SGTIN

SGTIN (Serialized Global Trade Item Number)

EPC format." data-category="Data & Encoding">SGTIN is an EPC encoding scheme that uniquely identifies individual product units by combining a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) with a serial number. While a GTIN identifies a product SKU (e.g., "500 ml water bottle, Brand X"), the SGTIN adds a unique serial number to identify each specific unit of that SKU. This serialisation is the foundation of item-level tagging in retail and pharmaceutical supply chains.

Structure

An SGTIN-96 (the most common encoding) occupies 96 bits of EPC Memory and contains:

The 96-bit SGTIN can encode any 13-digit GTIN (GTIN-13) or 14-digit GTIN (GTIN-14) plus a serial number. For companies needing larger serial number spaces, SGTIN-198 uses 198 bits and supports alphanumeric serials up to 20 characters.

SGTIN and Supply Chain Visibility

When a tagged item moves through the supply chain, each read event is captured and reported via EPCIS. The SGTIN provides the "what" dimension — which specific unit was observed. Combined with location, timestamp, and business context, RFID event data." data-category="Standards & Protocols">EPCIS events enable end-to-end traceability from source tagging at the factory to point of sale.

Retailers like Walmart, Zara, and Decathlon mandate SGTIN encoding on all inlays for apparel and other categories. Their RFID middleware uses the Company Prefix to route events to the correct brand owner's systems.

Encoding and Decoding

Encoding an SGTIN requires a printer-encoder or commissioning station that writes the binary value to the tag's EPC memory bank. The Tag Data Translation specification defines the conversion between human-readable SGTIN URIs (e.g., urn:epc:id:sgtin:0614141.107346.12345) and the binary on-tag format.

Decoding is equally standardised. When a reader reports a 96-bit EPC, middleware parses the header byte, identifies it as SGTIN-96, and extracts the component fields using the partition table defined in the GS1 Tag Data Standard.

Regulatory Drivers

The FDA DSCSA requires serialised tracking of prescription pharmaceuticals in the US. SGTIN (applied via a 2D barcode and/or RFID tag) is the encoding of choice, enabling verification at each supply chain handoff point. Similarly, the EU Digital Product Passport initiative positions SGTIN-encoded RFID as a carrier for product sustainability and circularity data.