UHF | RAIN RFID Tags, Transponders & Labels

UHF | RAIN RFID tags, labels and transponders are passive, battery-free data carriers at 860–960 MHz under EPC Gen2 / ISO 18000-63. They identify goods, pallets, containers and assets over several metres – cost-effectively and in rugged form factors for logistics, industry and healthcare. IDCRAFT stocks more than 20 RAIN RFID form factors, from Xerafy, HID Global and CT among others. How UHF differs from HF and when each band fits is explained in our overview of RFID technology.

Label, tag or transponder?

All three terms describe the same technology in different form factors. A RAIN RFID label – also called a smart label – is a flexible, self-adhesive inlay of chip and antenna on a paper, PET or PP substrate that can be printed and encoded. A hard tag is the same chip in a solid housing of plastic, epoxy or metal – screwed, bonded or fitted as a cable tie. Transponder is the umbrella term for both.

Form factors, materials and chips

The range spans paper and PET labels, rugged on-metal hard tags, high-temperature transponders (up to 250 °C) and washable textile tags rated for more than 200 wash cycles. More than half the form factors are designed explicitly for metal surfaces, many of them sealed to IP68. Common chips are Impinj M730, NXP UCODE 9 and Alien Higgs 3 to 10; every tag carries a unique EPC number and optional user memory. Material, antenna design and form factor determine read range – flat labels such as the HID IQ Non-Metal reach up to 18 metres, compact on-metal form factors considerably less.

Typical applications

• Logistics & supply chain – pallet, container and shipment labelling
• Asset tracking & predictive maintenance – equipment, tools, transport units
• Industry & manufacturing – on-metal and high-temperature applications
• Healthcare & laundry – washable textile tags and media labelling

How to choose the right UHF tags and labels

The decisive factors are the surface (metal/non-metal), environmental conditions (temperature, moisture), required read range, and chip and memory. On request we supply them custom-printed, laser-engraved, encoded and serially numbered – our RFID label print service runs in house. As a value-added distributor, we advise you vendor-independently on material, adhesive and memory type and supply matching RFID readers and tags from a single source. Filter all 379 UHF transponders by surface, read range, temperature, IP rating and memory in the UHF Tag Finder.

RFID labels: materials, formats and inlays

For an RFID label, face material, format and surface decide whether it does its job.

• Face material: paper for cartons, shipping and stocktaking, PET and PP where moisture and abrasion are an issue. The CT ECO Label does without PET plastic and uses a printed antenna.
• Format and delivery: standard formats ship from stock, custom antenna designs and sizes on request. Supplied as roll stock for printers and applicators, as sheeted labels, or as dry and wet inlays for further processing.
• Surface: on metal, the conductive surface detunes the antenna. This is where on-metal labels come in, such as HID IQ On-Metal or the Xerafy Metal Skin, which can be printed by thermal transfer. For heat and chemicals, hard tags are the better choice; for laundry, washable textile tags.

Printing and encoding RFID labels

Thermal transfer printing puts the logo, barcode, human-readable text and serial number on the label, and the chip is encoded in the same pass. The RFID label print service delivers printed and encoded labels with no minimum order quantity and no tooling costs. If you print in-house, you need an RFID printer. For the desk, that is the Zebra ZD621R / ZD611R. The TSC T6000e can print 10,000 labels a day and, with the optional RFID encoder, also prints and encodes on-metal labels. For mobile use there is the TSC Alpha-40L RFID; it overstrikes labels that fail to encode. To read the finished labels, use RAIN RFID readers at fixed read points and UHF handheld readers for stocktaking.

Buying RFID labels: standard sizes from stock, special formats on request

For logistics, stocktaking and shipping we stock the CT RFID Label with Impinj M830 chip in 101 × 50, 73 × 20 and 45 × 18 mm – price and availability in the IDCRAFT Shop. Add the CT ECO Label with 90 % less plastic, the HID IQ Pro Label with 10 m and the HID IQ Non-Metal UHF Labels with up to 18 m read range. On metal, HID IQ On-Metal and Xerafy Metal Skin do the job, on textiles the Xerafy Tex Trak. We deliver printed and encoded from one piece via our RFID label print service; our transponder comparison explains which form factor fits which job.

→ Request a quote or samples

What do RFID labels cost? Five price factors

The unit price depends on the chip, the format and with it the antenna area, face material and adhesive, the quantity, and printing and encoding. Standard formats from stock are the lowest-cost choice and available at short notice; special formats and special materials are quoted per project. The current price of the CT RFID Label is shown in the IDCRAFT Shop. For a quote we need the application, the surface, the required read range and the quantity.

→ Request a quote for RFID labels

→ Open the UHF Tag Finder

Our UHF | RAIN tags and labels at a glance