01
Pressure-sensitive label
Laminate a printable face stock on top and an adhesive plus release liner underneath, then die-cut to the label shape.
→ Retail and logistics labels
Direct answer
What is a dry inlay?
Dry inlay means the inlay carries no adhesive and no release liner. Its stack is antenna, chip and chip package on a PET carrier — three functional elements. Wet inlay is the same inlay with pressure-sensitive adhesive and a release liner added, so it can be applied straight to a surface.
The difference is not the radio performance. It is what happens after the roll leaves us: a dry inlay is a component for a converter, a wet inlay is a finished label. If you need to stick it onto something tomorrow, you want the wet version. If you are building labels, cards or tags on your own line, the dry version gives you the face stock, adhesive and die-cut shape you actually need.
| SPECIFICATION AT A GLANCE | Full parameter table below |
| Structure | Antenna + chip + chip package on PET |
| Adhesive | None Added at conversion |
| Frequency | 860–960 MHz (UHF) |
| Protocol | EPC Class 1 Gen 2 / ISO/IEC 18000-6C |
| Chip | UHF Gen2 silicon Per inlay design |
| Supply form | Roll, multi-up web |
| Read range | Per inlay design and reader power |
| Conversion | Label · card · hang tag · hard tag |
The one real difference
Same radio, two fewer layers
Both stacks carry identical radio parts. The wet version adds an adhesive and a liner so it can be applied by hand or by a labelling head. The dry version hands that decision to your converting line.
Read range does not change between the two. The adhesive and liner are peeled away before the label goes on a product, so they take no part in the radio link. What does affect range is the inlay design, the chip sensitivity and the material the finished label is stuck to — which is why the conversion decisions are yours to make, not ours.
What you turn it into
Four ways a dry inlay leaves your plant
A dry inlay is never the end product. What you add to it decides the cost, the thickness and the shape — so the right question is not "which inlay", but "which finished article".
02
Smart card inlay
Embed between PVC or PET sheets and press under heat. The inlay becomes the core of the card, invisible from outside.
→ Access, membership, transit cards
03
Sewn or inserted tag
Sandwich between fabric or paper plies. Being two layers thinner than a wet inlay matters here — the tag stays flat.
→ Care labels and apparel hang tags
04
Encapsulated hard tag
House the inlay in an ABS or PC shell and pot it. Add a ferrite layer at this stage if the tag has to work on metal.
→ Asset tags and on-metal tags
Why specify dry
Three reasons buyers choose the bare inlay
01
Lower unit cost
You are not paying for adhesive and release liner that your own line is going to add anyway, and you are not paying to ship them twice.
02
The conversion stays yours
Face stock, adhesive grade, liner type and die-cut shape are all decisions your plant already makes for its own customers. A dry inlay does not take them away.
03
Thinner, so it embeds cleanly
Two layers fewer means less bulging when the inlay goes inside a card, between fabric plies, or under a printed top sheet.
Where it ends up
From our roll to the finished article
Converting
Lamination
The inlay web runs into the press, meets face stock at the nip, and leaves as a printable label construction.
Logistics
Parcel and carton labelling
Once converted, the same inlay reads at dock doors and on sortation belts — thousands of labels per shift, no line of sight needed.
Embedding
Cards and thin tags
With no liner and no glue, the inlay can be laid into a card core or a fabric ply without the thickness that a label would add.
Technical parameters
Full specification
| CONSTRUCTION | |
| Structure | Etched antenna + chip + chip package on PET carrier No adhesive, no release liner |
| Carrier | PET film |
| Supply form | Roll, multi-up web Web width and pitch set per inlay design |
| Face stock | Not included Added at conversion |
| RADIO | |
| Frequency | 860–960 MHz (UHF) Band confirmed per destination market |
| Protocol | EPCglobal Class 1 Gen 2 / ISO/IEC 18000-6C |
| Chip | UHF Gen2 silicon, per inlay design Tell us the chip your reader and software are validated against |
| Read range | Depends on inlay design, reader power and the material the finished label is applied to |
| CONVERSION OPTIONS | |
| To label | Face stock + adhesive + release liner, die-cut to shape |
| To card | Laminated between PVC or PET sheets |
| To textile | Encapsulated between fabric or paper plies |
| To hard tag | ABS or PC housing, potting, optional ferrite layer for metal |
| ORDERING | |
| Minimum order | Per inlay design and web width Usually quoted in whole rolls |
| Samples | Sample roll or cut lengths on request |
| Lead time | Confirmed with the quotation for the specific inlay |
Questions buyers ask
Frequently asked questions
Does a dry inlay read shorter than a wet inlay?
No — not when the chip and antenna are the same. The adhesive and release liner of a wet inlay are peeled off before the label is applied, so they never take part in the radio link. What does change read range is the inlay design, the chip sensitivity and the substrate the finished label ends up on.
Can I apply a dry inlay straight onto a carton?
Not on its own — it has no adhesive. You would need to add adhesive and a liner first, or choose the wet inlay version, which is supplied ready to apply.
Can you laminate the labels for us instead?
Yes, we can quote a converted label with your face stock and adhesive specification. This page describes the bare inlay route, where the converting step stays on your own line.
Can we specify the chip?
Yes. Send the chip your reader and middleware are already validated against. Quoting an inlay around that chip avoids you having to re-certify firmware after the labels arrive.
What web width and pitch can you supply?
Widths and pitches follow the inlay design. Tell us your press width and the number of lanes you want across, and we will quote an inlay that lays out without wasting edge trim.
Will a dry inlay work on metal?
A standard inlay will not. Metal detunes the antenna and absorbs the field, so an on-metal build needs a ferrite isolation layer — normally added at the encapsulation or lamination stage rather than at inlay level.
What is the minimum order quantity?
It depends on the inlay design and web width, and is usually quoted in whole rolls. Give us the finished article you are building and the annual volume, and the quotation will come back with MOQ and lead time for that configuration.
Can I get a sample before ordering?
Yes. Sample rolls or cut lengths are available so you can run them through your own press and test read performance on your actual substrate before committing to a production order.