What is a UHF RFID Label?
Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) labels are adhesive tags with an embedded UHF RFID chip and antenna. These UHF RFID labels are constructed by laminating a UHF RFID inlay between a printable paper or synthetic plastic face and an adhesive liner. Some versions include foam layers or flag designs to allow reliable reading on metal surfaces. Auburn RFID Lab Certification (ARC) certified tags meet Auburn University’s performance standards for item-level tagging in retail supply chains. Compared to UHF RFID hard tags, UHF RFID labels are thinner, lower-cost, and optimized for high-speed encoding and flat-surface applications.
UHF RFID labels are used for inventory management, retail item tracking, supply chain automation, and sports event timing. The UHF RFID label acts as a machine-readable proxy for the product, case, pallet, or participant it is applied to.
How to Choose a UHF RFID Label
- Label Type: Choose between blank printable UHF RFID labels for finished use, clear/white UHF RFID inlays for integration, or on-metal UHF RFID labels for metal surfaces. The material, construction, and adhesive should match your application surface and environment.
- Antenna Design and Size: Antenna design affects read range and directionality. Different patterns optimize for specific applications. Larger antennas tend to read farther, but specialized designs achieve good performance even in smaller formats and on metal surfaces.
- ARC Certification: Required by major retailers (e.g., Walmart) to ensure RFID performance and compatibility with their systems. Select the correct ARC category for compatibility with your customer's systems.
- Availability: GoToTags stocks popular specifications for immediate shipment. Special orders have 1 to 1.5 week lead times with quantity-based pricing.
- UHF RFID Chip Type: Match memory size, encoding method, and security features to your system. Popular chips include Impinj Monza R6, UCODE 8, and UCODE DNA.
Customizing a UHF RFID Label
- Printing Options: GoToTags offers thermal transfer printing of text, barcodes, and serial numbers on in-stock UHF RFID labels. For on-demand or self-printing, UHF RFID labels are available with both thermal transfer coated surfaces and direct thermal surfaces. Choose based on your printer type and ribbon configuration.
- Layout Customization: Perforations, sensor notches, and synthetic materials (including dual-sided constructions) are common. GoToTags can special order custom layouts. Most orders ship in 1–1.5 weeks; fully custom builds may require more time and higher minimum order quantities (MOQs).
- Encoding: GoToTags can encode Electronic Product Code (EPC), Tag Identifier (TID), or user memory at the time of purchase. Customers can also self-encode using the GoToTags Desktop App.
Recommendations
- Use ARC certified UHF RFID tags for any retailer-mandated RFID program.
- Be ready to adapt to newer UHF RFID chip types as older ones are phased out.
- Confirm your printer type—thermal transfer vs. direct thermal—before ordering.
- Only use on-metal UHF RFID labels when applying to metal or conductive surfaces.
- Test read performance in your specific environment in real-world conditions before deployment.
