EPC (Electronic Product Code) is GS1’s standardized format for uniquely identifying objects, transport units, locations and other important objects for business operations with RFID technology.
EPC can be used in various contexts, for example in binary format for encoding in RFID tags, and text format for data sharing between companies and organizations’ business systems.
Who uses RFID?
RFID solutions are used in everything from the retail sector for the labeling of clothing and footwear, which facilitates inventory, to the marking of train carriages where the status of the wagon can be read even when trains are running at high speeds.
The benefits of EPC/RFID
When an EPC is encoded and stored on an RFID tag, RFID readers can read the unique tags at very high speeds and at distances of more than 10 meters without being in line-of-sight. These features of RFID can be used to increase transparency in the supply chain and increase inventory accuracy.
How is EPC/RFID used?
GS1’s EPC Tag Data Standard (TDS) specifies the data format for EPC, and includes an encoding for the numbering system including GS1 standard identification in an EPC.
More information and implementation guides for using EPC/RFID can be found on GS1’s global page