Property Tags

What property tags do that a plain sticker cannot

A property tag marks ownership and identifies one specific item. The ownership line says who the item belongs to. The serial number, barcode or QR code ties that single piece to its record in your inventory or fixed asset system, so an auditor can scan it instead of reading and typing.

That second job is what separates a property tag from a simple ownership sticker. If all you need is a visible Property Of message, our property of stickers page covers it. If each item needs its own number and a scannable code, you want a tag.

Company property tags: what to print on the face

Most tags carry the same few elements. Custom text is free, so include whatever your team will actually use.

• A Property Of line with your company, agency, school or department name
• Your logo in full color on the Stronger and Strongest tiers (the Strong tier prints text and codes in one color, with no logo)
• A unique serial number, sequential or from your own list
• A Code 128 or Code 39 barcode, or a QR code that opens the item's record on a phone
• An optional return line, such as a phone number or a reward-if-returned message

Property tags for equipment and IT assets

The right construction depends on the surface and the environment. For laptops, monitors and other smooth indoor surfaces, the Stronger tier is the usual choice: 5-mil vinyl under a 3-mil clear overlaminate that survives wiping and daily handling. Chromebooks, textured plastic enclosures and anything at risk of theft call for the Strongest tier.

Equipment that works outdoors, gets washed down, or has a powdercoat finish needs the Strongest tier. The 12-mil plastic tag uses a 3.5-mil permanent adhesive made for low-surface-energy surfaces like powdercoat and polyethylene, under a 6-mil overlaminate rated for 5+ years outdoors.

Not sure which tier fits? The spec builder asks about environment, surface, format and size, and returns the tier and the price.

Property tags for schools and public agencies

School districts and public agencies usually tag across many buildings, so the numbering scheme matters. Segment the number by facility or department code, or give each school site its own prefix, and every location can audit its own inventory while every number stays unique.

Every tag is made in the USA, printed, laminated and die-cut in central Florida with no offshore production. Stronger tier is the usual pick for smooth surfaces where a tag may someday need to come off, and Strongest tier for textured surfaces where it must stay permanently.

Metal-look property tags instead of metal plates

Many buyers ask for metal property tags because they expect metal to last longest. Our metal-look asset tags give you the look of anodized aluminum on 12-mil plastic, with the artwork protected by a thick overlaminate and a permanent adhesive on the back. They are not solid metal, and that is deliberate.

Aluminum plates need rivets, screws or epoxy, and aluminum can oxidize. A plastic tag peels and sticks in seconds, will not corrode in salt air, and does not react with a steel or stainless host. Our Hall of Shame shows what happens with the cheap kind of metal-look tag: aluminum foil that tore apart when students peeled it off Chromebook lids.

Property of tags that show tampering

When someone might remove a tag on purpose, choose tamper-evident material. It is available in every tier. VOID-residue labels leave a VOID pattern on the asset and on the label if anyone peels them. Destructible labels break into small pieces on removal, so they cannot be moved to another item.

For IT audits, VOID-residue is the standard because the message stays on both the asset and the label. A multi-site federal agency used Stronger-tier tamper-evident tags with a facility, department and sequence numbering scheme on 12,000 assets and passed its audit on the first attempt.

Ordering a property tag program

You can lay out your tag yourself in the online designer: pick a layout, add your logo, choose a barcode or QR code, and set the starting number. If you would rather not, we design your tag for free and you pay only for production.

Before a large order, request samples of all three tiers and put them on the real surface. Any size or shape is die-cut with no die charge and no setup charge. Samples ship within one business day. Standard turnaround is 5 business days after artwork approval.