NTAG213
144 bytes
180 bytes total · 45 pages
- Short URL
- Business card tap
- Social follow link
Smallest and cheapest — enough for one short link
Direct answer
What is an NFC sticker?
NFC stickers are thin self-adhesive labels containing an NFC chip and an etched copper or aluminium antenna, tuned to 13.56 MHz. They are passive: a phone or reader supplies the energy, reads the NDEF record stored on the chip, and acts on it — usually by opening a link.
The three common chips, NTAG213, NTAG215 and NTAG216, are the same in protocol and frequency. They differ mainly in how much data they can hold — 144, 504 or 888 bytes of user memory.
| Specification at a glance | Full parameter table below |
| Frequency | 13.56 MHz |
| Protocol | ISO/IEC 14443A · NFC Forum Type 2 |
| Chips | NTAG213 / 215 / 216 · Fudan FM11RF08 |
| Memory | 144 / 504 / 888 bytes user area |
| Read range | Up to 10 cm (field and size dependent) |
| Sizes | Round 25 / 30 / 40 / 50 mm · square 29 / 40 / 50 mm |
| Material | Coated paper · thermal paper · PET |
| Services | Custom print, URL or serial encoding, password lock |
Choosing the chip
How much data does your link need?
This is the only decision that separates the three NTAG chips. Protocol, frequency, UID length and write endurance are identical across all of them.
NTAG215
504 bytes
540 bytes total · 135 pages
- Long URL with parameters
- Multi-language landing page
- vCard contact record
The general-purpose choice for most campaigns
NTAG216
888 bytes
924 bytes total · 231 pages
- Long text blocks
- Structured records
- Several applications partitioned on one chip
When there is real content to store, not just a link
Do not convert bytes to characters one-to-one. An NDEF record carries its own header — a URI record costs roughly 5–7 bytes before the URL itself is written, depending on the record structure. Plan on the URL length plus headroom, and we will confirm the fit when you send the exact link.
Size guide
Diameter decides the antenna, and the antenna decides the range
Shown at true relative scale. A 25 mm sticker on the same chip reads at a noticeably shorter distance than a 50 mm one — buying small is not free.
Square versions are 29 × 29, 40 × 40 and 50 × 50 mm. Squares pack tighter on a sheet and die-cut with less waste, which is why they are common for packaging; rounds sit better on small or curved items. Any other size can be tooled — send the drawing.
Protocol, stated precisely
Type 2 stickers, not Type 5
These two families are both "NFC", but they are not interchangeable. A phone reads both; a write tool configured for the wrong one will not.
What these stickers are
ISO/IEC 14443A · NFC Forum Type 2
NTAG213, NTAG215 and NTAG216 are NFC Forum Type 2 Tag compliant ICs on the ISO/IEC 14443 Type A air interface, per the NXP product specification. Fudan FM11RF08 is also ISO 14443A. Read/write at 106 kbit/s, 7-byte UID, ECC originality signature.
What they are not
ISO/IEC 15693 · NFC Forum Type 5
ISO 15693 is the vicinity family — ICODE SLIX and similar. It has a different command set and a longer range. If a project specifies 15693, the NTAG stickers above will not satisfy it; ask us and we will quote the right IC instead of substituting.
Where they get used
Four things a tap can do
Hospitality & retail
Table tents and posters
One tap opens the menu, the campaign page or a coupon. No app install, no camera, no QR code to frame in poor light.
Marketing
Printed brand pieces
Four-colour print on the face, with the URL written to the chip in the same production run, so the printed message and the digital destination ship together.
Authentication
Product and document checks
The UID is factory-written and read-only, and each NTAG21x carries an ECC originality signature — enough to tell a genuine tag from a clone in a verification app.
Customisation
Printed, encoded and locked before it ships
Print
Four-colour process, spot colour and spot UV on coated paper, thermal paper or PET. Bleed and die line supplied by us against your artwork.
Encode
URL, text or serial number written to the chip before packing, then verified one by one — not sampled.
Lock
Password protection and one-time lock available, so the record cannot be overwritten after deployment.
Material
Coated paper for indoor print quality, thermal paper for on-demand printing, PET when the sticker has to survive water.
Working with us
Three things we settle before production
01
The link is tested, not assumed
Send the actual URL. We write it, then confirm it reads on the chip and fits the memory of the chip you chose — before the print run, not after.
02
Size chosen against your phone
Free samples in the diameters you are considering, so you can measure tap distance on the devices your customers actually carry.
03
Print and encode in one batch
Artwork and chip data stay in the same production order, which removes the mismatch that happens when printing and encoding are split across two suppliers.
Technical parameters
Full specification
| RADIO AND PROTOCOL | |
| Frequency | 13.56 MHz |
| Protocol | ISO/IEC 14443A · NFC Forum Type 2 |
| Data rate | 106 kbit/s |
| Read range | Up to 10 cm Depends on phone field strength, sticker diameter and alignment |
| CHIP AND MEMORY | |
| HF chip | NTAG213 / NTAG215 / NTAG216 · Fudan FM11RF08 |
| User memory | 144 / 504 / 888 bytes (NTAG21x) 180 / 540 / 924 bytes total |
| UID | 7 bytes, factory programmed, read-only |
| Endurance | 100,000 write cycles · 10 years data retention |
| Security | ECC originality signature · 32-bit password protection · one-time lock |
| FORMAT AND MATERIALS | |
| Shape | Round or square, die-cut |
| Round sizes | 25 / 30 / 40 / 50 mm diameter |
| Square sizes | 29 × 29 / 40 × 40 / 50 × 50 mm |
| Material | Coated paper · thermal paper · PET PET for water resistance; coated paper for print quality |
| Supply form | Roll or sheet |
| PERSONALISATION | |
| Printing | Four-colour process, spot colour, spot UV |
| Data written | URL, text or serial number |
| Options | Password lock, one-time lock |
| Samples | Free samples on request |
Questions buyers ask
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between NTAG213, NTAG215 and NTAG216?
Only the user memory: 144, 504 and 888 bytes. Frequency, protocol, UID length, read/write endurance and data retention are identical across all three.
How much memory does one URL need?
A short link fits comfortably in NTAG213. Longer links with parameters, or a multi-language landing page, are better on NTAG215. If you need text or structured records, go to NTAG216. Remember that the NDEF record adds a header of roughly 5–7 bytes before the URL itself.
Why does my phone not read the sticker?
Three usual causes: the sticker is on metal (which needs an on-metal version), the phone's NFC antenna is not where you are holding it — it is usually on the upper back of the handset — or the sticker is small enough that the tap distance is only a couple of centimetres.
Can these stickers go on metal?
Not the standard version. Metal absorbs and detunes the magnetic field, so an on-metal NFC sticker with a ferrite isolation layer is required. Tell us the surface at the quotation stage.
What read distance can I expect?
Up to about 10 cm — NXP rates the NTAG21x at up to 100 mm depending on field strength and antenna geometry. In practice, a 25 mm sticker tapped with a phone reads at a much shorter distance than a 50 mm one on the same chip.
Can the sticker be locked so nobody rewrites it?
Yes. We can set password protection and a one-time lock at production. Once locked, the record cannot be changed — which is what you want for authentication and ticketing, and what you do not want for a reusable campaign tag.
Are the stickers waterproof?
Coated paper is not. Choose the PET face stock if the sticker will be exposed to water or handled repeatedly, and tell us the surface so the adhesive grade matches as well.
What is the minimum order and lead time?
Both depend on diameter, quantity and whether the face is printed. Send the artwork, the size and the quantity, and the quotation comes back with MOQ and lead time for that specific configuration.