Customized HF/NFC RFID Tags

SBE Direct customised HF/NFC RFID labels combine the reliability of 13.56 MHz high-frequency radio and the ease of use of contactless NFC. Designed for traceability, asset identification, and customer interaction via smartphone, they are available in Standard version for non-metallic surfaces and On-Metal version for stable reading on metallic surfaces. NDEF encoding, variable black-and-white printing, catalogue or custom formats: every order adapts to your business application. A connected label, readable by both your industrial readers and any Android or iOS smartphone.

Customised HF/NFC RFID label: accessible digitalisation and identification

HF/NFC technology at 13.56 MHz occupies a unique position in the RFID landscape. Where UHF excels at long-range mass reading, NFC does the opposite: a short, targeted, almost intimate interaction between a label and a device. This characteristic makes it a remarkably effective connected label in two very different contexts: precise industrial traceability and smartphone-based user experience. A single tap, and the information comes through. To place these labels within the full SBE ecosystem, you can browse the RFID technology and traceability category.

NFC has become a built-in standard on virtually all professional and consumer smartphones, both Android and iOS. In practice, any employee, technician, or customer can read an NFC label without a dedicated application, without pairing, and without prior configuration. This accessibility is a game-changer for companies that want product information, a maintenance record, or a certificate of authenticity to be instantly accessible in the field.

On the industrial side, these HF labels remain fully compatible with 13.56 MHz RFID readers, access control terminals, and mobile devices used in logistics and maintenance. The SBE Direct range covers both use cases within a single offer, with a common logic: customisation at source, ready-to-use NDEF encoding, and the choice of a format suited to the surface to be labelled.

Standard HF/NFC RFID label: flexibility for non-metallic surfaces

The Standard version is based on a PET wet inlay construction, supplied in an 86 × 54 mm format — equivalent in size to a credit card, sufficiently legible and comfortable for both manual and industrial application. It is fitted with either an NXP NTAG213 or Fudan F8213 chip, two widely deployed references within the NFC ecosystem and recognised by all compatible smartphones.

This configuration suits a wide range of non-metallic surfaces:  documents, temporary visitor badges, furniture, indoor signage, and promotional media. The wet inlay ensures excellent adhesion on flat, clean surfaces, while the 40 mm core guarantees compatibility with industrial thermal transfer printers on the market.

The standard packaging of 1,000 labels per roll meets the typical needs of SMEs and large accounts; larger deployments can be supplied in rolls of 5,000 on request. The label size can also be adapted to your target substrate as part of a custom manufacturing order.

On-Metal HF/NFC RFID tag: stable reading on metallic surfaces

Metal absorbs and reflects radio waves, which disrupts the reading of a standard HF label applied directly onto steel, aluminium, or stainless steel. The On-Metal version corrects this issue through a technical PET substrate specifically designed to decouple the antenna from the metallic surface. The result is stable, reproducible reading where a Standard label would see its range drop to zero.

Three formats are available in the catalogue, each calibrated for a specific use case:

• 40 × 25 mm (antenna 37 × 22 mm) fitted with an NXP NTAG213 chip: compact format for marking tools, small equipment, or spare parts.
• 56 × 18 mm (antenna 55 × 12 mm) fitted with a Fudan FM1108 chip: elongated format for cables, instruments, profiles, or narrow supports.
• 86 × 54 mm (antenna 76 × 45 mm) available in Fudan 216 or NXP NTAG216: card-sized format for IT asset management (servers, racks, network equipment), machine labelling, and traceability of metallic logistics equipment.

All these references are packaged in rolls of 1,000 labels on a 40 mm core, with an indicative production lead time of 9 to 10 working days after order confirmation. The PET construction ensures good mechanical durability and adequate resistance to common industrial operating conditions.

Made-to-order customisation: NDEF encoding and variable printing

The value of an HF/NFC label is measured by what it contains. SBE Direct handles customisation at source to deliver labels that are immediately operational, with no in-house programming or printing required. Three levels are available at order, selectable from the product variants:

• Encoding only: programming of the identifier or an NDEF message into the chip memory before delivery.
• Logo and barcode or sequential numbers: variable printing on each label with different content per unit (serial number, 1D or 2D barcode, internal reference, monochrome logo).
• Encoding with logo and barcode or sequential numbers: combination of both operations, with guaranteed consistency between the digital identifier and the printed information.

NDEF encoding covers the most common use cases: a URL pointing to a product page, a maintenance record, a certificate of authenticity, or a form; plain text; vCard; or a unique identifier. For colour printing, multi-zone layouts, or advanced customisation options, a dedicated quote request is available.

HF/NFC use cases: from interactive marketing to B2B traceability

The versatility of customised HF/NFC labels makes them relevant across a wide range of contexts.

• Product authentication and anti-counterfeiting: each item receives a unique, verifiable identifier that the end customer can check via their smartphone, accessing the official product page, a certificate of origin, or a presentation video.
• Interactive customer experience and connected products: a simple tap of the phone triggers the opening of a URL (user manual, video tutorial, loyalty programme, after-sales form, reorder page).
• IT asset management and maintenance: the On-Metal 86 × 54 mm version labels servers, racks, and network equipment; a technician scans the label with their professional smartphone to access the service history or log an operation.
• Tool and instrument traceability: the compact On-Metal formats (40 × 25 and 56 × 18 mm) identify tools, jigs, moulds, and measuring instruments, read by smartphone or mobile terminal on the workshop floor.
• Document identification and archiving: the Standard 86 × 54 mm version labels binders, sensitive files, and physical documents for rapid location via an HF reader.
• Events and temporary badging: visitor badges, access control, item collection, interactive games and animations, dedicated materials.
• Logistics and container identification: marking of bins, crates, plastic or metallic containers for short-circuit tracking, as a complement to or replacement for barcodes.

To understand how to integrate these labels into a complete asset management process, the RFID inventory guide details implementation principles and compatible software ecosystems.