HID 125 kHz Technology explainer

HID® Corporate 1000 (48-bit)

The largest managed prox namespace HID offers — a facility guide to when the 48-bit Corporate 1000 program makes sense and why its credentials come only through HID.

Can you buy third-party HID Corporate 1000 (48-bit) cards?

HID Corporate 1000 48-bit is the larger-capacity tier of HID's managed Corporate 1000 format program: HID registers your organization's unique 48-bit format number and controls its allocation, so credentials are ordered against that registration through HID or an authorized integrator. Its enormous number space suits the largest deployments, and like all Corporate 1000, an independent supplier cannot produce it.

125 kHz
Frequency
125 kHz prox — HID-managed Corporate 1000 format program
Technology
1
Bit format
1+
OEM part nos.
Brand channel
Order from

The 48-bit Corporate 1000 program is what the very largest organizations use when even a big managed namespace needs to be bigger. Operationally it works exactly like the 35-bit program — registered, HID-controlled, ordered through HID's channel — with more room. This page covers when it's the right choice and where an independent supplier fits around it.

When 48-bit Corporate 1000 is the right call

The 48-bit Corporate 1000 format exists for scale that the 35-bit tier — itself already large — could eventually strain. Very large enterprises, sprawling healthcare networks, and multi-campus institutions choose it when they want one registered, managed format to carry an enormous credential population for the long haul without ever revisiting numbering.

As with the 35-bit program, the defining feature isn't the bit count itself but the managed registration: your organization holds a unique, HID-administered format, and the extra bits simply mean the namespace is effectively inexhaustible for practical purposes.

Same managed-program mechanics, more room

Everything that governs the 35-bit program governs the 48-bit one. HID registers your format number, administers issuance against it, and prevents duplication, so credentials can't be produced by anyone outside the program. The larger number space is the only substantive difference — it's chosen when the deployment is big enough to justify the biggest managed namespace HID offers.

For a facility running it, the day-to-day is identical to any HID prox estate: standard card bodies, normal enrollment and revocation in your access software, with the format registration handled behind the scenes by HID and your integrator.

Ordering and administration

Corporate 1000 48-bit credentials are ordered through HID or your authorized integrator against your organization's registration. There is no aftermarket source, because the registered format allocation — not the bit layout — is what makes a credential valid, and that allocation is HID-controlled.

Plan replacements and expansions through your integrator, who orders against your registration on standard HID card bodies. The managed program is what keeps a credential population this large orderly and non-duplicable over its lifetime.

What we supply around a Corporate 1000 estate

We don't supply Corporate 1000 in either tier — the registered format is HID-controlled. What we can supply is the standard, open-format 125 kHz proximity stock these organizations also run on secondary doors, gates, and outbuildings that sit outside the Corp 1000 program.

On a large mixed estate, telling the Corporate 1000 population apart from standard-format prox is genuinely useful, and we're happy to help identify credentials and readers from photos, supply the open-format parts, and route the Corporate 1000 side back to HID's channel.

HID Corporate 1000 (48-bit) specifications

System brand
HID Global / ASSA ABLOY
Technology
125 kHz Passive Proximity — HID-managed Corporate 1000 format program
Frequency
125 kHz
Credential platform
125 kHz HID Prox platform carrying the Corporate 1000 48-bit structure (format number registered and managed by HID for your organization)
Bit formats
48-bit Corporate 1000 — a registered, HID-managed format with a very large number space, allocated uniquely to your organization
OEM part numbers
Corporate 1000 48-bit is a managed format applied to standard HID prox card bodies at issuance under your registered format number

Specifications reviewed August 2026

How to order HID Corporate 1000 (48-bit) credentials

Like the 35-bit program, Corporate 1000 48-bit is a controlled format: HID registers and manages your organization's unique format number, and credentials are ordered against that registration through HID or your authorized integrator. American Key Cards does not supply Corporate 1000 credentials.

Editorial reference page. American Key Cards is an independent credential supplier and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by HID. We do not sell HID's secured credentials; brand and product names appear only to identify the technology discussed, and all trademarks remain the property of their respective owners.

Readers in this ecosystem

HID 125 kHz proximity readers enabled for the Corporate 1000 programHID multiCLASS and Signo readers with Corp 1000 handling

HID Corporate 1000 (48-bit) — FAQ

Why choose 48-bit Corporate 1000 over 35-bit?

For an even larger managed number space. Both are registered, HID-controlled Corporate 1000 formats; the 48-bit tier suits the very largest deployments that want a single managed format to carry an enormous credential population indefinitely. Both are ordered through HID's channel.

Can a third party supply Corporate 1000 48-bit credentials?

No. As with the 35-bit program, HID registers and controls your organization's unique format allocation, so valid credentials can only be ordered against that registration through HID or your integrator. We supply the standard open-format prox in the same building, not the Corporate 1000 credentials.

How is it ordered and administered?

Through HID or your authorized integrator, against your organization's Corporate 1000 registration, on standard HID card bodies. Enrollment and revocation happen in your access software as usual; the registered format stays HID-controlled.

Does the 48-bit format need special readers?

It runs on HID 125 kHz proximity readers enabled for the Corporate 1000 program, the same reader family that handles the 35-bit tier. Your integrator ensures your readers are provisioned for your registered format.