# GS1 EPC Encoding Guide — SGTIN-96 and SSCC-96

URL: https://proudtek.com/guides/gs1-epc-encoding-guide/
Source URL: https://proudtek.com/guides/gs1-epc-encoding-guide/
Generated: 2026-03-16T01:42:30.697Z
Kind: article
Publisher: Proud Tek Co., Limited
Author: Peter Zhang (Founder & CEO)
Published: 2026-04-19
Last Modified: 2026-06-10T18:00:00Z
Reviewed By: Proud Tek Editorial Team
Last Reviewed: 2026-06-10T18:00:00Z
Credentials: ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, RoHS Compliant, CE Marking, REACH Compliant
Image: https://proudtek.com/landing-images/rfid-asset-label.jpg
Image Alt: RFID asset label with GS1 EPC encoded data — SGTIN/SSCC reference

## Description
A buyer's and integrator's handbook for GS1 Electronic Product Code (EPC) encoding on UHF RFID tags, current to GS1 TDS 2.3 (October 2025). This page...

## Summary
- A buyer's and integrator's handbook for GS1 Electronic Product Code (EPC) encoding on UHF RFID tags, current to GS1 TDS 2.3 (October 2025).

## Buyer Guidance
- Best for: GS1 EPC Encoding Guide — SGTIN-96 and SSCC-96 supports RFID and NFC evaluation, comparison, and sourcing decisions.
- Compare first: Compare GS1 EPC Encoding Guide — SGTIN-96 and SSCC-96 against reader compatibility, chip family, material, and deployment environment.
- What to confirm: Confirm target application, compatibility requirements, customization needs, quantity, and sample expectations before quoting GS1 EPC Encoding Guide — SGTIN-96 and SSCC-96.

