RFID NFC and metal?

RFID NFC tags and metal – can they be used?

Do you know ?

That ordinary RFID / NFC tags (eg proximity cards, stickers, key rings, etc.) “lose range” or will not work at all in a “metal” environment? Is there any solution?

For example, a standard proximity sticker attached to a steel sheet, aluminum sheet, etc., cannot be read.

Even some plastics may have impurities that shield the electric / magnetic field, which will manifest itself in the same way.

RFID NFC tags and metal – how to fix the problem?

There is a way. The use of a special separating layer made of a material with appropriate properties.

The photos show the same tag in the form of a self-adhesive PVC disk, in a regular version and with such a separating layer.

RFID NFC tags for metal

You may notice an extra dark area on the adhesive side on this tag, which may work on metal surfaces as well.

In the symbol of such tags in our markings there is the letter “M”. E.g. S4361M-25×1.

Of course, this does not mean that such tags can only work on metal. Practically, they can be attached to any surface. Including such as paper, cardboard, wood, PVC, glass, etc. So similar to the usual tags, without this additional layer, they also do well. Only in the case of UHF tags the situation may be a bit different.

Unfortunately, tags with such a special, additional layer are a bit more expensive and “thicker” by 0.2-0.6mm than the usual ones.

Finally, we must emphasize that, in addition to various metal tags, we have many other RFID / NFC tags in our warehouses, such as cards, key rings, bands, disks, etc.

If you need metal tags or any other tags, please contact us immediately.