Industrial Metal Barcode Labels and Tags

Metal barcode labels typically are the most durable barcodes for permanently labeling assets. However, the most durable barcode for an application depends on the operating environment of the asset (and subsequently the environmental conditions the barcode must withstand).

Metalphoto® anodized aluminum is considered the most durable printed aluminum substrate and is the most frequently specified label material for U.S. Department of Defense applications. Most Metalphoto® anodized aluminum have an expected exterior lifespan of 20+ years and can withstand prolonged exposure to UV, outdoor weather, abrasion, chemicals and solvents, and extreme temperatures.

In certain applications, other materials may be more suitable. For instance, stainless steel barcodes are often used for food processing applications due to stainless steel’s corrosion resistance and ease of cleaning.

Besides metal barcode labels, there are many different types of barcode tags, which can be categorized by the substrate material, application, imaging process, durability characteristics, and other factors.

For instance, different types of barcode labels based on materials include Metalphoto® photosensitive anodized aluminum barcode labels, Durablack®, Alumamark®, Teflon® Coated Paint Resistance, XHT Metalphoto®, stainless steel, brass, tesa® Secure™ UID labels, polyester, and vinyl.

These types of barcode labels can be further identified based on other factors such as the application or industry.

You might also classify barcode labels based on use case, such as warehouse barcode labels, inventory tracking barcode labels (part of a comprehensive inventory tracking system), equipment tracking barcode labels (part of a comprehensive equipment tracking system), CMMS maintenance management barcode labels, inspection and audit tracking barcode labels, manufacturing work-in-progress barcode labels, facilities management barcode labels, compliance marking barcode labels, security barcode labels, harsh environment tracking labels, consumer product tracking barcode labels, and general asset tracking barcode labels.

Metalphoto® photosensitive anodized aluminum barcode labels are the best barcodes for asset tracking in most applications. Metalphoto metal barcode labels can withstand indoor and outdoor conditions such as UV, chemicals, solvents, abrasion, extreme temperatures, humidity, salt spray, and other harsh conditions.

These metal barcode labels have an expected lifespan of 20+ years in the harshest indoor and outdoor environments.

Linear (1D) barcodes and two-dimensional (2D) barcodes (also known as matrix barcodes) are the two main types of barcodes. There are more than 30 primary barcode categories overall and various barcode symbologies for different use cases.

1D barcodes are either numeric-only (only using numbers 0-9) or alpha-numeric (which can include numbers, letters, and sometimes special characters) represented by a series of vertical lines in varying lengths. 2D barcodes include a series of squares that represent different characters and have a much higher density than 1D barcodes, supporting more than 7,000 characters in a single barcode.