RFID Tags For Industrial
Asset Tracking
Choose RFID tags for assets, inventory, equipment, tools, metal surfaces, and harsh environments
Co-developed with Fortune 500 teams. Deployed across Manufacturing • Healthcare • Logistics • Oil & Gas • Industrial Operations
Start by matching the tag to the asset, surface, environment, and workflow. Xerafy product families cover rugged hard tags, returnable-asset tags, printable RFID labels, and IoT devices for industrial tracking.
RUGGED
Benchmark-Leading Hard Tags for Metal Environments
TRAK
Durable Tags for Inventory, Returnables, Pallets and Containers
SKIN
Printable RFID Labels for Metal, Products and Assets
IOT
NFC, BLE and Sensing Devices for Connected Assets
Trusted for industrial RFID tracking projects across manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, oil & gas, and enterprise asset operations
Select RFID Tags by Asset, Surface and Workflow
Filter by application, surface, material, mounting method, IC chip, and performance requirements
Explore Case Studies
See how Xerafy RFID tags are deployed in industrial, healthcare, logistics, and asset-tracking projects
RFID Tags FAQ
Answers to common questions about RFID tag selection, surfaces, durability, read range, mounting, memory, standards, and industrial deployment
How do I choose the right RFID tag for a specific tracking project?
Start with the tracking requirement, not the tag.
Define the asset type, surface material, operating environment, required read range, attachment method, reader setup, data requirements, workflow, and expected deployment volume. A metal tool, returnable pallet, textile item, medical tray, oilfield component, data-center asset, or high-temperature production part will each require a different RFID tag design.
For harsh or specialized environments, prioritize durability, sealing, chemical resistance, temperature rating, mounting method, and any relevant industry requirements such as sterilization, traceability, UHF frequency region, or reader and printer compatibility.
Xerafy helps match projects to suitable RFID tag options, including rugged hard tags, printable RFID labels, embedded tags, customized tags, and service-bureau configurations.
Xerafy brings application expertise across MRO, oil and gas, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, and other RFID tracking systems. Testing, proof-of-concept validation, and deployment support can also be coordinated with Xerafy Authorized Partners where local integration or rollout support is required.
For project-specific constraints, contact the Xerafy engineering team to review your requirements.
Which RFID tags work on metal assets?
For metal assets, use RFID tags designed and tuned for on-metal performance, with antenna structures, spacing, housings, or printable label constructions that help maintain reliable reads on the asset.
Metal changes RFID performance, so standard RFID inlays or labels may lose read range or fail when applied directly to a metal surface.
For low-profile printed identification, Xerafy offers printable on-metal RFID labels.
For tools, equipment, containers, industrial components, outdoor assets, or impact-prone workflows, use rugged hard tags designed for metal and harsh environments.
The right choice depends on asset size, mounting area, required read range, exposure conditions, attachment method, and whether the tag needs to be printed, encoded, embedded, or permanently fixed.
Xerafy recommends testing the selected tag on the actual metal asset with the intended reader, antenna position, mounting method, and workflow before rollout. For metal assets with curved surfaces, limited mounting space, harsh exposure, or unusual read-zone constraints, contact the Xerafy engineering team to review the application.
Should I use an RFID label or a hard tag?
Use an RFID label when the asset needs a low-profile, printable, or serialized identifier, especially where barcode, QR code, logo, human-readable ID, or encoded EPC data need to be applied at scale. Printable RFID labels are often used for IT assets, inventory, product identification, work-in-process, and metal assets that require a thin on-metal label.
Use a hard tag when the asset is exposed to impact, outdoor conditions, washdown, heat, chemicals, repeated handling, or long service life requirements. Hard tags are typically selected for tools, equipment, returnable containers, pallets, industrial parts, and harsh-environment assets where housing, sealing, mounting strength, and read reliability matter more than printability.
The right choice depends on the asset surface, mounting method, read range, durability requirement, identification format, and expected lifecycle. For applications that sit between both options, such as thin durable tags, embedded tags, or customized identification, contact the Xerafy engineering team to review the project fit.
How are RFID tags mounted or attached to assets?
RFID tags can be attached with adhesive, screws, rivets, welds, cable ties, brackets, sewing, heat-sealing, or embedding, depending on the asset, surface, environment, and expected service life.
The mounting method affects both tag durability and RF performance, so it should be selected together with the tag design.
For printable labels and low-profile identification, adhesive or heat-seal attachment may be suitable when the surface is clean, stable, and compatible with the adhesive system.
For tools, equipment, containers, pallets, outdoor assets, or harsh industrial environments, mechanical fixing methods such as screws, rivets, welds, or protected mounting locations may be required.
