ISO 18185-5:2007 specifies the air interface between electronic container seals and Reader/Interrogators of those seals.

It is to be used in conjunction with the other parts of ISO 18185.

ISO 18185-5:2007 describes the physical layer for supply chain applications of RFID for freight containers in accordance with the ISO 18185 series and ISO 17363, since it is expected that the implementation of these standards will face the same international conditions. However, each of these standards has its own unique requirements other than the physical layer. It is expected that RFID Freight Container Identification (as specified in ISO 10374 and ISO 17363), and electronic seals (as specified in the ISO 18185 series) will be able to use the same infrastructure, while recognizing that that there may be requirements for different frequencies for passive devices as opposed to the active devices identified in ISO 18185-5:2007.