.4.
5.4.1 Permanent container “license-plate” tag
This tag, referred to as the “container tag”, is mentioned in the Introduction to this International
Standard and is fully described in ISO 10374.
5.4.2 Cargo shipment-specific tag
This tag, referred to as the “shipment tag”, is fully described in this International Standard.
5.4.3 Container intrusion detection
5.4.3.1 ISO 18185 electronic seal
A read-only, non-reusable freight container seal conforming to high-security seal defined in ISO 17712, and
conforming to ISO 18185, that electronically evidences tampering or intrusion through the container doors.
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ISO 17363:2013(E)

5.4.3.2 ISO/IEC/IEEE 8802-15- 4 intrusion sensor
Sensor-equipped RFID tags shall conform to ISO/IEC/IEEE 21451-7 for the wired or wireless interface and
either ISO/IEC 18000-7 or a combination of an ISO/IEC/IEEE 8802-15-4 2450 MHz DSSS PHY employing
O-QPSK modulation and ISO/IEC/IEEE 21451-5 for the wireless interface between the tag or access point
and the sensor. The choice of wireless air interface should be decided by trading partner agreement.
5.4.4 Item level tag
This tag is typically a passive tag that is affixed to an item that is to be tracked. This item may be a
product itself, the packaging around a product or the transportation method used to convey the product
(pallet, case etc.). This tag is usually disposable, though in the case of returnable transport items, etc.,
it may be re-usable. Depending on the layer within the supply chain to which this tag is affixed (see
Figure 1), the appropriate part of ISO/IEC 15459 shall be used.
5.4.5 Returnable Packaging Item tags
There exist items associated with a freight container, e.g., straps, bracing, ratchets, cores, loadlocks,
etc., that are assets in their own right and are owned by the shipper. These assets shall be tracked and
associated with the freight container through the use of Annex A of ISO 17364:2013.
5.5 Addition to other identification requirements
This International Standard does not supersede or replace any applicable safety or regulatory marking
or labelling requirements, and is to be applied in addition to
...