ISO 7816-1: Physical Charcteristics of Integrated Circuit Cards
[7816] [7816-1] [7816-2] [7816-3]


  • This part describes the physical charcteristics of integrated circuit cards. It includes accomodation of exposure limits for a number of electromagnetic phenomena such as X-rays, UV light, elacromagnetic fields, static electrical fields, and ambient temperature of the card.
  • Furthermore ISO7816-1 defines the characteristics of a card when it is bent or flexed. This is to make sure that plastic cards with embedded chips are manufactured in a way that guarantees flawless operation over the expected life time of a card. Connections beween the surface connectors and the I/O pins of the embedded silicon die must be maintaned and withstand mechanical stress. Bending and flexing procedures are standardised in ISO 7816.
  • This part of ISO7816 is important for card manufacturers. They are the ones that choose the materials and establish a process that embeds the integrated circuit into the card.