Placement also matters. Tag position, orientation, distance from metal edges, exposure to impact, reader angle, and antenna location can all affect read accuracy. For detailed placement guidance, see Xerafy’s RFID tagging guide for read-rate optimization and common placement errors.
Xerafy recommends testing the selected tag and attachment method on the actual asset before rollout. For assets with limited mounting space, curved surfaces, high impact, washdown, heat, or embedding requirements, contact the Xerafy engineering team to review the application.
Can RFID be embedded into assets or materials?
Yes. RFID can be embedded into assets when the tag needs to be protected from impact, abrasion, cleaning, handling, heat, chemicals, or tampering.
Embedding is often used for industrial tools, components, molds, fixtures, oilfield assets, returnable items, and parts where surface-mounted labels or tags would be exposed to damage.
Embedding changes RFID performance, so the tag must be selected and tested for the material, cavity depth, surrounding metal, read direction, sealing method, and operating environment. In some projects, the tag can be placed in a recess, molded into a part, sealed with resin, or integrated during manufacturing. In other cases, a rugged surface-mounted tag may provide better read performance or easier maintenance.
Xerafy offers embedded RFID tag options such as the PICO In, XPLORER and XS Wedge, and custom engineering support for projects where size, housing, material, attachment, read range, or environmental exposure require a specific design. For embedded applications, contact the Xerafy engineering team to review the asset material, available space, read setup, and installation process before testing.
Which RFID tags are best for inventory, tools, pallets, and returnable assets?
The best RFID tag depends on the asset class and how it moves through the workflow. Inventory items, tools, pallets, returnable transport items, containers, bins, and textile assets each have different requirements for read range, durability, mounting, printability, and cost.
For tool and equipment tracking, use rugged RFID tags that can handle metal surfaces, repeated handling, impact, and industrial environments.
For pallets, totes, crates, bins, KLTs, and other returnable assets, use durable tags designed for logistics workflows, repeated use, outdoor exposure, washdown, or long-range portal reads.
For item-level inventory or product identification, RFID smart labels may be the better fit when serialization, barcode, QR code, or human-readable information is required.
Xerafy supports RFID tracking applications across MRO, inventory management, logistics, manufacturing, textile services, and returnable-asset operations. For mixed asset fleets or workflows that combine tools, inventory, containers, and fixed reader infrastructure, contact the Xerafy engineering team to review the project requirements.
Can RFID tags survive harsh environments?
Yes, when the tag is designed for the specific environment.
Xerafy rugged RFID tags are designed for industrial environments where standard RFID labels or inlays may fail because of heat, cold, chemicals, water, impact, metal surfaces, pressure, abrasion, or repeated handling.
Xerafy rugged tags are tested and selected against application-specific requirements such as:
> High and low temperature cycling: products such as ROSWELL and MICRO Paint Shop are used in high-temperature industrial processes, including paint shop and heat-cycle applications. For detailed temperature ratings, see the MICRO series guidance on maximum temperatures and operating versus survival temperature.
> Chemical exposure: tags such as MICRO Industrial, MICRO Power, and NANO Plus use protective housings designed for exposure to harsh chemicals, solvents, cleaning processes, and industrial fluids.
> Water, dust, and moisture: IP-rated RFID tags provide dust, water, and moisture protection for washdown, outdoor, logistics, and industrial environments.
> Metal-rich environments: on-metal rugged tags such as MICRO and PICO are designed to maintain reliable reads on metal assets used in MRO, manufacturing, healthcare, oil and gas, and industrial operations.
The right RFID tag depends on the actual exposure, mounting method, read setup, and lifecycle requirements. For harsh-environment projects, review the product datasheets, compare options in the RFID Tags Guide, and contact the Xerafy engineering team to validate the tag on the actual asset before rollout.
How does Xerafy ensure the reliability of its RFID tags?
Xerafy RFID tags are engineered for industrial applications where tag failure can disrupt asset visibility, inventory accuracy, maintenance workflows, production tracking, or compliance processes.
The result is benchmark-leading reliability, read accuracy, and survivability in real operating conditions, not only in controlled lab environments.
Reliability starts with the tag architecture: antenna design, chip selection, housing material, sealing, attachment method, mechanical protection, and tuning for the asset surface and read environment. Xerafy validates RFID tag performance against the conditions the tag is expected to face, including metal surfaces, heat, cold, chemicals, washdown, impact, vibration, sterilization, outdoor exposure, abrasion, and repeated handling.
Each product series is designed with different combinations of size, surface, durability, mounting, read range, and lifecycle requirements. For critical deployments, Xerafy recommends reviewing product datasheets, comparing options in the RFID Tags Guide, and validating samples on the actual asset with the intended reader setup, mounting method, read zone, and operating workflow.
