# MIFARE Classic 13.56 MHz card: specs

> Passive 13.56 MHz contactless cards sold as MIFARE Classic. They have no battery; the reader powers them over the air. Values on this page are for…

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Passive 13.56 MHz contactless cards sold as MIFARE Classic. They have no battery; the reader powers them over the air. Values on this page are for the NXP MF1S50 EV1 1K chip; the chip on the supplied cards is not confirmed.

Every value cites its sourcePinout not published

[Buy on Compoden](https://compoden.com/products/rfid-cards-1356mhz-mifare-classic-pack-of-5-for-mfrc522)

## Specs

| Spec | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Operating frequency | 13.56 MHz | source Section 2 Features and benefits (p.2); Table 31 |
| Standard | ISO/IEC 14443 Type A | source Section 1 General description (p.1) |
| Memory | 1 kB EEPROM, 16 sectors of 4 blocks, 16 bytes per block | source Section 2.1 EEPROM (p.2) |
| Data transfer rate | 106 kbit/s | source Section 2 Features and benefits (p.2) |
| Operating distance | Up to 100 mm, depending on antenna geometry and reader | source Section 2 Features and benefits (p.2) |
| Identifier | 7-byte UID, or 4-byte non-unique ID (NUID) on the NUID versions | source Section 1.3 Security and privacy (p.1); ordering information and the remark on non-unique ID versions |
| Data retention | 10 years (minimum) | source Section 14 Characteristics, Table 31 (p.26) |
| Write endurance | 100000 cycles minimum, 200000 typical | source Section 14 Characteristics, Table 31 (p.26) |
| Ambient temperature | -25 C to 70 C (limiting values) | source Section 13 Limiting values, Table 30 (p.25-26) |
| Supply | None (powered from the reader) | source Section 2 Features: contactless transmission of data and energy supply (p.2) |

## Power

| | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Supply | Passive card, powered by the reader's RF signal | source Section 2 Features and benefits (p.2) |

## Pinout
We don't publish a pin table for this part: no official source we could verify gives one. Check the labels printed on your module, and see the notes below.

A card has no header or pins. The data sheet is for the MIFARE Classic EV1 1K chip; the exact chip variant on the supplied cards is not documented by a maker source.

## Build with it
Project ideas for the MIFARE Classic 13.56 MHz card. Each link opens Soldr with the prompt filled in; Soldr assigns the pins, checks power and shows how to wire every part.

- [Card-tap counter with display](https://app.soldr.ai/?prompt=I%20want%20to%20build%20a%20card%20tap%20counter%20with%20an%20ESP32%2C%20an%20MFRC522%20reader%2C%20MIFARE%20Classic%20cards%20and%20an%20OLED%20display): The reader works at 13.56 MHz and the card is ISO/IEC 14443 Type A. Read only the card UID; check the reader module's own page for its supply voltage before wiring it to the ESP32.
- [Cards as a Pico game-token reader](https://app.soldr.ai/?prompt=I%20want%20to%20build%20a%20game%20token%20reader%20with%20a%20Raspberry%20Pi%20Pico%2C%20an%20MFRC522%20reader%20and%20MIFARE%20Classic%20cards%20that%20shows%20the%20card%20UID%20on%20an%20OLED): Check that the five card IDs differ before using them as tokens: a 4-byte non-unique ID is not guaranteed to be unique. Use only your own cards.
- [A workshop sign-in demo with an Arduino Uno, an MFRC522 reader, MIFARE Classic cards and an LCD that shows the card UID](https://app.soldr.ai/?prompt=I%20want%20to%20build%20a%20workshop%20sign-in%20demo%20with%20an%20Arduino%20Uno%2C%20an%20MFRC522%20reader%2C%20MIFARE%20Classic%20cards%20and%20an%20LCD%20that%20shows%20the%20card%20UID): Learning project, not an access-control product: the card has no security beyond sector keys and these cards ship with the default key. If it records who signs in, people must be told and agree.

## Common mistakes

- Editing a sector trailer carelessly: if the access bits have a format violation the whole sector is irreversibly blocked. Keys are delivered as FFFF FFFF FFFFh ([source](https://cache.nxp.com/docs/en/data-sheet/MF1S50YYX_V1.pdf))
- Expecting very long range: operating distance is up to 100 mm and depends on the reader's antenna, so small module antennas read at a much shorter distance ([source](https://cache.nxp.com/docs/en/data-sheet/MF1S50YYX_V1.pdf))
- Using a 125 kHz reader: this card works at 13.56 MHz only ([source](https://cache.nxp.com/docs/en/data-sheet/MF1S50YYX_V1.pdf))

## Not covered by the official source

- Chip variant on the supplied cards (1K or 4K, EV1 or earlier) is not stated by a maker source; the EV1 1K sheet is used.
- Card antenna size and card thickness are not covered by the chip data sheet.
- Section numbers are from the NXP document; page numbers are PDF page positions.

## Sources

- [link](https://cache.nxp.com/docs/en/data-sheet/MF1S50YYX_V1.pdf) (NXP MF1S50YYX_V1, MIFARE Classic EV1 1K, Rev. 3.2, 23 May 2018; NXP's own document host)