Overview
ISO/IEC 15457-1:2008 defines the physical characteristics of thin flexible cards (TFCs) used as identification cards for automated access to goods and services. The standard covers card geometry, materials, finishing and presentation formats at two lifecycle points: when loaded into card issuing equipment and when issued to the public. It balances human and machine aspects and states minimum requirements for reliable operation in systems such as mass transit, tolling, parking, vouchers and stored-value applications.
Key Topics
- Card formats and sizes: principal formats include TFC.0 (66 × 30 mm), TFC.1 (85 × 54 mm), Special TFC.1 (same size with increased thickness) and TFC.5 (187 or 203 × 83 mm).
- Materials and thicknesses: permitted paper, composite and plastic materials are specified (see Annexes A, B, C) with nominal thickness coding.
- Geometry and tolerances: dimensions, corners, edges and reference edges for consistent feature placement.
- Finishing rules: allowed printing and encoding (magnetic stripe, OCR, bar code, contactless); embossing is prohibited.
- Presentation formats: single cards, fan-fold packs and reels; guidance on joins/splices for continuous media.
- Positioning features: punched positioning holes and printed positioning marks to support high-speed issuance.
- Contactless-specific characteristics: allowances for local overthickness (chips/antennae), antenna location guidance and forbidden areas for thermal printing.
- Environmental and lifecycle requirements: storage/use conditions, resistance to light and environmental factors; minimum conformance periods (e.g., one year in original packing, two months in issuing devices).
- Quality criteria: limits on defects (dust, joins, creases, thick spots) that could impair machine handling or appearance.
Applications
ISO/IEC 15457-1 is practical for any organization issuing or handling thin flexible identification cards, including:
- Public transit operators and tolling systems
- Parking operators and access-control vendors
- Prepaid voucher and stored-value systems
- Card manufacturers, personalization bureaus and equipment designers (issuers, feeders, printers)
Following the standard ensures reliable machine readability, consistent card handling in issuing equipment and predictable in-service life.
Who should use this standard
- Card issuers and system integrators specifying card media
- Manufacturers of card stock, printers, encoders and issuance equipment
- Test labs and quality assurance teams verifying card conformance
- Procurement and specification writers for payment, transit and ID systems
Related standards
Using ISO/IEC 15457-1 helps standardize thin flexible cards, improve interoperability with issuing equipment and reduce field failures from physical defects or inappropriate materials.
