The International Standards Organization published the new version of ISO 17712 on 15 May 2013. The new version is a further evolution of ISO's standard for Mechanical Seals, first issued as a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) in 2003.

ISO 17712:2013 found uniform procedures for the classification, acceptance, and withdrawal of mechanical freight container seals. It offers a single source of information on mechanical seals which are suitable for securing freight containers in worldwide commerce.

ISO 17712 no longer needs certification of successful third party laboratory testing against exact tamper-related criteria. Instead, the necessity for tamper-related quality procedures include internally generated and managed tests of tamper proof as part of the manufacturer's documented quality program.

Compliance with ISO 17712 needs independent verification in three areas:

• Physical testing to determine a seal's classification for physical strength.
• Procedure auditing of supplier security-related business processes.
• Physical testing that earns a "Pass" grade for evidence of tampering.