Which Tag Maker Does the U.S. Government Prefer?

Which type of RFID tags does the United States government require that its suppliers use: Alien Technology’s Squiggle tags, or those made by Avery Dennison?

—Name withheld

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The U.S. Government does not have an RFID tagging requirement. However, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has begun requiring suppliers to place passive RFID tags on some high-value items—those costing more than $5,000—as well as on goods with expiration dates, such as chemical suits (see DOD Reaffirms Its RFID Goals). The agency also employs active tags to track shipments and assets, but these are applied internally.

The DOD does not require that companies choose tags from a specific vendor, such as Alien Technology or Avery Dennison, though it does mandate that the tags comply with the Electronic Product Code (EPC) air-interface protocol and tag-data standards. Both Alien and Avery offer tags that comply with these standards, and suppliers can use either or both.

—Mark Roberti, Editor, RFID Journal