SGTIN-96
Serialized Global Trade Item Number (96-bit)
urn:epc:id:sgtinWhat is SGTIN-96?
Encodes a GS1 GTIN (barcode number) plus a serial number into 96 bits. This is the most common EPC scheme - it is the one on retail product tags, pharmaceutical packs, and anything that has a barcode today.
Used for: Retail products, apparel, pharmaceuticals, FMCG, any item-level tagged trade item.
Field layout
The first 8 bits are always the header (0x30 = 48 decimal), which identifies this as SGTIN-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 7.3 (Serialised Global Trade Item Number), encoding procedure in Section 14.6.1.
| Bits | Field | Description |
|---|---|---|
0–7 | Header | 0x30 (48) - identifies this encoding as SGTIN-96 |
8–10 | Filter | Indicates packaging level (individual item, case, pallet, etc.). Does not affect identity. |
11–13 | Partition | Determines how the following 44 bits are split between company prefix and item reference. Lookup table required. |
14–53 | Company Prefix | GS1 Company Prefix - identifies who owns this number. Varies from 20–40 bits depending on partition. |
54–57 | Item Reference | Item reference assigned by the company. First digit is the indicator digit. Varies from 4–24 bits depending on partition. |
58–95 | Serial Number | Unique serial number for this individual item. 38 bits = max value 274,877,906,943. |
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 10-1.
| Value | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
0 | All others | Unspecified - catch-all when packaging level does not matter |
1 | POS trade item | The thing a customer buys - a shirt on a shelf, a bottle at checkout |
2 | Full case | Shipping case - a sealed carton of products going from warehouse to store |
3 | Reserved | Not defined by GS1 - some integrators use this for individual items |
4 | Inner pack | A bundle inside a case - a 6-pack of cans inside a larger carton of 24 |
5 | Reserved | Not yet assigned |
6 | Unit load | Pallet or large container - shrink-wrapped on a dock door |
7 | Component | A part inside a product - an engine inside a car, a battery in a laptop |
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 14-16.
| Partition | Prefix bits | Prefix digits | Ref bits | Ref digits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 40 | 12 | 4 | 1 |
1 | 37 | 11 | 7 | 2 |
2 | 34 | 10 | 10 | 3 |
3 | 30 | 9 | 14 | 4 |
4 | 27 | 8 | 17 | 5 |
5 | 24 | 7 | 20 | 6 |
6 | 20 | 6 | 24 | 7 |
Barcode equivalents
The same identifier carried by SGTIN-96 can also be encoded in these barcode symbologies. In many supply chains, items carry both an RFID tag and a barcode so that they can be read by either technology.
| Barcode | How it relates |
|---|---|
| EAN-13 | Encodes the same GTIN-13 found in the SGTIN company prefix + item reference fields |
| UPC-A | Encodes GTIN-12, which is the GTIN-13 without the leading zero |
| EAN-8 | Encodes GTIN-8 for small items, padded to GTIN-14 in SGTIN |
| ITF-14 | Encodes GTIN-14 on outer cases, same identifier with a packaging indicator digit |
| GS1-128 | AI (01) carries the GTIN-14, AI (21) carries the serial number - together equivalent to a full SGTIN |
| GS1 DataMatrix | Same AI structure as GS1-128 in a 2D symbol, common in pharma serialisation |
| GS1 DataBar | DataBar Omnidirectional encodes GTIN at point-of-sale, Expanded adds batch/expiry |
| QR Code | GS1 Digital Link embeds GTIN + serial in a URL, scanning works as both barcode and web link |
Related schemes
Source
GS1 EPC Tag Data Standard, Release 2.3, Ratified October 2025 - see Section 7.3 (Serialised Global Trade Item Number) and Section 14.6.1 for the encoding procedure . Read the EPC encoding guide for a full worked example of decoding hex to URI.