Tech · 9 July 2026 · 6 min
Serialisation: how do you distinguish two identical products?
Which object it is
A barcode tells you what an object is; a serial number tells you which object it is.
Exteryo Report Editorial Team
Uniqueness, persistence and non-alterability are the three properties that make serialisation reliable, and the true cost is not the tag.
The short answer
For it to hold up over time, three properties are needed:
- UniquenessThe identifier must not repeat
- Persistenceit must survive the object's life cycle
- Non-alterabilityit must not be rewritable or clonable
The short answer
The true cost is not the tag: it is the association process, the moment when the serial number is linked to the master data.
Why it is not simple
It seems like a matter of labels: just put a code on each piece.
Not the case.
Why it is not simple
A barcode tells you what an object is, not which one; and a serial number that can be rewritten, cloned or lost during the life cycle becomes a suggestion.
Chapter 1 of 4
Why are two identical products a problem?
Identical twins
Two safety helmets of the same model, off the same line on the same day, are indistinguishable to the eye.
Identical twins
But one suffered an impact six months ago and the other did not.
Indistinguishable to the eye
Without serialisation, the information system treats them as the same thing.
The first helmet
One suffered an impact
The second helmet
The other did not
The critical information
The critical information, «that one needs to be withdrawn», has nowhere to exist.
Two identifiers
The distance between these two statements is the entire difference between an inventory and traceability.
- BarcodeWhat an object is: enough for an inventory
- Serial numberWhich object it is: needed for traceability
Note
The helmet example applies to any object where the history of the individual item matters, not just that of the model.
Before moving on
How many properties are needed for a serial number to hold up over time?
Serialising
Serialising means assigning each individual item an identifier that no other item possesses, and linking it stably to the physical object.
Chapter 2 of 4
What properties make a serial number reliable?
Three properties
For serialisation to hold up over time, three properties are needed: uniqueness, persistence and non-alterability.
1 of 3
Uniqueness
2 of 3
Persistence
3 of 3
Non-alterability
Uniqueness
The identifier must not repeat, not even by mistake, not even among batches produced by different suppliers. NFC and RFID chips tackle the problem at its root: the UID is factory-written into non-rewritable memory, following allocation schemes designed to make it unique.
Persistence
The identifier must survive the object's life cycle. A printed label on a garment destined for sixty industrial washes at 90 °C risks becoming unreadable long before the end; a textile tag inserted into the seam is made to last.
Persistence
The choice of medium is not a packaging detail: it is the choice of how long the system will continue to work.
Non-alterability
If the identifier can be rewritten or cloned, serialisation becomes a suggestion. In contexts where the serial number determines regulatory compliance, authenticity or legal liability, it is the first requirement to verify.
Note
A clonable identifier no longer distinguishes the two twins: it makes them identical again, this time for the system.
Chapter 3 of 4
When does serialisation become an obligation?
An obligation
In several sectors, serialisation is not a management choice but an obligation. The regulator requires an identifier verifiable by third parties, associated with data that the company must be able to produce upon request.
European references
- PharmaceuticalsFalsified Medicines Directive
- Medical devicesUnique Device Identification (UDI)
- TobaccoTobacco traceability
- Textiles and luxuryDigital Product Passport
The source
This happens in pharmaceuticals, with the European Falsified Medicines Directive, and in medical devices, with the European Unique Device Identification (UDI) system.
The source
It happens in tobacco, with the European tobacco traceability system, and increasingly in textiles and luxury goods through the European Digital Product Passport.
Note
The European Commission describes the Digital Product Passport as a digital identity card for products, components and materials.
Before or after
Those who only tackle the issue when the regulatory deadline is near risk making a poor choice: they adopt the quickest solution to certify, not the one that supports their production process. Those who tackle it earlier discover that the same identifier required by the regulator is also useful for maintenance, warranty and anti-counterfeiting.
Chapter 4 of 4
What is the true cost of serialisation?
The true cost
The cost of a serialised tag usually weighs little compared to the cost of the object it identifies. The true cost is the association process.
The association
The association process is the moment, during production or intake, when the serial number is linked to the master data.
Touch the tag
Where does the chain break?
Where does the chain break?
Note
The most delicate point is not the chip: it is the instant you decide which object it belongs to.
Two sides
Here, serialisation stops being a hardware issue and becomes a matter of software, workstations and workflow.
Two sides
This is why the two sides must be chosen together, not sequentially.
In one sentence
A serial number is only worth as much as the moment it is linked to its object.
Exteryo Report
Takeaways
Five checks before serialising a product. For those who produce or manage objects where the individual item matters.
0 of 5 checked
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Sources
- European Commission: falsified medicineshealth.ec.europa.eu↗
- European Commission: Digital Product Passportenvironment.ec.europa.eu↗
- European Commission: Unique Device Identification (UDI)health.ec.europa.eu↗
- European Commission: tobacco traceabilityhealth.ec.europa.eu↗
Editorial note: Exteryo Report is promoted by Exteryo, active in control and traceability solutions. The regulations cited refer to the official pages of the European Commission.
Images and animations: illustrative objects generated with artificial intelligence. They do not depict real objects or documents mentioned in the article.
ExteryoExteryo Report · 9 July 2026