For applications with demanding reliability, accuracy, or survivability requirements, contact the Xerafy engineering team to review the environment, test conditions, and product fit.
Can RFID tags be printed, encoded, serialized, or customized?
Yes. Xerafy supports RFID tag identification and customization options such as logo printing, barcode, QR code, human-readable ID, EPC encoding, serialization, and project-specific data formats.
These options are used when the RFID tag must support both machine-readable RFID workflows and visible identification for operators, maintenance teams, inventory checks, or compliance processes.
For printable RFID labels, customization can be part of the label design and encoding workflow. For rugged hard tags, customization may include laser marking, printed ID, barcode, QR code, attachment adaptation, housing color, material selection, or project-specific configuration depending on the product and volume.
Xerafy can also support service-bureau configurations for projects that require pre-printed, pre-encoded, or serialized tags before deployment.
Customization should be defined early because the identification format, chip selection, memory requirements, mounting method, and production workflow can affect the best tag choice. For projects with special marking, encoding, serialization, attachment, or environmental requirements, contact the Xerafy engineering team to review the configuration.
What chip, memory, and data options are available for RFID tags?
RFID chip and memory options depend on the tag family, application, and data workflow.
Most RAIN RFID projects use the EPC memory bank for the unique item identifier, while TID memory provides chip-level identification. Some applications and RFID mandates also require User memory, password protection, locking, serialization, or project-specific encoding rules.
RFID chip selection can affect read performance, memory capacity, encoding workflow, regional frequency compatibility, printer or reader setup, and suitability for harsh environments. For example, some projects prioritize long-range read performance and high-speed inventory reads, while others need additional user memory, secure identification, sensing, NFC interaction, or high-temperature capability.
Xerafy supports RFID tag configurations for standard identification, serialized asset tracking, user-memory applications, service-bureau encoding, and project-specific data models. Define the required data structure early, especially if the tag will connect to ERP, WMS, CMMS, MES, maintenance, inventory, or compliance systems.
For projects with specific chip, memory, encoding, or data-security requirements, contact the Xerafy engineering team to review the right tag and IC configuration.
Which RFID standards, readers, printers, and systems are Xerafy tags compatible with?
Xerafy RAIN RFID tags are designed for UHF RFID systems using EPC Gen2 / ISO 18000-63 standards.
The right tag version should be selected for the operating region, reader setup, antenna configuration, printer or encoder workflow, and application requirements.
Xerafy tags are commonly used with fixed readers, handheld readers, RFID portals, cabinets, tunnels, printer-encoders, and industrial automation systems.
Printable RFID labels should be matched to the printer model such as Zebra or SATO, as well as ribbon, encoding workflow, label format, and application surface.
Rugged hard tags should be matched to the reader power, antenna position, read zone, asset material, mounting method, and operating environment.
RFID tags do not connect directly to ERP, WMS, CMMS, MES, or inventory systems by themselves. They are read through RFID readers, printers, middleware, or partner-integrated solutions that pass tag data into the customer’s software environment.
For projects with specific reader, printer, frequency, encoding, or system-integration requirements, contact the Xerafy engineering team or work with a Xerafy Authorized Partner to validate compatibility before rollout.
How can I test or validate the right RFID tag before deployment?
RFID tag validation should be done on the actual asset, with the intended mounting method, reader setup, antenna position, read distance, and workflow.
Lab read-range values are useful for benchmarking, but real performance depends on the asset surface, tag orientation, surrounding materials, movement, interference, and operating environment.
Xerafy recommends starting with a shortlist of suitable tags, reviewing the product datasheets, then testing samples under the same conditions expected in deployment. For fixed reader portals, cabinets, tunnels, production lines, warehouses, yards, or handheld workflows, validation should confirm read accuracy, missed-read risk, read-zone control, tag survivability, and attachment durability.
For projects that require proof-of-concept testing, application review, or local rollout support, contact the Xerafy engineering team. Xerafy can also coordinate with Authorized Partners where reader setup, integration, or deployment support is required.
What warranty and support options are available for RFID tags?
Each Xerafy tags and labels comes with a specific warranty period, which covers defects in materials and workmanship.
Detailed warranty information is available on the datasheet for each product and through a Xerafy representative.
Xerafy supports customers and partners through product selection, datasheet review, sample testing, application guidance, and engineering review for projects with specific surface, read range, durability, mounting, encoding, or environmental requirements.
For larger deployments, proof-of-concept testing and rollout support may also be coordinated through Xerafy Authorized Partners where local integration or field support is required.
For support and project-specific qualification questions, contact the Xerafy engineering team with the tag model, asset type, environment, mounting method, reader setup, and deployment conditions.
