RFID standards

Improving compatibility, reducing costs

One of the most important factors encouraging the spread of RFID has been the extent to which standardisation has increased. Standardisation helps to simplify procurement by clarifying the capabilities of products, ensures compatibility and makes it easier to integrate different systems within an organisation. It also reduces costs by creating a larger market for products and increasing competition.

Standards define how information such as product codes is held on tags, how data is stored and how tag readers and tags should communicate. Different standards apply to the different frequencies used for tags – whether they are High Frequency (HF), Low Frequency (LF) or Ultra High Frequency (UHF).

Standards are set by international bodies like the International Standards Organisation (ISO) and by industry bodies such as GS1 and EPC Global. Compare these three main standards using our helpful diagram below.