HID® iCLASS® SR
The bridge issuance between legacy iCLASS and the SE platform — a facility guide to where SR fits, how it's ordered, and when to plan past it toward SE or Seos.
Can you buy third-party HID iCLASS SR cards?
HID iCLASS SR is a hardened issuance profile of the iCLASS smart-card platform that binds credential data to your facility's authentication key more tightly than standard iCLASS, serving as a bridge for sites with iCLASS readers not yet on the full SE platform. SR credentials are keyed to your site and ordered through HID's channel; an independent supplier can't provision one without your facility key.
- 13.56 MHz
- Frequency
- 13.56 MHz Contactless Smart Card — hardened iCLASS issuance profile
- Technology
- 1
- Bit format
- 2+
- OEM part nos.
- Brand channel
- Order from
iCLASS SR is a transitional credential, and facilities usually encounter it exactly there — partway through modernizing an older iCLASS estate. This page explains what SR does operationally, how it's ordered, and how to think about it as a waypoint rather than a destination. We don't supply SR credentials; we can supply the proximity side of the same buildings and help you plan the path forward.
Where SR sits in the HID lineup
iCLASS SR — Secure Read — is a hardened way of issuing the iCLASS smart-card platform. It tightens the binding between reader configuration, the diversified per-card keys, and the credential data, raising the security floor above a standard-keyed iCLASS issuance without requiring a full jump to the SE platform's Secure Identity Object model.
In practice SR exists as a bridge. Organizations with a large installed base of iCLASS readers that can't all be swapped at once use SR to get meaningfully better protection now, while planning a phased move to iCLASS SE or Seos as readers are refreshed. It's a pragmatic middle step, and understanding it as a step — not an end-state — is the key operational insight.
How SR credentials are ordered
SR credentials are keyed to your facility, so issuance runs through HID's channel: your integrator or an authorized HID dealer provisions credentials against your site's authentication key. That key requirement is precisely why an outside vendor can't supply drop-in SR stock — without the facility key, a card can't be provisioned to enroll on your readers.
For replacements and additions, your integrator is the route. Keep your management software's revocation current so lost SR credentials are disabled promptly; the hardened profile protects the credential, but revocation is still what neutralizes a lost one at the door.
Planning past SR
Because SR is a bridge, the most valuable thing a facility can do is treat every reader refresh as a step toward the SE/Seos end-state. When a reader is replaced with a Signo or SE unit, that door gains the option of the full Secure Identity Object model; over time the estate consolidates onto the modern platform and SR fades out.
This is a reader-led migration, so budget and sequence it around reader replacement rather than credential reissuance. And as with any migration, keep an end date in mind for accepting the oldest technologies at each reader, so the security gains actually land instead of overlapping indefinitely.
What we can supply around an SR estate
We don't sell SR credentials — those are keyed and issued through HID. What we supply is the open 125 kHz proximity stock that coexists in most of these buildings: secondary doors, gates, and the legacy prox population during a migration. If your site is mid-transition and you need interim proximity credentials while the smart-card side moves through HID's channel, that's exactly our lane.
Not sure which of your credentials are SR versus a proximity format we can supply? Send photos of the readers and a working card — we'll identify them and be straight about which come from us and which come from HID.
HID iCLASS SR specifications
- System brand
- HID Global / ASSA ABLOY
- Technology
- 13.56 MHz Contactless Smart Card — hardened iCLASS issuance profile
- Frequency
- 13.56 MHz
- Credential platform
- HID iCLASS-family 13.56 MHz secure element issued under the Secure Read (SR) profile, binding reader configuration and diversified card keys more tightly than standard iCLASS
- Bit formats
- Standard HID access formats (26-bit H10301, 37-bit H10302/H10304, Corporate 1000) under the SR secure-read profile
- OEM part numbers
- 2100 / 2102 / 2103 / 2104 (iCLASS SR card, various memory), 205x (SR key fob variants)
Specifications reviewed August 2026
How to order HID iCLASS SR credentials
iCLASS SR credentials are keyed to your facility and issued through HID's channel — your access-control integrator or an authorized HID dealer — because programming requires your site's authentication key. American Key Cards does not supply SR credentials; without your facility key they cannot be provisioned to enroll.
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
Related formats
You might also need
HID iCLASS (Legacy)
HID's first-generation 13.56 MHz smart card — a facility guide to where legacy iCLASS came from, how it's ordered, and why planning a migration to SE or Seos is the smart operational move.
How it worksHID iCLASS SE
HID's second-generation AES-secured smart card and the platform most large sites migrate through — a facility-operations guide to deploying, issuing, and expanding iCLASS SE.
How it worksHID Seos
HID's flagship AES-secured smart credential, built so that the credential is inseparable from its chip — a facility-operations guide to how Seos is deployed, issued, and expanded.
How it worksHID iCLASS SR — FAQ
Can American Key Cards supply iCLASS SR replacement cards?
No. SR credentials are provisioned against your facility's authentication key through HID's channel, which an independent supplier can't do. We'll point you to your integrator or an authorized HID dealer, and we can supply the proximity credentials your site runs alongside SR.
Is iCLASS SR as secure as iCLASS SE?
SR raises the security floor above a standard iCLASS issuance, but it's a hardening profile rather than the full SE platform, which adds the Secure Identity Object model and AES architecture. Treat SR as a bridge and plan reader refreshes toward SE or Seos for the modern end-state.
How do I order SR credentials for my site?
Through your access-control integrator or an authorized HID dealer — they provision credentials to your facility key. Keep revocation current in your management software so lost cards are disabled at the door.
Should we stay on SR or migrate?
SR is designed as a transitional step. The strategic move is to migrate toward SE/Seos as readers are refreshed, since that unlocks the modern credential model. In the meantime we can supply any 125 kHz proximity credentials the site still needs.