Radio identification in construction industry case: Tagging hollow steel beams

This paper covers the results of a practical study on applicability of passive UHF RFID tags for the needs of construction industry. This research is a response to a need to map and evaluate available solutions for RFID-based identification of particular construction elements, hollow welded steel beams. We present a comparison of performance of five different commercial RFID tags. The performance of each tag is evaluated based on the results of the tests and compared to the given specifications. The results indicate that there are significant differences on performance and read range between various tags. It is shown that the exterior dimensions of the tags do not always relate to the tag performance and read range. The performance is also dependent on the proper use case, which states that careful evaluation process is recommended to be performed for each application to achieve optimal performance. Since the optimal tag for each use case may vary, the compatibility between the tags and RFID-solutions is a highly important issue for the companies in supply chain and is to be considered to minimize the investments for the supporting infrastructure and equipment.