ISO/IEC 15459-6:2007 specifies a unique, non-significant string of characters for the unique identifier of product groupings. The character string is intended to be represented in linear bar code and two-dimensional symbols, radio frequency identification (RFID) transponder or other automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) media attached to the product and/or material to meet the management needs in a batch or lot unit. To address management needs, different classes of item are recognised in the various parts of ISO/IEC 15459. This allows different requirements to be met by the unique identifiers of each class.

The unique identifier for product grouping enables a product grouping defined by a batch or lot number to be uniquely identified from all other lots and batches compliant with ISO/IEC 15459-6:2007. Encoding this unique identifier in a data carrier enables information about the quality of product and end-of-life processing to be clearly identified.

The rules for the unique identifier for product grouping, to identify the unique occurrence of that quality, are defined and supported by an example.