What is a Garment UHF RFID Tag?
Garment Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are designed for attachment to clothing and textiles for tracking through manufacturing, retail, and laundry workflows. They are constructed using UHF RFID chips and antennas embedded within durable housings made from fabric or silicone, allowing the tags to withstand industrial washing, drying, and ironing. Some garment UHF RFID tags use a metal grommet for reinforcement or a molded silicone body for water and chemical resistance. Garment UHF RFID tags provide longer read ranges and faster bulk scanning compared to garment Near Field Communication (NFC) tags.
Garment UHF RFID tags identify and track individual garments through commercial laundry operations, hospital linen management, uniform rental services, and retail inventory systems. Garment UHF RFID tags serve as digital proxies for high-value garments and linens requiring precise accountability and automated inventory management.
How to Choose a UHF RFID Garment Tag
- Attachment Method: Fabric UHF RFID tags iron-on or sew-on permanently, while silicone UHF RFID tags require sewing into hems or cloth pouches. Cable UHF RFID tags offer removable attachment through secure loops without permanent garment modification.
- Operating Environment: Fabric UHF RFID tags handle standard washing temperatures (-25°C to 85°C), for commercial laundry operations. Silicone UHF RFID tags have an operating range of -25°C to 150°C, allowing them to withstand industrial chemicals, high temperature sterilization, and autoclave processes up to 134°C.
- Frequency Options: Standard UHF RFID provides long-range bulk reading, while dual-frequency tags combine UHF RFID with NFC for versatile short and long-range interactions.
- Availability: Special order items with 1.5-2 week lead times for standard colors. Custom colors or laser engraving extend lead times to 3-4+ weeks with higher minimum order quantities (MOQs).
Customizing a UHF RFID Garment Tag
- Color Selection: Silicone UHF RFID tags support a full custom color spectrum with minimum order requirements. Fabric UHF RFID tags are limited to standard material colors without customization options.
- Visual Marking: Laser engraving available on silicone UHF RFID tags for text, numbers, and simple graphics to enable visual identification and brand marking.
- UHF RFID Chip Type: NXP UCODE 8 or UCODE 9 chips provide fast inventory scanning, high sensitivity, and unique EPC encoding compatibility with existing RFID infrastructure.
- Encoding: Pre-shipment encoding available with unique EPC values and serial numbers. Self-encoding is supported through the GoToTags Desktop App and compatible RFID hardware.
Recommendations
- Choose silicone UHF RFID tags for industrial laundry applications requiring chemical resistance and high-temperature processing capabilities.
- Select permanent attachment methods for valuable garments needing long-term tracking, accountability, and security.
- Avoid fabric UHF RFID tags in healthcare sterilization environments where silicone durability prevents tag failure and replacement costs.
- Use low-profile tags for minimal garment impact or larger tags when read range is a priority.