## FAQ
- Q: Do I need a GS1 Company Prefix to encode EPC on RFID tags?
  A: Yes. A GS1 Company Prefix is the prerequisite for creating valid EPC-encoded tags that will be accepted by any GS1-compliant trading partner. The Company Prefix is issued by your local GS1 Member Organization (GS1 US, GS1 UK, GS1 China, etc.) and forms the root of every GTIN, SSCC, GRAI and other GS1 identifier your organization uses. Without a Company Prefix, tags can still be technically encoded with a Gen2 chip, but they will not be recognizable by retailer receiving systems, pharmaceutical serialization repositories or EPCIS-based trading-partner networks. If you do not yet have a Company Prefix, contact your national GS1 MO before starting the RFID deployment; Proud Tek can encode tags using any valid Company Prefix you supply.
- Q: What is the difference between SGTIN-96 and SGTIN-198?
  A: SGTIN-96 uses the 96-bit EPC memory bank and encodes serials as numeric values up to 38 bits wide (about 2.74 x 10^11 unique serials per GTIN). SGTIN-198 uses a 198-bit EPC memory bank and supports alphanumeric serial numbers up to 20 characters. Most retail mandates (Walmart, Target, Nordstrom) specify SGTIN-96 because numeric serials are sufficient for apparel item-level tracking. Pharmaceutical serialization under DSCSA and EU FMD often uses SGTIN-198 because pharmaceutical serial numbers include alphanumeric content (batch / lot information, country-specific schemes). SGTIN-198 requires a Gen2 chip with sufficient EPC memory (most modern chips support 256-bit or larger EPC, so this is rarely a hardware constraint), but it does consume more tag memory and slightly reduces the maximum number of concurrent tags readable in dense environments.
- Q: How do partition values map to my Company Prefix length?
  A: The partition value is a 3-bit field (values 0-6) that tells the EPC parser how to split the Company Prefix and following reference field within the fixed 96-bit EPC budget. For SGTIN-96 the mapping is: Partition 0 = 12-digit Company Prefix, 1-digit Item Reference; Partition 1 = 11-digit CP, 2-digit Item Ref; Partition 2 = 10-digit CP, 3-digit Item Ref; Partition 3 = 9-digit CP, 4-digit Item Ref; Partition 4 = 8-digit CP, 5-digit Item Ref; Partition 5 = 7-digit CP, 6-digit Item Ref; Partition 6 = 6-digit CP, 7-digit Item Ref. Count the digits of your GS1-allocated Company Prefix (including the country indicator) and select the matching partition. Proud Tek's encoding-order form automates this calculation when you declare your Company Prefix, so customers don't need to select partition values manually.
- Q: Can Proud Tek encode tags using our existing GTIN catalogue?
  A: Yes. Customers send their GTIN catalogue as a CSV / Excel file (columns: GTIN, product description, retailer-specific tag size if applicable, serial-number range or allocation strategy per GTIN) plus the GS1 Company Prefix. Our encoding line software maps each GTIN to the corresponding SGTIN-96 binary encoding (with auto-partition selection) and generates or applies the specified serial numbers. The production output includes a TID-to-EPC mapping file listing each tag's chip hardware ID, encoded EPC in hex, decoded human-readable GTIN and serial, filter value, and encoding verification status. For customers without an existing GTIN catalogue, we provide a GTIN allocation template and validation against your declared Company Prefix before encoding begins.
- Q: What is EPCIS and does my programme need to adopt it?
  A: EPCIS (EPC Information Services) is the GS1 standard data model and REST API for capturing and sharing supply-chain events tied to encoded EPCs. 'GTIN+serial X was shipped from location A at time T toward destination B.' EPCIS adoption is mandatory for pharmaceutical serialization under DSCSA (Drug Supply Chain Security Act, US) and EU FMD (Falsified Medicines Directive), and increasingly expected for EU ESPR Digital Product Passport programmes. For retail apparel mandates, EPCIS adoption is not always required at the supplier level. Retailers often operate their own internal EPCIS repositories and ingest supplier ASN data. For cross-enterprise supply-chain visibility programmes, EPCIS is the de facto standard for interchange. Proud Tek's pre-encoded tag output includes EPCIS-compatible URI formatting in the TID-to-EPC mapping file, so customers adopting EPCIS can bulk-import the mapping as OBJECT events.
- Q: How do I choose between sequential and randomized serial numbers?
  A: Choose sequential serials when: your programme prioritizes simplicity of database management; duplicate-detection logic relies on monotonic IDs; and you are not concerned about counterfeiters predicting next-likely serials. Choose randomized serials when: your programme includes anti-counterfeit / brand-protection objectives; you want to hide production-volume signals from outside observers; and your serialization database can handle non-monotonic IDs. Most Walmart / Target apparel programmes use randomized serials for brand-protection reasons. Most industrial asset programmes use sequential serials for operational simplicity. Pharmaceutical serialization programmes under DSCSA typically use randomized serials to defeat counterfeit prediction; EU FMD permits either. Proud Tek supports both strategies and can also accept a customer-supplied serial list for full control of serial allocation.
- Q: Does TDS 2.3 (October 2025) require new RFID hardware?
  A: No. TDS 2.3 was specifically designed to be implementable on existing RAIN RFID readers, tags and platforms; it enhances interoperability and adds new web-native encoding options without mandating a hardware refresh. The headline TDS 2.3 addition is a family of EPC encoding schemes that carry domain-name information alongside the EPC, so a decoded tag URI resolves directly to a Web URI without a separate GS1 Digital Link resolver lookup — important for the EU Digital Product Passport workflow where consumer-scan-to-passport latency matters. TDS 2.3 sits on top of TDS 2.x's existing additions: EPC+ inline AIDC data (an alternative to User Memory for AIDC element strings, allowing inventory backscatter of the AIDC payload), the date-prioritised DSGTIN+ scheme for perishable supply chains, and improved alignment with GS1 element strings carried in 2D barcodes. EPC schemes defined in TDS 1.13 continue to be supported, so existing TDS 1.x deployments are not stranded. New encoding programmes in 2026 should plan to TDS 2.3 unless a specific retailer or trading partner mandates an earlier version.
- Q: What data does Proud Tek provide after production to integrate with our WMS or EPCIS?
  A: Each production batch ships with a TID-to-EPC mapping file in CSV or JSON format, listing for every encoded tag: the TID (unique chip hardware identifier assigned by the chip manufacturer, 96-bit hex), the encoded EPC hex value, the decoded human-readable GTIN, decoded serial number, filter value, partition value, encoded User memory content (if any), and encoding-verification status. The file is structured for direct import into WMS systems, EPCIS repositories (as OBJECT-event captures), serialization management platforms (Tracelink, rfXcel, SAP ATTP) and ERP systems. For customers with specific import requirements (custom column names, EPCIS XML event format, trading-partner specific CSV layouts), we match the delivery format to the target system during the order setup phase.

## Machine Routes
- JSON: https://proudtek.com/machine/guides/gs1-epc-encoding-guide.json
- Text: https://proudtek.com/machine/guides/gs1-epc-encoding-guide.txt