RFID label
Labels & stickers
What is it?
An RFID label is a wet inlay sandwiched between a printable facestock and a release liner. It looks and behaves like a conventional barcode label, but with an embedded RFID chip. Labels can be printed with barcodes, text, and graphics on the surface while carrying RFID data underneath. They are the most common way to deploy RFID in retail and logistics.
How it works
A wet inlay is laminated beneath a paper or synthetic facestock. The facestock can be thermal-transfer or direct-thermal printable, allowing variable data (barcodes, serial numbers) to be printed at the point of application. An RFID printer-encoder writes the EPC to the chip and prints the label in a single pass.
Use cases
- Retail item-level tagging (apparel, footwear)
- Shipping and receiving labels
- Work-in-progress tracking
- Inventory management
- Pharmaceutical serialisation
Pros
- Dual technology – RFID + printed barcode on one label
- Print and encode in one pass with RFID printer
- Familiar form factor for operations staff
- Wide range of facestock materials and adhesives
Cons
- Thicker than a plain barcode label
- Antenna can be damaged if label is creased or torn
- Higher per-unit cost than barcode-only labels
- Read performance affected by tagged item material
Specifications
| Power type | Passive – powered by reader signal |
|---|---|
| Frequency | UHF (860–960 MHz) or HF (13.56 MHz) |
| Read range | UHF: 3–10 m; HF: up to 10 cm |
| Lifespan | 3–7 years |
| Price range | $0.08–$0.30 per unit |
| Environmental rating | Indoor use; synthetic facestocks for moisture resistance |