GIAI-96
Global Individual Asset Identifier (96-bit)
urn:epc:id:giaiWhat is GIAI-96?
Identifies an individual asset that is not returnable - IT equipment, tools, vehicles, machinery. Unlike GRAI there is no "asset type" field; the entire reference identifies one specific asset.
Used for: IT asset tracking, tool management, fleet vehicles, hospital equipment, laboratory instruments.
Field layout
The first 8 bits are always the header (0x34 = 52 decimal), which identifies this as GIAI-96. The partition field determines how bits are divided between the company prefix and the following reference field - see the partition table below.
Defined in GS1 EPC Tag Data Standard v2.3, Section 7.7 (Global Individual Asset Identifier), encoding procedure in Section 14.6.5.1.
| Bits | Field | Description |
|---|---|---|
0–7 | Header | 0x34 (52) - identifies this encoding as GIAI-96 |
8–10 | Filter | Filter 1 = rail vehicle. Most others reserved. |
11–13 | Partition | Splits bits between company prefix and asset reference. |
14–53 | Company Prefix | GS1 Company Prefix of the asset owner. |
54–95 | Individual Asset Reference | Unique reference for this specific asset. Size varies by partition. |
Filter values
The 3-bit filter field does not affect identity - it tells readers what packaging level or category the tag is applied to. The same item with different filter values has the same Pure Identity URI.
Source: GS1 EPC TDS v2.3, Table 10-5.
| Value | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
0 | All others | Unspecified individual asset |
1 | Rail vehicle | Tagged locomotive or rolling stock |
2 | Reserved | Not yet assigned |
3 | Reserved | Not yet assigned |
4 | Reserved | Not yet assigned |
5 | Reserved | Not yet assigned |
6 | Reserved | Not yet assigned |
7 | Reserved | Not yet assigned |
Partition table
The 3-bit partition value determines how the fixed bit space is divided between the company prefix and the following reference field. GS1 company prefixes vary in length (6–12 digits), so the partition tells the decoder where one field ends and the next begins.
Source: GS1 EPC TDS v2.3, Table 14-23.
| Partition | Prefix bits | Prefix digits | Ref bits | Ref digits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 40 | 12 | 42 | 13 |
1 | 37 | 11 | 45 | 14 |
2 | 34 | 10 | 48 | 15 |
3 | 30 | 9 | 52 | 16 |
4 | 27 | 8 | 55 | 17 |
5 | 24 | 7 | 58 | 18 |
6 | 20 | 6 | 62 | 19 |
Related schemes
Source
GS1 EPC Tag Data Standard, Release 2.3, Ratified October 2025 - see Section 7.7 (Global Individual Asset Identifier) and Section 14.6.5.1 for the encoding procedure. Read the EPC encoding guide for a full worked example of decoding hex to URI.