Pharmaceutical Serialization Levels

Understanding unit, case, and pallet level serialization requirements and aggregation hierarchies.

MENA T&T Hub Team January 01, 2024 Updated Jan 08, 2026 48 views

Serialization Levels Explained

Pharmaceutical serialization operates at multiple packaging levels, each with specific identifier and barcode requirements.

The Three Levels

1. Unit Level (Primary Package)

The smallest saleable unit - what the patient receives.

2. Case Level (Secondary Package)

Shipping cases containing multiple units.

3. Pallet Level (Tertiary Package)

Pallets containing multiple cases.

Aggregation Hierarchy

PALLET (SSCC: 003712340000000018)
├── CASE 1 (SSCC: 003712340000000025)
│   ├── UNIT (SGTIN: 0371234.054321.001)
│   ├── UNIT (SGTIN: 0371234.054321.002)
│   └── UNIT (SGTIN: 0371234.054321.003)
├── CASE 2 (SSCC: 003712340000000032)
│   ├── UNIT (SGTIN: 0371234.054321.004)
│   └── ...
└── ...

Aggregation Events

Recording parent-child relationships:

<AggregationEvent>
  <eventTime>2024-01-15T10:00:00Z</eventTime>
  <parentID>urn:epc:id:sscc:0371234.0000000025</parentID>
  <childEPCs>
    <epc>urn:epc:id:sgtin:0371234.054321.001</epc>
    <epc>urn:epc:id:sgtin:0371234.054321.002</epc>
    <epc>urn:epc:id:sgtin:0371234.054321.003</epc>
  </childEPCs>
  <action>ADD</action>
  <bizStep>urn:epcglobal:cbv:bizstep:packing</bizStep>
</AggregationEvent>